Registering your apartment for the broadcasting fee

Are you moving into an apartment for which no license fee is paid yet? Then you must register this apartment for the broadcasting fee.

The license fee secures the funding of ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio. With their programs, the broadcasters inform, educate and entertain many millions of people every day.

Thanks to solidarity-based financing, public service broadcasting in Germany can operate independently of political and economic interests. For this reason, citizens must pay a broadcasting fee of EUR 18.36 for every apartment, regardless of how many people live in the apartment:

• If you move into an apartment, you register the apartment with the ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio contribution service for the broadcasting fee.
• If you live in the apartment with several adults, you can decide for yourself who registers the apartment.
• If you move into an apartment for which a license fee is already paid, you do not need to register for the license fee.

You must register the apartment from the beginning of the month in which you move into it.

The amount of the broadcasting fee and its due date are regulated by law. This means that you must pay the broadcasting fee even if you have not received a special request for payment.

You can register online.

Exemption and registration of another home

In special cases, you can be exempted from the broadcasting fee or apply for a reduction in the fee.

Are you already registered for the broadcasting fee with an apartment? You can also register another home on the online portal, for example a second home, secondary residence or privately used vacation home.

Forms available: Yes
Written form required: No
Informal application possible: Yes
Personal appearance necessary: No

Online services available: Yes

• You are the owner of an apartment.
• You live in the apartment.
• You are registered in the apartment or named in the rental agreement.
• There is no broadcasting fee account for the apartment.
• No other person is already paying a license fee for the apartment.

• none

You can register for the license fee online, by post or by telephone.

Online:

• Open the online portal "Ihr Rundfunkbeitrag".
• Click on the field "Register apartment" or enter the web code "BF02" in the search field, then the corresponding online form will open and guide you step by step through the registration process.
• First enter your personal data and other required information.
  • For example, whether you are already registered with an apartment. If you select the "Yes" option, an input field will open in which you must enter your contribution number.
• In the next step, enter the details of the apartment to be registered.
  • You can also register an apartment at a different address.
  • Enter the date of registration in the format month/year.
• Then determine the payment method.
• Select the desired payment frequency from the default settings.
• Specify whether you would like to pay by direct debit or bank transfer.
  • If you select "Direct debit", further input fields will open to enter the account details. In this case, you confirm that you authorize the ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio contribution service to collect the amount.
• In the last step, you will be shown a summary of your data.
  • Check the data you have entered and correct it if necessary.
  • To make a correction, click on the "Correct" checkbox in the relevant section.
  • After entering all the data, you must confirm that you have read the information on data protection.
  • Then enter the randomly generated number, the so-called captcha. You can read this on an image and finally confirm your registration by clicking on the "Log in" selection field.
• You will then be taken to an overview page. All the data you have entered is summarized there. You can print out the data or save it in PDF format.

Alternatively, you can also register by post or telephone.

By post:

• Call up the form for registering an apartment on the website "rundfunkbeitrag.de" in PDF format.
• Fill in the PDF form, print it out and sign it. Then send it by post to the ARD, ZDF and Deutschlandradio contribution service.

Telephone:

• Call the Beitragsservice telephone hotline and go through the document with a contact person.

In certain cases, a reduction or exemption from the broadcasting fee is also possible:

• To do this, select the "Apply for exemption or reduction" field on the "rundfunkbeitrag.de" website.
• Follow the step-by-step instructions.

If you have already registered an apartment for the broadcasting fee, you may be able to register another apartment:

• On the "rundfunkbeitrag.de" website, select the "Register another home" field.
• Follow the step-by-step instructions.

In certain cases, it is also possible to be exempted from the obligation to pay the broadcasting fee for the secondary residence:

• To do this, select the "Exempt secondary residence" field on the "rundfunkbeitrag.de" website.
• Follow the step-by-step instructions.

You must register immediately after moving into the apartment.

The Beitragsservice will process your registration immediately.

Zahlungsweise: SEPA-Lastschrift oder Überweisung Die Anmeldung der Wohnung ist kostenlos. Für die angemeldete Wohnung müssen Sie dann den Rundfunkbeitrag zahlen. Sie können den Zahlungsrhythmus wie folgt anpassen: - gesetzliche Zahlungsweise in der Mitte von 3 Monaten 55,08 EUR - vierteljährlich im Voraus zum Ersten eines Quartals für 3 Monate 55,08 EUR - halbjährlich im Voraus zum Ersten eines Halbjahres für 6 Monate 110,16 EUR - jährlich im Voraus zum Ersten eines jeden Jahres für 12 Monate 220,32 EUR: Fee 18,36 EUR