Contract tariffs are usually more expensive – 20-30 euros per month, but they provide LTE connection, Internet packages of several gigabytes and unlimited calls and SMS.
The problem with connecting to a mobile network under a contract is that you need to have an account in a German bank and be registered at your place of residence in Germany.
Registration in Germany is very simple. To do this, you need a document confirming that you own or rent a home. In the latter case, this is an agreement with the landlord, which can even be handwritten on a regular sheet of paper. If you rent through Airbnb, it is enough to print out a receipt from your personal account in Airbnb. It is valid without the landlord’s signature.
With this paper and your passport, you need to come to the town hall – the local “one-stop service”. As a rule, there is no appointment, only a live queue. In small towns, you will have to wait no more than half an hour, in cities with a large number of migrants, the wait can last more than an hour. The procedure itself takes 15-30 minutes.
To open a bank account, you need a document of registration at the place of residence and a foreign passport. You will not be able to become a client of the bank in one day – first you need to make an appointment for an appointment a couple of days in advance. On the day of the appointment, you become a client of the bank, but you will be able to fully use the bank’s services only after one to three weeks – all documents, including a bank card, PIN code and codes for Internet banking, are sent by mail in different envelopes and at certain time intervals.
Some mobile operators require not just an agreement with the bank to open an account, but a scan of the bank card to connect. It is also worth noting that after providing the operator with all the documents and signing the agreement, the SIM card may not work immediately, but after several working days.
Thus, connecting to the network under a contract, along with registration and a bank account, will take two to three weeks. That is, you will not be able to apply for a contract tariff immediately after moving. I would advise you to first get a prepaid SIM card, and then, if you wish, switch to a contract with keeping the number. In Germany, there has long been a practice of changing the operator and tariff while keeping the number, there should be no problems with this.