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Beware of Paying Too Much for your Berlin Artists Visa

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There are consultants in Berlin charging between 750EU and 900EU to prepare your paperwork and talk you through the process of getting an Artists Visa (Freelance Visa) in Berlin. Red Tape Translation was surprised to discover that some consultants will offer to fill out your paperwork for you, potentially influencing your answers on the application form to ensure that you will be defined as an artist, and issued a work permit on the spot.

While Red Tape Translation can certainly understand the appeal of avoiding bureaucracy, I find the practice concerning for a number of reasons:

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Getting Married at the Standesamt in Berlin: What to Expect on the Day

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Red Tape Translation was thrilled to interpret at a civil wedding ceremony for the very first time today. Getting married in Berlin can be nerve-wracking if one or both partners holds foreign nationality. Couples from all over the world get married at the Standesamt in Berlin, however, if one or both of the partners don’t understand German to a high enough level, you’re required to bring an interpreter with you. If the interpreter isn’t already sworn in at the Standesamt, you’ll need to pay an extra fee.

Here’s a run down of how a Berlin civil marriage ceremony works:

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Not Every Freelancer in Berlin Can Get an Artist’s Visa

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Red Tape Translation has been reading a lot of blog posts lately written by Berlin expats who obtained their freelance artist visas and want to share their knowledge with the world. Most of them are incredibly helpful and well-meaning, but there is one discrepancy which might cause a bit of confusion on the Berlin freelance scene, and we’d like to help clear it up.

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Red Tape Now Offers Certified Translations

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Red Tape Translation is thrilled to announce we now offer certified translations from English into German. Birth certificates, academic transcripts, divorce decrees, you name it, we now have a certified translator on board who can translate and certify them for you.

The system in Germany can seem a bit confusing at first. There are different words used in different states, such as “beeidigte Übersetzer”, “vereidigte Übersetzer”, “ermächtigte Übersetzer” “beglaubigte Übersetzung”, etc. If you receive information from a public authority, an agency, or a government department that contains one of these words, you might need a sworn or certified translation.

When might I need a certified or sworn translation?

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Visa Loophole or IT Glitch? Booking Appointments at the Ausländerbehörde in Berlin

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Red Tape Translation received an interesting question about booking appointments at the Ausländerbehörde (LABO), and we thought we’d throw it out there for discussion.

An American citizen was not able to get an appointment before his current permit expired. Those pesky appointment times go like hotcakes, and sometimes, there isn’t one available for 6-8 weeks.

Luckily, that’s not such a huge problem. If you can’t get an appointment before your current permit runs out, your current permit will remain valid until the date of your appointment. Whatever working conditions currently apply to you will also apply until your appointment. All you have to do is print out the appointment confirmation and carry it around with your passport, should anyone ask. You can read that on the official LABO website here.

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Buying an Apartment in Berlin

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Red Tape Translation just finished an interesting project, interpreting for a meeting with a foreign investor and a real estate developer in Berlin.

The potential for growth within the real estate market in Berlin is major, and investors are flocking to the city to make the most of wonderful acquisition opportunities in popular metro areas of Berlin. Not only in the thriving centre but also beyond the city ring in leafy residential quarters, there are some very special investment opportunities: apartments in wonderful old buildings that are being refurbished, as well as brand new modern style housing complexes.

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I Lost My Passport in Berlin: Now What?

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Red Tape Translation just helped British and Australian tourists in Berlin at the police station in Prenzlauerberg, after they lost track of a very important carry-on suitcase containing passports, a laptop, and internet banking passwords. This discovery was accompanied by several heart palpitations, as the tourists had flights booked to London the following evening, and weren’t having any luck communicating with anyone, let alone solving their suitcase mystery. They had less than 24 hours to recover the missing suitcase, or there would be emergency trips to more than one embassy very early the next morning. Here’s what happened.

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Having Surgery in Berlin

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Coming to Germany for medical reasons can be scary. If you don’t speak German and you’re nervous about communicating with the hospital staff, have a chat to Red Tape Translation about having a German speaker around to help.

Red Tape Translation just finished a rather large and unique medical interpreting assignment. I was hired for almost three full time weeks by a patient traveling to Berlin for surgery at a private clinic in north-east Berlin. As well as interpreting German and English in every possible situation for the patient and the family, I assisted with organizing accommodation, transport, shopping, cleaning, and errand-running.

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Acknowledgement of Paternity in Berlin, Germany

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Recognizing Paternity in Berlin

How to get the father of your baby on the German birth certificate if you’re not married

What is a Vaterschaftsanerkennung?

If you are not married to your partner and you are expecting a baby in Germany, you will have to acknowledge paternity for Germany to legally recognize the father of your baby. This is done through a legally binding document known as a Vaterschaftsanerkennung. The name of the father will then be printed on your child’s birth certificate.

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Bergkind Cafe in Berlin

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The new kid on the block in the quarter north of Schönhauser Allee is a mountain child. Cosy, warm, and kid-friendly, Bergkind Cafe is run by the charming Carmen Garcia, who today donned bright pink sneakers and a high-topped bun and told me that the cafe opened just before Christmas last year. She’s decorated the intimate space in light, earthy colours, with tempting cake displays, a comfy sofa, lots of pillows, a stack of magazines, and jazz standards playing in the background. It’s tasteful and welcoming, and yes, the WLAN password hangs invitingly from the wall.

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It’s true….. Everyone is moving to Berlin!

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About the Author: Kathleen Parker dedicates her time to helping English speakers settle into life in Berlin. Through her company Red Tape Translation, she offers phone interpreting for English speakers who are reticent to make German phone calls, and accompanies Australians, Kiwis, Canadians, Brits, South Africans, Americans, and many other international Berliners to their appointments at the immigration office, the job center, real estate agencies, and banks.