Reg­is­ter­ing for TV and radio licence fee

What is that? In Ger­many, cit­i­zens aged 18 and over who own a radio, tele­vi­sion or com­put­er must pay a Rund­funkbeitrag (TV and radio licence fee). It is used to sup­port pub­lic ser­vice pro­grammes broad­cast on radio and tele­vi­sion and streamed on the Internet.

Pub­lic broad­cast­ers include chan­nels such as ARD, ZDF or SWR. They are oblig­ed to pro­vide inde­pen­dent, objec­tive and non-par­ti­san media report­ing. The TV and radio licence fee helps to sup­port a free press, which is impor­tant for our democracy.

How much does it cost? The TV and radio licence fee is cur­rent­ly EUR 18.36 per month or EUR 55.08 per quar­ter per apart­ment – regard­less of how many peo­ple live there or how many devices are in the apart­ment. You must pay this charge from the first month in which you are registered.

Cer­tain groups of peo­ple, such as those receiv­ing social ben­e­fits or with a dis­abil­i­ty, do not have to pay the TV and radio licence fee­or receive a reduc­tion. Ask for advice if this applies to you!

How do I reg­is­ter? The TV and radio licence fee reg­is­tra­tion form is avail­able online at www.rundfunkbeitrag.de. Please send the com­plet­ed and signed doc­u­ment togeth­er with the required proofs to “ARD ZDF Deutsch­landra­dio, Beitragsser­vice, 50656 Köln”.