Public broadcasting fee

Public service broadcasters in Germany are financed by the public broadcasting license fee (Rundfunkbeitrag). This way of funding enables media coverage independent of commercial or political interests. Whether you will have to pay the fee depends on the duration of your stay in Germany:

1. Do I need to pay the fee? If you stay in Germany for less than three months and do not register your residence at the Mannheim citizen's service offices, you do not have to pay the fee.
2. How do I register to pay the fee? If you stay in Germany for more than three months and thus have to register your residence at the Mannheim citizen's service offices, you must pay a fee of EUR 18.36 per month as of your first day of residence. As soon as you have registered your residence at the citizen's service office, the „ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice” will automatically contact you by sending you a letter. You may either react by mail or answer online. For replying online, please comply with the instructions we have compiled for you:
   1. If you live in a one-person household, you must pay the entire fee of EUR 18.36 per month. Please follow the guide “How to react to letters from ‘ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice' (one-person-household)” that you will find in the instructions.
   2. If several people live together in the same household, the public broadcasting fee has to be paid only once for the entire household. First, one of the tenants has to register as explained in the guide “How to react to letters from ‘ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice' (one-person-household)”. The other roommates have to follow the guide “How to react to letters from ‘ARD ZDF Deutschlandradio Beitragsservice' (paying roommate)” in the instructions once the initial registrant has received his/her registration number (Beitragsnummer).
   3. If you have registered your address at the citizen's service office and do not receive a letter from the 'Beitragsservice' (after several weeks), you can also register without an “Aktenzeichen”. Please use the guide “How to register for the public broadcasting fee without an 'Aktenzeichen'" in the instructions.
3. I am moving – do I need to inform the Beitragsservice? If you change your residence within Germany, you have to inform the “Beitragsservice” about your change in address. This applies to any relocation within Germany. In case you have already registered your first residence in Germany with the “Beitragsservice”, please follow the guide “How to change your address” in the instructions.
4. I am leaving Germany – what do I have to do? Do not forget to de-register! If you have registered your residence at the citizen's service offices of the city of Mannheim and thus registered for the public broadcasting fee, please make sure not to forget to de-register from the public broadcasting fee before leaving! Please follow the guide “How to de-register from the license fee due to leaving Germany” in the instructions.