Short Answer
German mail carriers deliver correspondence strictly based on the last name printed on the physical mailbox.
Apartment numbers are not used in standard postal addressing, meaning a missing name label results in an immediate return to sender.
What Most Expats Don't Realize
You completed your residence registration and assumed your official letters would arrive because the address matched your contract. Because you forgot to tape your name onto the building's mailbox lobby, the postal service returned your physical electronic residence permit and Tax ID to the federal office. You lost €120 in administrative re-mailing fees and suffered a two-month delay in starting your job.
What To Do
- Print your last name clearly on a weatherproof label and stick it onto your mailbox the day you move in.
- Include a "c/o" line with your host’s exact last name in your mailing address if you are subletting temporarily.
- "Mein Name steht noch nicht am Briefkasten." (My name is not on the mailbox yet.) — tell your landlord or property management company if you require an official nameplate.
The Truth
Germany relies entirely on physical name identification for postal infrastructure. The system treats a mailbox without your name as an unoccupied location, immediately bouncing critical state documents back to their origin.