Moving to Düsseldorf: Costs Process & Districts

Anyone moving to Düsseldorf is spoilt for choice: Oberkassel, with its Rhine location, bistros and good primary schools, is considered one of the most sought-after residential areas – and demand is correspondingly high. If you prefer things more urban, Flingern and Bilk offer lively pub scenes, street art and a young population with somewhat more moderate rents. Families appreciate Kaiserswerth and Angermund in the north for their quiet, green location with a historic town centre.

Students and young professionals are often drawn to Derendorf and Pempelfort, which are close to the centre and still offer affordable housing. If you are looking for an international atmosphere, you will find it in the heart of Stadtmitte around Immermannstraße with its Japanese community. The Altstadt (old town) itself is mainly of interest to those who like going out, while housing there is limited and expensive.

Düsseldorf is home to numerous DAX and international corporations such as Henkel, Uniper, Metro, Vodafone Deutschland and L'Oréal Deutschland – an important reason why many professionals from all over Germany come here for their move to Düsseldorf. Messe Düsseldorf (the trade fair centre) also attracts numerous exhibitors and skilled workers from around the world. Heinrich Heine University and Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences also ensure a young, international population in the city.

Quality of life in Düsseldorf scores with the Rhine promenade, the K20/K21 art collection, numerous parks such as the Hofgarten and excellent connections via the Rheinbahn and Düsseldorf Airport. If you value short distances between work, culture and leisure, you will find an attractive overall package here. On top of that come short journeys to the Rhine and the surrounding countryside.

• €359 – starting price for 1-room moves
• €579 – starting price for 2-room moves
• €884 – starting price for 3-room moves
• €1,324 – starting price for 4-room moves
• Individual quote – for house or villa moves
• €3.90/km – price for long-distance moves

It is best to get no-obligation advice during a free survey.

• Amount of belongings (volume)
• Number of kilometres, from €3.90/km
• Floor and availability of a lift
• Need for a parking restriction zone
• Furniture assembly and a part load can be booked as options

We plan moves from Berlin-Moabit (Stromstraße 21). Everything on long routes is under long-distance moving, and cities with their own page are in the locations overview.

In Düsseldorf, the Amt für Verkehrsmanagement (traffic management office) is responsible for exemption permits "for parking, stopping and driving, for example for home moves". That is what the city writes on duesseldorf.de. The application route is clearly described:

• PDF form by email to [email protected]
• or by post to Auf'm Hennekamp 45, 40225 Düsseldorf
• or via the online forms in the city's service portal

You then receive the permit by email or post. The office can be reached by phone on 0211 89-23602 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8:00 to 15:00; the permit office (room 0.19) is open on Mondays from 7:30 to 15:00 and Tuesday to Friday from 7:30 to 13:00. The page does not state a processing time or fees – so ask early, ideally straight after the survey.

In the application, it is best to state the street, house number, date, time and the required length of the area. The legal basis is § 45 StVO, under which road traffic authorities can restrict or prohibit the use of certain roads for reasons of traffic safety or order. We support you in planning the parking position and signage; background on the application can be found in the guide Applying for a parking restriction zone and under parking restriction zone.

If your move needs more than one parking space, the City of Düsseldorf lists further cases requiring a permit on its "Sondernutzungen" (special uses) page, including ladder scaffolding, rubble skips, mobile crane/aerial work platform, civil engineering works and site set-up areas. You usually apply using a PDF form; the permit for scaffolding, skips, cranes and building sites is granted on application.

For a mobile crane, aerial work platform, building works and site set-up, the city requires a plan showing the location, dimensions, traffic routing and planned traffic signs (a "Verkehrszeichenplan"). Questions about special use should be sent to [email protected]. Whether the location of a furniture lift requires a permit is decided by the office on a case-by-case basis; for this, state the location, period and vehicle size. For crane or lift operations, we coordinate the survey, cordoning off and time window together with you. It is best to apply for permits for skips or scaffolding together with the application for the parking position, so that deadlines do not overlap. On request, we also plan house clearances with a skip; more about the service under House clearance.

After moving in, the nationwide registration deadline of two weeks applies (§ 17 (1) Federal Registration Act). You book appointments for registration matters via the service portal service.duesseldorf.de. Our guide for newcomers offers an overview of housing and everyday life; for the city itself, see the page Removal company Düsseldorf.