Check Relocation Documents
Verify that all required documents are present, valid, and properly prepared for each bureaucratic step of an EU/DACH relocation, generating an actionable list of missing items and translation needs.
When to Use
- After creating a relocation plan and before beginning bureaucratic procedures
- When preparing for a specific appointment (Buergeramt, Finanzamt, insurance office)
- When unsure which documents need certified translation or apostille
- After receiving a rejection or request for additional documents from an authority
- When a household member has a different nationality requiring separate document tracks
- As a periodic check during the relocation process to ensure nothing has been overlooked
Inputs
Required
- Relocation plan: Output from the plan-eu-relocation skill or equivalent, listing all bureaucratic steps
- Destination country: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, or other EU country
- Nationality/nationalities: For all household members
- Document inventory: List of documents currently in possession (originals and copies)
Optional
- Origin country: For determining which documents need apostille or Hague Convention legalization
- Employment contract: To determine employer-provided documents (e.g., Arbeitgeberbescheinigung)
- Language of existing documents: To identify translation needs
- Previous relocation experience: Prior EU registrations that may simplify requirements
- Special circumstances: Recognized refugees, EU Blue Card holders, posted workers (different document requirements)
Procedure
Step 1: List All Bureaucratic Steps
Extract every registration, application, and notification step from the relocation plan.
- Parse the relocation plan for all action items requiring document submission
- Categorize steps by authority type:
- Municipal registration offices (Buergeramt, Meldeamt, Einwohnerkontrolle)
- Tax authorities (Finanzamt)
- Health insurance providers (Krankenkasse, OeGK, Swiss insurer)
- Social security offices (Rentenversicherung, Sozialversicherung, AHV)
- Immigration/foreigners office (Auslaenderbehorde) if applicable
- Banks and financial institutions
- Schools and childcare facilities
- Vehicle registration (Kfz-Zulassungsstelle)
- Other (pet import, professional license recognition)
- Order steps according to the dependency chain from the relocation plan
- Note which steps share the same documents (to avoid redundant preparation)
Expected: A numbered list of all bureaucratic steps, categorized and ordered, with notes on shared document requirements.
On failure: If the relocation plan is incomplete or unavailable, build the step list from the destination country's official relocation checklist (e.g., Germany: make-it-in-germany.com, Austria: migration.gv.at, Switzerland: ch.ch/en/moving-switzerland).
Step 2: Map Required Documents per Step
For each bureaucratic step, identify every document the authority requires.
- For municipal registration (Anmeldung/Meldezettel):
- Valid passport or national ID card (all household members)
- Wohnungsgeberbestaetigung / rental contract / property deed
- Marriage certificate (if registering as a couple)
- Birth certificates (for children)
- Previous registration confirmation (if moving within the country)
- For tax registration:
- Residence registration confirmation (Meldebestaetigung/Meldezettel)
- Employment contract or business registration
- Tax ID from origin country (for cross-border coordination)
- Marriage certificate (for tax class assignment in Germany)
- For health insurance enrollment:
- Employment contract or proof of self-employment
- Previous insurance confirmation or EHIC (European Health Insurance Card)
- S1 form (for posted workers or cross-border situations)
- Residence registration confirmation
- For social security coordination:
- A1 portable document (for posted workers)
- E-forms or S-forms for benefit transfers
- Employment history documentation
- Social security number from origin country
- For bank account opening:
- Valid passport or national ID
- Residence registration confirmation
- Proof of income (employment contract or recent payslips)
- Tax ID or Steueridentifikationsnummer (Germany)
- For immigration/residence permits (non-EU nationals):
- Valid passport with at least 6 months remaining validity
- Biometric photos (specific format per country)
- Employment contract or job offer letter
- Proof of financial means
- Health insurance confirmation
- University degree with recognition (for EU Blue Card)
- Criminal background check (may require apostille)
- For vehicle re-registration:
- Vehicle registration document (Fahrzeugbrief/Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil II)
- Proof of insurance (eVB number in Germany)
- TUeV/Pickerl/MFK inspection certificate
- Residence registration confirmation
- For school/childcare enrollment:
- Birth certificates
- Vaccination records (Impfpass)
- Previous school reports with translations
- Residence registration confirmation
Expected: A matrix mapping each bureaucratic step to its required documents, with document specifications (original required, copy acceptable, certified translation needed).
On failure: If requirements for a specific step are unclear, check the authority's website directly or call their service line. Requirements can change; do not rely solely on third-party guides older than 12 months.
Step 3: Check Current Document Status
Compare the required documents against the current inventory to identify gaps.
- For each required document, check:
- Have (original): Original document is in possession and accessible
- Have (copy only): Only a copy exists; original may need to be ordered
- Expired: Document exists but validity period has passed
- Missing: Document does not exist and must be obtained
- Not applicable: Document is not needed for this specific case
- For documents that are "Have (original)", verify:
- The document is not damaged or illegible
- Names match across all documents (watch for transliteration differences, maiden names, middle names)
- The document will still be valid at the time it will be used (passports, ID cards, insurance cards)
- For expired documents, determine:
- Renewal processing time at issuing authority
- Whether an expired document is accepted temporarily (some are, most are not)
- Cost of renewal
- For missing documents, determine:
- Issuing authority and their processing time
- Required supporting documents to obtain the missing document (recursive check)
- Cost and payment method
- Whether it can be ordered remotely or requires in-person appearance
- Flag any documents where names do not match (e.g., passport has maiden name, marriage certificate has married name) -- these will likely require explanation or additional proof of name change
Expected: A status table for every required document: status (have/copy-only/expired/missing/N-A), validity date, and notes on any issues.
On failure: If document status cannot be confirmed (e.g., documents are in storage or with another party), mark as "unconfirmed" and treat as potentially missing for planning purposes.
Step 4: Identify Translation and Apostille Requirements
Determine which documents need certified translation, apostille, or other legalization.
- Check destination country language requirements:
- Germany: Documents must generally be in German or accompanied by certified translation
- Austria: Same as Germany; some offices accept English for EU documents
- Switzerland: Depends on canton (German, French, Italian, or Romansh area)
- Identify which documents are exempt from translation:
- EU multilingual standard forms (Regulation 2016/1191) for birth, marriage, death, and other civil status documents between EU member states
- Passports and national ID cards (universally accepted without translation)
- EHIC (European Health Insurance Card)
- For documents requiring translation:
- Must be done by a sworn/certified translator (beeidigter Uebersetzer)
- The translator must be certified in the destination country (not the origin country)
- Typical turnaround: 3-10 business days
- Cost: 30-80 EUR per page depending on language pair and complexity
- Determine apostille or legalization requirements:
- Documents from Hague Convention countries: apostille from issuing country's competent authority
- Documents from non-Hague countries: full legalization chain (local notary, foreign ministry, embassy)
- EU-internal documents: often exempt from apostille under EU regulations, but verify per document type
- Switzerland is a Hague Convention member but not an EU member; rules differ
- Check if the destination country accepts digital or electronic apostilles
- Note that some documents require both apostille AND certified translation (the apostille itself may also need translation)
Expected: A translation/legalization matrix showing for each document: translation needed (yes/no), apostille needed (yes/no), estimated cost, and estimated processing time.
On failure: If uncertain whether a specific document needs apostille, contact the destination authority directly. Over-preparing (getting an unnecessary apostille) is better than under-preparing (being turned away at the appointment).
Step 5: Generate Action List
Compile all findings into a prioritized, deadline-aware action list.
- Merge all gaps (missing, expired, translation needed, apostille needed) into a single action list
- For each action item, include:
- Document name
- Action required (obtain, renew, translate, apostille, replace)
- Issuing authority or service provider
- Estimated processing time
- Estimated cost
- Deadline (derived from when the document is first needed in the relocation timeline)
- Priority (critical / high / medium / low)
- Assign priority based on:
- Critical: Blocks the first bureaucratic step (e.g., passport for Anmeldung) or has a non-negotiable deadline
- High: Needed within the first 2 weeks after arrival; long processing time
- Medium: Needed within the first month; reasonable processing time
- Low: Needed eventually; no immediate deadline pressure
- Order the list by:
- First: Critical items sorted by longest processing time (start these first)
- Then: High items sorted by deadline
- Then: Medium and low items
- Calculate total estimated cost for all document preparation
- Add a "document folder" checklist for the day of each appointment, listing exactly which originals, copies, and translations to bring
Expected: A prioritized action list with deadlines, costs, and processing times, plus per-appointment packing lists for documents.
On failure: If processing times are uncertain (common for documents from countries with slower bureaucracies), use worst-case estimates and start the process as early as possible. Flag items where expedited processing is available at additional cost.
Validation
- Every bureaucratic step from the relocation plan has at least one document mapped to it
- No document is listed as "status unknown" -- all must be confirmed as have/missing/expired/N-A
- Translation requirements reference the destination country's official language requirements
- Apostille requirements are verified against Hague Convention membership of the issuing country
- Deadlines in the action list align with the relocation timeline from plan-eu-relocation
- Priority assignments are consistent (no "low" priority item that blocks a "critical" step)
- The total cost estimate is calculated and presented
- Per-appointment document checklists are generated for at least the first three bureaucratic steps
Common Pitfalls
- Assuming EU documents need no preparation: While EU regulations simplify cross-border document acceptance, most offices still require translations and some require apostilles even between EU states
- Name mismatches across documents: Transliteration from non-Latin scripts, use of maiden vs. married names, and middle name inconsistencies are the most common reason for rejection at appointments
- Relying on photocopies: Most DACH authorities require original documents for inspection and keep certified copies; bring originals even if you think copies will suffice
- Ordering translations too late: Sworn translators often have 1-2 week backlogs, and this extends during peak relocation season (August-September)
- Forgetting the apostille on the translation: Some authorities require the apostille on the original document AND a separate certified translation of the apostilled document
- Not checking document validity periods: A passport valid for 2 more months may be rejected if the authority requires 6 months remaining validity
- Ignoring the multilingual EU forms: For civil status documents between EU countries, multilingual standard forms (available from the issuing authority) can eliminate the need for translation entirely -- but you must request them explicitly
- Assuming digital documents are accepted: Most DACH government offices still require physical documents; PDF printouts of digital-only documents may not be accepted without additional verification
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