Moving Within Germany? Your Electricity Contract Doesn't Automatically Follow You, or Cancel Itself
When you move to a new address within Germany, your existing electricity or gas contract doesn't automatically transfer or cancel itself, you have two genuine options, and the choice needs to reach your provider at least six weeks before your move. You can take the contract with you (Mitnahme), having your provider continue supplying you at the new address under the same terms, provided they actually supply that area. Or you can use your special termination right (Sonderkündigungsrecht) triggered specifically by the move, citing the move itself as the reason in your notice. There's a real catch on the cancellation route worth knowing: your cancellation only actually takes effect if your provider doesn't offer, within two weeks of receiving it, to continue your contract at the new address under the same terms with delivery genuinely possible there, if they do make that offer, you're obligated to continue the existing contract at your new home for its remaining term. The one mistake that costs real money either way: not notifying your provider of the move at all, which risks running two parallel contracts and paying for both.
The Official Rule
Moving to a new home within Germany doesn’t automatically resolve what happens to your existing electricity or gas contract, and assuming it sorts itself out is exactly where the two most common, costly mistakes come from.
You genuinely have two real options, and both require you to actively notify your provider, at least six weeks before your move. Verbraucherzentrale’s official guidance confirms both paths are genuinely available to you as a customer moving within Germany.
The first option is Mitnahme, taking your contract with you. Many providers will continue supplying you at your new address under your existing contract’s terms, as Finanztip’s guidance describes, provided your current provider actually supplies electricity or gas in your new area. This is the simpler path if you’re broadly happy with your current provider and tariff and your new address falls within their supply area.
The second option is your Sonderkündigungsrecht, a special termination right triggered specifically by the move. If your current contract still has time left and you’d rather not continue it, tarifcheck.de’s 2026 guidance confirms you can send an extraordinary cancellation citing the move itself as the reason, at least six weeks before your move-out date, this lets you choose a completely different provider or tariff at your new home, free of your old contract’s remaining term.
| Option | What happens | Notice needed |
|---|---|---|
| Mitnahme (take contract with you) | Same provider, same terms, continues at new address | At least 6 weeks before move |
| Sonderkündigungsrecht (special termination) | Contract ends, free to choose a new provider/tariff | At least 6 weeks before move, citing the move as reason |
There’s a real, binding catch on the cancellation route worth knowing before you assume you’re free of your old contract. Your cancellation only actually takes effect if your provider does not offer, within two weeks of receiving your notice, to continue supplying you under the same terms at your new address, and where delivery there is genuinely possible. Verbraucherzentrale Niedersachsen’s regional guidance confirms that if your provider does make that offer within the window, you’re obligated to continue the contract at your new address for its remaining term, this isn’t an informal claim a provider can simply make, it’s a real condition built into how the termination right works.
The single costliest mistake, regardless of which option you’d genuinely prefer, is not notifying your provider of the move at all. Whether out of oversight or the assumption that moving out somehow automatically ends a contract, this typically just leaves the old contract running unaffected, while you may separately sign a new contract at your new address, leaving you paying for two parallel contracts simultaneously.
What Real People Say
Consumer guidance aimed at people moving within Germany consistently flags the same real-world pattern: someone signs a new contract enthusiastically at their new address, focused on getting a good new tariff, without ever formally addressing what happens to the old one, only to discover months later they’ve been billed for both the entire time. The advice that comes up repeatedly is treating the old contract’s notification as its own explicit task on a moving checklist, not something that resolves itself just because you’re no longer physically living at the old address.
The other point that surfaces often is genuine surprise at the Mitnahme continuation obligation, some people assume sending a cancellation citing the move is automatically the end of the matter, and are caught off guard when their provider instead offers to continue supply at the new address within the two-week window, an offer that, once made, they’re actually bound to accept.
Step by Step
- At least six weeks before your move, decide whether you want to keep your current provider (Mitnahme) or switch (Sonderkündigungsrecht).
- If choosing Mitnahme, confirm your provider actually supplies electricity or gas in your new area before assuming continuity.
- If choosing Sonderkündigungsrecht, send your cancellation citing the move as the reason, well within the six-week window.
- Know that your provider has up to two weeks to offer continuation at the new address under the same terms, and if they do, you’re obligated to accept it for the remaining contract term.
- Never simply let the old contract sit unaddressed, notify your provider one way or the other, this is what prevents the costly two-parallel-contracts scenario.
- Read your meter at the actual handover point and document it, this protects you regardless of which option you choose.
Compliance Note
This page explains the general legal framework for energy contracts when moving within Germany, current as of mid-2026. It is not legal advice, and specific terms can vary by provider and individual contract. Confirm your specific situation directly with your energy provider before your move.
FAQ & Common Pitfalls
If we just don't tell our provider we're moving, does the contract just end on its own at the old address?
No, and this is genuinely the costliest mistake families make. Not notifying your provider at all doesn't cancel anything, it typically just leaves the existing contract running while you may also end up signing a new one at your new address, resulting in two parallel contracts and paying for both. Always notify your provider of the move, choosing either Mitnahme or Sonderkündigungsrecht explicitly, rather than assuming silence handles it.
We want to switch providers entirely at our new address rather than keep our current one. Can we still use the special termination right?
Yes, this is exactly what the Sonderkündigungsrecht is for. If your current contract still has time remaining and you'd rather not continue it at the new address, you can send an extraordinary cancellation citing the move as the reason, at least six weeks before moving. This lets you shop for a completely different provider or tariff at your new home without being bound by your old contract's remaining term.
We asked to cancel because of our move, but our provider is now saying we have to keep the contract at the new address. Is that actually allowed?
Yes, under a specific condition. Your cancellation is only actually effective if your provider does NOT offer, within two weeks of receiving your notice, to continue supplying you under the same terms at the new address, and where delivery there is genuinely possible. If your provider does make that offer within the window and can genuinely deliver there, you are obligated to continue the contract at your new address for its remaining term, this is a real, binding condition, not just something a provider can claim informally.
Is six weeks a hard deadline, or just a general suggestion?
Treat it as the real, practical deadline rather than a loose suggestion. Consumer guidance consistently recommends notifying your provider of the move, whichever option you choose, at least six weeks before your move-out date, since this gives enough lead time for either the Mitnahme continuation or the Sonderkündigungsrecht cancellation to actually process cleanly before your move, rather than leaving you in limbo right when you're already dealing with the rest of a move.