Germany, you'll soon discover, is a very well-run country. But bureaucracy is a price for keeping that well-run operation. Your very first duty is to let the local authorities know where you are - not at every minute, but the location of your official residence. This registration involves going to your local registry office (Meldestelle, Bürgerbüro or Einwohnermelderamt) or the local town hall (Rathaus) and filling out a form in which you provide your new address. It is a painless process that usually goes very quickly. Registration is required of all residents in a community, whether German or foreign. Failure to register within three months of moving in will earn you a fine, the amount depending on how long you've been residing at the unregistered address.

Actually, you probably won't have to worry about forgetting to do this; most landlords will remind you repeatedly: they, too, can now get a fine for allowing unregistered people to live in their buildings. Moreover, everyone is required to register anew and whenever they change their residence, unless that change only entails moving from one flat in a property to another.

Very soon after you've taken care of this registration you should attend to getting your residence and work permits. Unless you are an EU citizen, you'll probably be given a tourist visa allowing you to stay for three months on arrival in Germany, but when that runs out, you have to get your residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis). EU nationals are treated like Germans when it comes to employment and residence and therefore don't need any permits. They simply have to register with the German authorities, just like Germans do.

If you are from a non-EU country, you will have to report to the Foreigners Office (Ausländerbehörde) which will process both your work permit and residence permit requests. In order to get these vital stamps in your passport, you must present the Office with a letter from your prospective employer that shows you won't become a ward of the German state when you settle in here. The letter must also state that you are uniquely qualified for this job and that it's not a position that a German or EU national could possibly fill. Furthermore, be sure to arm yourself with photocopies of your academic records, certification of your qualifications and a color portrait photo of yourself which meets biometric identification standards. And don't forget to bring extra cash: fees for registration can be as high as 80 euros. Credit cards are not typically accepted

Be forewarned: the entire process will likely take three to four months, and there will be long gaps during which you will hear absolutely nothing from your case worker. Your chances of successfully getting work and residency permits are good if you are from Andorra, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Japan, Canada, Monaco, San Marino or the USA, because Germany has special bi-lateral agreements with these countries.

Temporary residence permits can be issued for anywhere between six months and five years. They are renewable, and the process of renewing these permits usually runs more smoothly than getting your first permit - assuming that all the other conditions for approval still hold. After five years, you can then get a permanent settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) that allows you to stay here indefinitely. Under certain conditions, some individuals (such as highly qualified people) can directly apply for settlement permit. (For more information on residence permits, contact the Federal Ministry of the Interior, www.bmi.bund.de).

Whichever permit you wish to apply for, remember that a residence permit only extends for the validity of your passport. Should your passport expire during the middle of any kind of residence permit, you need to go and get another one stamped into your new passport. But this last process, you'll be glad to hear, is a mere formality: Just bring your old and new passports to the Registry office for the transfer.

Work permits are valid for different periods of time, depending on your nationality and the purpose of your stay. Most importantly, while waiting to get your temporary work permit, you're not allowed to actually do any work. It's also well worth noting that a work permit is always linked to one employer. If you leave that position for another, you're required to get a new work permit.

When you first register with the authorities, you'll also be given an income tax registration card, along with a slim brochure explaining (in German) the fundamentals of the tax system and determining your tax status. Following this initial registration, your income tax card (Lohnsteuerkarte) will be mailed to you. At this point, you'll have to select your tax group (Steuerklasse), which in turn determines your income tax rate. Your choice of tax group is not a matter of personal preference. It largely depends on your marital, family and job status, and you may be required to provide proof of all these things before you're officially admitted into a specific tax group. For more information please see Money Matters.