Akte DE · 01 Arriving · stop 5/5 →
Who sent this letter?
A German letter you don't recognise is the scariest piece of paperwork there is. Most of the official post that reaches a newcomer in the first months comes from a handful of senders — here they are, in the order they usually arrive: what each letter is, why it came, and what to keep. Every fact linked to its official source.
We identify types — we never read your mail
Nothing here is uploaded, scanned, or read by anyone. This is a reference: your letter never leaves your kitchen table. We identify the common letter types and what triggers them; we don't interpret your specific letter.
The usual suspects, in arrival order
The fastest way to identify any letter is the sender line (Absender) — printed top-left or in the envelope window.
The Steuer-ID letter
A plain letter from the Bundeszentralamt für Steuern (Federal Central Tax Office) brings your tax identification number (IdNr / Steuer-ID) after your first Anmeldung. For data-protection reasons the number is only ever communicated by post — nobody legitimate will email or phone it to you. Keep the letter: your employer needs the number, and it stays yours for life. Source ↗
The broadcasting-fee letter
A letter from 'ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice' follows your Anmeldung: the residents' registration office notifies the contribution service of every new registration, and the service then writes to clarify who pays the broadcasting fee for the dwelling. It is not a scam and not optional post — but only one person per dwelling pays. Source ↗
Your social-insurance number
When you are first insured through a job, the pension insurance's data office assigns your social-insurance number (Versicherungsnummer) and must inform you without delay, issuing a Versicherungsnummernachweis — the document that replaced the old paper Sozialversicherungsausweis. It contains only the number, your names and the issue date. Employers ask for the number; if the document is lost, a new one is issued via your Krankenkasse or the pension insurer. Source ↗
The health card (eGK)
After you join a statutory Krankenkasse, your electronic health card (elektronische Gesundheitskarte, eGK) is sent to you by post — the fund may ask for a passport photo during registration. Carry the card whenever you visit a doctor or a hospital. Source ↗
Girocard & PIN
After your account is opened, the bank sends you your Girocard and your PIN — and usually a confirmation of receipt by post or email right after you apply. Memorise the PIN and share it with no one; the bank itself will never ask you to tell it. Source ↗
The PIN letter — don't throw it away
When you apply for an electronic residence permit (eAT) — or a German ID card — you receive a PIN letter for the card's online-ID function. Under its two scratch fields sit a five-digit one-time PIN and a ten-digit unblocking key (PUK). It looks disposable; it is not: keep it for as long as the card is valid. Source ↗
The words on official letters
Definitions only — what the words mean, not what your letter demands.
- Absender
- The sender — printed top-left or in the address window; the fastest way to identify any letter
- Aktenzeichen / Az.
- The file reference — quote it if you reply
- Kassenzeichen
- A payment reference used in transfers to an authority
- Bescheid
- An official decision notice
- Frist
- A deadline — the date by which the letter expects a reply or action
- Widerspruch
- A formal objection to an official decision
- Mahnung
- A payment reminder
- Einschreiben
- Registered mail — someone usually has to sign for it
When this page isn't enough
We identify common letter types — we don't read your letter, draft replies, or judge deadlines and demands. If a letter demands money or sets a deadline you don't understand, use the contact details printed on the letter itself, or take it to a Verbraucherzentrale or a migration advice centre. And if a letter demands payment but matches none of the senders above, be careful before paying anything.
The letters follow the paperwork. The steps that trigger them:
An automated assistant that organizes your information and applies publicly documented rules. Sources for each rule are cited.
This is not legal, tax, immigration, or financial advice, and not an official recognition, filing, or application. For decisions with legal or financial consequences, consult a qualified professional.
Rules last verified: 2026-07-15.
Sources
- https://www.bzst.de/EN/Private_individuals/Tax_identification_number/tax_identification_number_node.html
- https://www.rundfunkbeitrag.de/welcome/english
- https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/sgb_6/__147.html
- https://handbookgermany.de/en/health-insurance
- https://handbookgermany.de/en/bank-account
- https://www.personalausweisportal.de/Webs/PA/EN/citizens/electronic-identification/pin-letter/pin-letter-node.html