New in Graz: your first month

Your first month, step by step

Week 1
Meldezettel: register your address
Anyone who moves into a home in Graz must register within three days of actually moving in (not of signing the lease). Registration is free. Book an appointment online or on +43 316 872-6666 at any of the City of Graz's seven Servicestellen, e.g. Tummelplatz 9 or Bahnhofgürtel 85 (most open 7:00–13:00, one long day until 18:00). Bring the Meldezettel form, filled in and signed by you and your landlord, plus a passport or other ID in the original. EU citizens with ID Austria can also register online.
Register your address (City of Graz) · Book an appointment · Meldezettel form (PDF) · Online registration with ID Austria
Week 1
Your Graz Linien ticket
Graz Linien trams and buses: a Stundenkarte (one hour) costs €3.30, a 24-hour ticket €7.20, a week ticket €20.80 and the monthly pass for Graz (Zone 101) €69 (fares as of October 2026). With your Hauptwohnsitz in Graz you can get the KlimaTicket Steiermark Classic Graz: €432 a year, including a €100 city subsidy, valid on all public transport in Styria. Buy in the free GrazMobil app, at ticket machines in every tram, in around 100 Trafiken, or at the Service Center, Jakoministraße 1 (Mon–Fri 8:00–18:00).
Tickets and prices (Graz Linien) · Service Center Jakominiplatz · GrazMobil app
Week 1
Phone: SIM or eSIM
In Austria there are no anonymous SIM cards: since 1 January 2019 every prepaid and contract SIM must be registered with your name and date of birth, for example by showing photo ID in a shop or through online video ID. Moving your number to a new provider is free: you need the NÜV information from your old provider, which is free and valid for 90 days. If your phone plan is from another EU country, EU 'roam like at home' rules apply in Austria, with possible limits for long stays. The regulator RTR explains your rights.
SIM registration (RTR) · Keeping your number (RTR) · EU roaming rules (RTR)
Week 1
Safety basics
Save 112, the European emergency number. In Austria you can also call 133 for the police, 144 for an ambulance, 122 for the fire brigade and 141 for the doctor on call (out of hours); all calls are free. Deaf or hard-of-hearing people can text the police on 0800 133 133. If you lose something in Graz, check fundamt.gv.at or go to the city's Fundservice at Annenstraße 19 (Mon 7:00–18:00, Tue–Fri 7:00–13:00).
Emergency numbers (oesterreich.gv.at) · Emergency numbers (Sicherheit Graz) · Lost property (City of Graz)
Weeks 1–2
EU registration certificate or residence permit
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens staying longer than three months must apply for an Anmeldebescheinigung (registration certificate) within four months of arriving. If you live in Graz, it is issued by the Styrian government, Abteilung 3, Paulustorgasse 4, by appointment. Apply in person with your passport or ID, Meldezettel and proof of health insurance; the fee is €44. If you are not an EU citizen, the federal portal explains the residence permits.
Registration certificate (Land Steiermark) · Residence for EU/EEA citizens · Residence permits for non-EU citizens
Weeks 1–2
Your first weekend: free things
Walk up the Schloßberg on foot: the city's walk goes from Schloßbergplatz up the Schloßbergsteig steps to the Uhrturm (clock tower) and down to the Stadtpark, 22 hectares of green in the centre, in 1.5–2.5 hours. Or go to the Augarten on the Mur, with its river bay, the Augartenbucht. The city's KulturServer calendar lists many events marked 'Eintritt frei' (free entry). When you register your main residence, you get the city's welcome pack, which includes a voucher for a newcomers' walking tour in German and English; the next one is Saturday 14 November, 14:00, at the Rathaus. Sign up by email by Friday noon.
Walk to the Uhrturm (City of Graz) · Stadtpark · Augarten · KulturServer events calendar · Tours for new residents
Weeks 3–4
Your first plan to meet people
Get a Stadtbibliothek card (€20 a year for adults, photo ID needed, no Graz registration required) and drop in at the Sprachcafé at the Zanklhof library to practise German and meet people: 16 November and 14 December, 16:30–17:30, no sign-up. Visit a city-funded neighbourhood centre such as Café Jakomini, open to all with no need to buy anything. The city's integration office (Keesgasse 6, by phone appointment) publishes the 'Neu in Graz' guide in 10 languages. Or check the events below: we add Graz events you can easily go to alone as soon as we have them.
Library card · Library fees · Sprachcafé · Neighbourhood centres · 'Neu in Graz' guide · Integration office

Rules change: always confirm on the official page before you go.

Free public places to start

Public libraries, neighbourhood centres and parks in Graz, each with its official page. Hours change: check the page before you go.

Stadtbibliothek Zanklhof
City library branch at Maria-Stromberger-Gasse 2 (Lend), in a listed former paint shop modernised in 2023, with reading cafés, work areas, free Wi-Fi and daily newspapers. Open Mon, Wed and Fri 11:00–18:00, Tue and Thu 8:00–14:00. It hosts the Sprachcafé, a German practice meet-up for newcomers.
Mediathek der Stadtbibliothek
The city library's media branch at Vorbeckgasse 12, named Bücherei des Jahres (library of the year) 2025. Free Wi-Fi and internet PCs; open Mon, Wed, Thu 10:00–17:00, Tue 10:00–19:00, Fri 8:00–15:00. You can use the collection on site for free without a card.
Nachbarschaftszentrum Café Jakomini
A neighbourhood centre at Conrad-von-Hötzendorf-Straße 72, part of Graz's city-funded neighbourhood network. It is free, with no need to buy anything, open to all generations and set up against loneliness in the city. Check the city's list for the other centres in every district.
JUKUS Stadtteilzentrum Lend
A neighbourhood centre at Mariengasse 41 (entrance in the courtyard), open and free for everyone living in the area. Drop by with a question or an idea for a project, or simply to meet people from the neighbourhood.
Stadtpark
Graz's 'green heart': 22 hectares and over 2,000 trees at the foot of the Schloßberg, between the old town and Ries. Drinking fountains, picnic lawns, the duck pond and the music pavilion; the Stadtpark Info point helps visitors. A good place for a walk or a book on your own.
Augarten
A 7-hectare park on the Mur in Jakomini (Augartenbrücke / Pestalozzistraße), with the Augartenbucht river bay, drinking fountain, toilets and an outdoor calisthenics area. An easy free spot to spend an afternoon by the river.