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How can you live in Germany without registering an address? Were you just visiting?

Registering the address will get you the tax number, which is necessary to be paid.

The health insurance (also mandatory when working) would need a registered address.

I was there for over a year.

I did have a tax number, since I got paid and presumably paid taxes.

I never went anywhere just to register my address though. That sounds so insane to me.

Man, I wish I could "presumably" pay taxes like you... :)

I mean they were definitely paid. I never bothered filing a return or anything though, so I just never got any kind of refund assuming I would have.

My point being that you get a tax number after your first address registration ("Anmeldung einer Wohnung")

I don't think I had my apartment yet when I got my tax number, but OK.

Still a crappy system.