Long-distance move Berlin – Linz: route process & schedule

As Austria is part of the European Union, there is no customs check on your household goods when moving from Germany to Linz. A simple list of boxes still helps when unloading and in case of damage. What matters is the Meldezettel: within three days of moving in you register, in Linz at the citizens' service (Bürger*innen-Service) in the Neues Rathaus, in some city libraries, by post or online with ID Austria. If you stay longer than three months, you apply for the registration certificate for EU citizens within four months of entry. If your car is permanently based in Austria, it must be registered there; as a rule the standard consumption tax (Normverbrauchsabgabe, NoVA) is payable – clarify the deadline and documents with the vehicle registration office.

The cost of a move to Linz depends on moving volume, floors and additional services such as packing or furniture assembly, plus the around 592 km and the toll in the Czech Republic and Austria. After a free survey or a video appointment you receive a fixed price. The process: survey, quote, packing date, loading in Berlin, the journey via Prague and České Budějovice – about 8.5 hours by lorry including a break – and unloading in Linz with assembly of the furniture. For large households we load the day before. In Austria, night and weekend driving bans apply to heavy vehicles over 7.5 t, which we factor into the schedule.

Every move is different, but rough guide prices help with planning: for a 1-room flat costs start at €375, for 2 rooms at €615. If you live in 3 rooms, you pay from €899, and for 4 rooms the price starts at €1,299. Larger properties such as houses and villas always receive an individual quote. For longer routes: long-distance moves from €4.25/km. The most accurate figure comes from a free survey.

The moving price is calculated primarily from the volume and the distance (from €4.25/km). Further factors are the floor, an available lift and a possible parking restriction zone. Additional services such as furniture assembly and part load round off the offer.

You can book these services for your move to Linz individually or together.

We plan long-distance moves from Berlin (Stromstraße 21), including to Austria. You will find places with their own pages in the locations overview, and more on long routes under Long-distance moves. We plan the way back from Linz to Berlin in exactly the same way.

For loading zones, parking bans, driving bans and weight restrictions on municipal and provincial roads, the city of Linz requires an "informal application under § 45 of the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO)". The responsible office is the Bau- und Bezirksverwaltung (building and district administration), Hauptstraße 1–5, 4041 Linz, telephone +43 732 7070, email [email protected]. Office hours are Mondays from 8:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 16:00 and Tuesdays to Fridays from 8:00 to 12:30; the city recommends making an appointment and points out that it is closed on 24 and 31 December. An exemption permit is generally granted for a maximum of two years. The city does not state a lead time or fee on this page, so please ask.

If you are moving into the pedestrian zone, fixed loading times apply: in the old town and in the Herrenstraße from 6:00 to 11:30 and from 16:00 to 19:00, in the Klosterstraße and on the Hauptplatz from 18:30 to 11:00 the following day, and in the Landstraße and its side streets from 18:30 to 10:30. In the Schmidttorgasse, loading is not possible because the street is too narrow. Outside these times an exemption permit is required, which according to the city is examined very restrictively; a significant personal or economic interest is required.

The city lists major roadworks under "Verkehrsinfo" (traffic information) and parking rules under "Parken in Linz". For the journey from Berlin, the Austrian lorry driving bans apply: at night from 22:00 to 5:00, on Saturdays from 15:00 to 24:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 0:00 to 22:00 (lorries over 7.5 t). More on this on our Parking restriction zone page.

When you take up a new residence in Linz, you register at the new address within three days. The city names three routes: in person at the citizens' service in the Neues Rathaus (Hauptstraße 1–5, 4041 Linz) or at the service centre in the Wissensturm (Kärntnerstraße 26, 4020 Linz), via some city libraries (Auwiesen, Dornach/Auhof, Ebelsberg, Pichling), and by post or online with ID Austria. Making an appointment is recommended, telephone +43 732 7070. The form used is the Meldezettel, supplemented by the information sheet "Bitte melden".

Anyone deregistering without new accommodation has a window from three days before to three days after moving out; a change of main residence with deregistration and registration must also take place within three days. The page does not give a complete list of documents; it refers to the Meldezettel as a PDF form and the information sheet. The city does not state any fees there either.

For parking after moving in, Linz offers mobile phone parking, a residents' parking card and maps of the short-stay parking zones. The city's moving section also refers to electricity, gas and district heating providers from Linz AG, to the post office's mail forwarding service and to re-registering your vehicle via oesterreich.gv.at. You will find tips on housing and districts in the Linz moving guide and in the article Living in Linz.