Your First 30 Days in Stuttgart

Whether you’re arriving on TDY or PCS orders or moving here on your own, your first month in Stuttgart comes with a few deadlines and a few surprises. Here is what to do, in order. Where a step depends on your status (service member, DoD civilian, contractor or private newcomer), confirm the details with your sponsor, the Central Processing Facility (CPF) or your employer.

TDY or PCS?

TDY (temporary duty) and PCS (permanent change of station) orders come with different checklists. On TDY, start with TDY to Stuttgart: Your First Week. On PCS, start with PCS to Stuttgart: Step by Step. A PCS move usually involves more: housing, household goods, schools, pets and maybe a car. What applies to you, including lodging and allowances, depends on your orders, so ask your sponsor or finance office before you book or sign anything. The steps below cover the everyday side of settling in. Steps marked “everyone” apply to all newcomers, “PCS household” steps matter once you set up a permanent home, and “not covered by NATO SOFA” steps apply to ordinary residents. Not every contractor is covered by NATO SOFA, so confirm your status with your sponsor, employer or the CPF.

Week 1: land and check in

• Check in with your sponsor (everyone). Ask whether and when you need to in-process at the Central Processing Facility (CPF), and what to bring. On TDY, your sponsor can tell you what applies to you. Not sure which office to call? See Who to Ask.
• Contact the Housing Office in your first working days (PCS household). On TLA, the local rules count in days, not weeks: the official sources give 2 calendar days or 2 workdays after arrival to report to the Housing Office, so go right away. DoD civilians ask CPAC about TQSA (see our TQSA guide for DoD civilians). Details in our allowances guide.

  Sources: USAG Stuttgart Housing, AEA Regulation 37-4 (Nov 14, 2024) Checked: Nov 2026

• Sort out your lodging (everyone). Before you book, ask your sponsor or finance office which lodging options apply to your orders. Furnished apartments downtown and in Möhringen are an option for TDY stays and for your time on TLA or TQSA; confirm the booking with the responsible office first. Our temporary lodging checklist lists what to ask and which documents to keep.
• Get your phone working (everyone). Bring an unlocked phone that supports German LTE and 5G bands. Local SIM and eSIM plans are widely available; prepaid SIMs require ID verification at purchase, so bring your passport. Our guide to setting up a cell phone plan compares the options.
• Save the emergency numbers (everyone). 112 for medical and fire emergencies (it works everywhere in the EU) and 110 for the police in Germany. More in our Emergency Services guide.
• Planning big purchases? Ask your sponsor or the VAT office whether tax relief forms apply to you before you buy.

Week 2: housing and money

• Start house hunting (PCS household). Once you have checked in with the Housing Office, weigh on-post housing against the local market. Do not sign a lease before Housing has seen it.
• Set up banking. Ask your sponsor which US banking options are available on post. A German bank account with an IBAN makes rent and utility payments much easier.
• Registration (Anmeldung), if you are not covered by NATO SOFA. Ordinary residents generally register at a Bürgerbüro within two weeks of moving in (City of Stuttgart). Members of a force, the civilian component and their dependents covered by NATO SOFA are exempt from German residence registration, except for registration in hotels (Article 6 of the Supplementary Agreement). Not every contractor is covered, so confirm your status with your sponsor, the CPF or the Stuttgart Law Center before you register.

  Sources: City of Stuttgart: Registering your residence, Supplementary Agreement to the NATO SOFA, Art. 6 Checked: Nov 2026

• Get moving. The Deutschlandticket costs EUR 63 per month in 2026 and EUR 66.80 per month from January 1, 2027 (Deutsche Bahn). It is a monthly subscription for local and regional public transportation across Germany: U-Bahn, S-Bahn, buses and regional trains, but not ICE, IC or EC long-distance trains. It renews automatically; cancel by the 10th of a month to end it at the end of that month. Our Public Transportation guide explains how it all connects.

Weeks 3 and 4: set up your household

• Internet and phone (PCS household). Compare providers before you sign. German internet and phone contracts often run 12 or 24 months; after the minimum term, you can cancel with one month’s notice. See Setting Up Home Internet in Stuttgart.
• Utilities (PCS household). Setting up electricity, gas or water on the local market? Ask your sponsor or the VAT office whether utility tax relief applies to your household before you sign contracts.
• Learn Stuttgart’s waste sorting. Paper goes in the green bin, packaging in the yellow bag (Gelber Sack), organic waste in the brown bin and residual waste in the gray bin. Glass goes to neighborhood containers, and deposit bottles go back to the store. Our Waste Sorting & Recycling guide has the details.
• Rundfunkbeitrag, if you are not covered by NATO SOFA. Ordinary residents pay Germany’s public broadcasting fee of EUR 18.36 per month per household (Beitragsservice). The garrison’s legal office has written that personnel with NATO SOFA status are exempt and can get a confirmation letter from the Stuttgart Law Center (USAG Stuttgart legal column, Stuttgart Citizen). Do not assume every contractor is covered; ask the Law Center or your employer.

  Sources: Beitragsservice, USAG Stuttgart legal column (Stuttgart Citizen) Checked: Nov 2026

• Healthcare. Ask your sponsor or employer how your health coverage works in Germany, and find a local doctor before you need one. Start with What to Do When Sick or Injured in Germany.
• Consider personal liability insurance (Privathaftpflichtversicherung). It is inexpensive and almost everyone in Germany has it, because it covers damage you accidentally cause to others. More in our liability insurance guide.

Daily life from day one

• Sunday quiet. Shops are closed on Sundays. Many bakeries open in the morning, and gas stations and the stores at the main station cover the basics.
• Stock your phone. Our Stuttgart App Roundup covers transit, parking, events and food delivery apps worth having.
• Get out early. Festivals, sights and day trips around Stuttgart make the first month feel like home faster. The events calendar shows what’s on this month.

Find every guide for your move in our TDY & PCS hub.

Your orders, your sponsor and the responsible office have the final word on what applies to you.