German tax ID application form

This form helps you request a tax ID without registering your address. Only use this form if you can’t register your address.

This form does not always work. The Finanzamt might send your tax ID to your foreign address, or to your employer.4 You might not receive your tax ID at all. This form is designed for cross-border workers, not for people who live in Germany. It’s a bureaucratic hack, so it’s unreliable.

How to get a tax ID

Who should fill this form

Use this form if…

  • You work in Germany, but you do not live in Germany
  • You live in Germany, but you do not have a fixed address
  • You live in Germany, but you can’t register your address

Do not use this form if…

  • You can register your address. You get a tax ID by post 4 to 6 weeks after your first Anmeldung.
  • You registered an address before. You already have a tax ID.
  • If you lost your tax ID.
  • You need a Steuernummer or VAT number for your business.

Where to find your tax ID

Fill the form online


Download the form

You can also download the original form and fill it yourself. If you need a tax ID for multiple people, fill the form multiple times.

How to fill this form

Use my form filler, it’s easier.

If you fill this form because you can’t register your current address:

  • Derzeitiger Aufenthalt in Deutschland
    Tick “ja”.
  • Grund für die Vergabe der IdNr.
    In the Sonstiger Grund field, write “Wohnsitzanmeldung derzeit nicht möglich”. If you are an employee, also tick Arbeitnehmer.
  • Zweck
    If you are an employee, tick Lohnsteuerabzug. If you want to start a business, write “bevorstehende Gewerbeanmeldung” in the Sonstiger Zweck field.
  • Anschrift in Deutschland
    If you don’t have an address in Germany, write “nicht vorhanden” (not available) or “noch nicht bekannt” (not known yet).3
  • Ort, Datum
    The city, and the date. Use the DD.MM.YYYY date format.
  • Unterschrift der antragstellenden Person
    Your signature. It should be the same as on your passport or national ID.

How to send this form

If you are an employee, mail the form to your employer’s local Finanzamt. If not, mail it to your local Finanzamt.1 Include a copy of your passport or Personalausweis.

Find your local Finanzamt

How to mail a letter

What happens next?

4 to 6 weeks later, you will get a tax ID by post. It will be a letter from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (BZSt).

They usually send your tax ID to your employer, or to your foreign address, even if you gave an address in Germany.2

They might create your tax ID, even if they don’t send it to you. If you did not receive your tax ID after 6 weeks, ask your Finanzamt.

Sources and footnotes
  1. Screenshot, Screenshot 

  2. Multiple readers (March to October 2023), reader feedback (September 2024) 

  3. Finanzamt (July 2024) 

  4. Reader feedback (October 2023)