Before you start

Passport and residence permit or visa
Meldebescheinigung from your Anmeldung, for most traditional banks
Steuer-ID, or an undertaking to supply it once issued
A German address

Step-by-step

1
Open a digital bank account before you arrive if you can
Several German and EU digital banks open accounts without a registered German address, which solves the problem of needing an account before the Anmeldung. It gives you a German IBAN for the deposit and first rent.
OnlineWho: YouBefore arrival
2
Open a traditional account once registered
Worth having alongside — Sparkasse KölnBonn and the regional cooperative banks are what private landlords and older institutions are comfortable with.
In personWho: You
3
Request your Schufa report before you start viewing
You are entitled to one free data copy per year under GDPR, and Bonn landlords expect a Schufa-Auskunft with every application. In a competitive market, turning up without one loses you the flat to whoever brought theirs.
OnlineWho: YouBefore your first viewing
4
Know the deposit rules before signing
German law caps the rental deposit at three months' cold rent, requires it held separately from the landlord's assets earning interest for you, and permits payment in three monthly instalments.
In personWho: You
5
Get an employer letter in German
A confirmation of a permanent contract from a ministry, a UN body, DHL, Telekom or the university carries substantial weight with local landlords and offsets a thin Schufa file better than anything else you can produce.
Via employerWho: Your employer
6
Set up SEPA direct debits
Rent, health insurance, the Rundfunkbeitrag and utilities all run on direct debit here. Get the mandates in place early to avoid a cascade of reminder letters.
Mobile appWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport and residence permit or accreditation document
Meldebescheinigung
Steuer-ID once issued
Employment contract and a German-language employer letter
Proof of German address

Things most newcomers don’t know

In Bonn the Schufa file actually costs you the flat, which is not true an hour north.

The Schufa system is identical across Germany; its consequence scales with competition. A Ruhr landlord with three applicants will take an employer letter instead. A Bonn landlord with thirty will not need to. Request the free data copy before your first viewing rather than after your first rejection.

Source: Schufa — data copy under Art. 15 GDPR

The deposit is capped at three months and payable in instalments.

German law limits a rental security deposit to three months' cold rent under §551 BGB, requires it held apart from the landlord's assets earning interest for the tenant, and gives the tenant the right to pay it in three monthly instalments. Landlords rarely volunteer the instalment right, and on Bonn rents the difference is real money.

Source: Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, §551

An institutional employer letter is the strongest card a newcomer here holds.

Bonn landlords have spent thirty years letting to ministry staff, UN employees and Telekom people. A German-language confirmation of a permanent contract from one of those employers is instantly legible to them in a way a foreign credit history never will be. Ask HR for one before you begin viewing, not after.

Source: community-reported

Germany runs on direct debit, not on cards.

Rent, insurance, utilities and the broadcasting fee are collected by SEPA direct debit. Cards are far less central than in the US or UK, and plenty of Bonn bakeries, kiosks and smaller restaurants still take cash only.

Source: community-reported

Common mistakes to avoid

Turning up to a Bonn viewing without a Schufa-Auskunft in a market where others have one.
Arriving with no German IBAN and being unable to pay a deposit or first rent.
Not knowing the deposit is capped at three months and payable in instalments.
Opening several credit products at once on a thin file.
Not asking your employer for a German-language confirmation letter before you start viewing.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.