Registration of Address?

[Michael2017 368]

In Europe, you need to register yourself with the county or municipality and inform the authorities that you actually live there.

Is there such a requirement also in the US?

[little immigrant 801]

Not that I know of. Once you're in the US you want to get a driver's license or an ID card however. It will have your address on there. 

 

Also make sure that before you leave Germany you let them know that you won't have any residence there anymore. 

 

[JFH 12,191]

You don't need to register in the way that you do in Germany through an Einwohnermeldeamt. But if you are a green card holder and you move you need to complete an AR-11 and if your sponsor or joint sponsor moves they need to complete an I-865. 

 

 

[Michael2017 368]

Thanks, so it is only with USCIS not with the municipality or county  like we have in Europe.

[JFH 12,191]

4 minutes ago, Michael2017 said:

Thanks, so it is only with USCIS not with the municipality or county  like we have in Europe.

Correct, only for USCIS to keep their files up to date. You don't need to register with the city or county. However, the way driving licenses are organized here is very similar. A driving license in the US carries more weight than in Europe. In the U.K., for example, your driving license is just that - proof that you are legally able to operate a vehicle, nothing else. Here in the US it serves as a formal ID in the way a passport or Perso would be used in Europe. Your driving license has your address on and if you move you MUST update this with DMV. 

 

When I went to join our local library (in a town of around 2,000 people) I was asked for ID. My European self immediately pulled my passport and my green card out of my bag. The library worker said "don't you have a driver's license?" To me this was a strange question. In the U.K. you would only have to show a driving license if you were intending to drive (for example renting a car, or applying for a job that requires you to drive). So I showed my license and was told "that's better". My husband was with me and explained that here your driving license is considered more important than a passport or a green card when it comes to ID. I guess it's because more than half the population doesn't have a passport. It's quite possible that the library worker in our little one-horse town has never seen a passport before.