The Ausländerbehörde in Berlin is a special place. Among other special nicknames, it has been described as “the most miserable place in Berlin”, “the place of shattered dreams” and “inefficient government bureaucracy at its finest”. Above all, though, getting acquainted with its tightly-closed-up windows, flashing neon boards and slightly-off key announcement bells is inevitable. So embrace it and do it right. Here’s how to save time, avoid stress and leave with a shiny new visa or permit.
Category Archive: Immigration and Visas
Tips for Booking Appointments Online in Berlin
Great news from the Bürgeramt! 2017 has brought with it a wave of days marked in blue on the online calendar – that means you can even get same-day appointments at registration offices across Berlin! Get clicking!
Will My Baby Be German?
Congratulations on getting through your pregnancy and birth in Berlin! Once you’ve registered the birth of your lovely new arrival and you have the birth certificate in your hot little hands, your next bureaucratic move will probably be determining her citizenship. Or if she’s extra lucky, citizenships.
Though your little bundle of joy will most likely inherit your and your partner’s citizenships by descent, he might not necessarily get German citizenship just because he was born in Germany. Then again, he might. Here are some situations where your baby could be eligible for German citizenship:
How to get your new baby a German residence permit
Step 1. Have baby.
Step 2. Recover.
Step 3. Get your baby’s citizenship and passport sorted.
Step 4. Get your baby a residence permit!
Before reading on, you should know that we’ve made a few assumptions about you and your family:
How a Chinese tourist lost his wallet in Germany and ended up in a refugee camp
This story made my morning. Insane! A Chinese tourist travelling alone had his wallet stolen in the south of Germany and tried to file a police report. He got led to a help desk in Heidelberg but he didn’t speak any German or English. The help desk consultant gave him an asylum request form to fill out, which he obediently did. One thing led to another and he boarded a bus with a whole bunch of refugees that arrived at Dortmund some time later …
New, second location for the Ausländerbehörde Berlin!
Cue the streamers, roll out the red carpet and soak up the applause! Anyone know a marching band? On Monday 4th July 2016, the Ausländerbehörde opened a second office in Berlin, handily located directly next to U-Bahnhof Mierendorffplatz in Charlottenburg. We can only hope that the opening of the second office will help reduce waiting times throughout Berlin. We can dream, right?
International Health Insurance Not Currently Being Accepted at the Ausländerbehörde
Breaking News for 2016: The Berlin Ausländerbehörde has just made a decision to stop accepting ALL international health insurance plans. This might affect you if you’re going for the Artist’s Visa or the freelance work permit in Germany.
A client of mine left the Ausländerbehörde yesterday feeling very confused. She had done everything right.
All About the Apostille
In the olden days, when you showed up at an international authority with a certificate issued in another country, the first thing on your case officer’s mind was: “is this thing real?“ It’s hard to tell, especially if the certificate is issued in a foreign language, or handwritten, or otherwise looks a bit suss. Also, who are they supposed to call to find out? And what if it’s the middle of the night there, anyway?
Do I Need to Translate My References into German for the Ausländerbehörde?
I get a lot of frantic midnight emails. The appointment at the foreigner’s office (Ausländerbehörde) is looming, and all the supporting documents are written in English. Resumes, references, bank statements, contracts… how important is it to have your documents translated into German for your visa or permit appointment?
It is advantageous have at least some documents translated into German. Here’s why:
Introducing the Price Cap at the Berlin Ausländerbehörde
I’ve noticed over the past couple of weeks that waiting in line has become a real drag at the Ausländerbehörde. Take a number, and you might be waiting for the better part of a day. It’s always a relief to have an interpreter with you, and it’s important they get paid for their time, however, after a few hours of sitting and waiting, it’s hard to stop fretting about how much money you’re giving out. Fair enough. Here’s my solution.
Do I Need Job Offers to Get an Artist’s Visa?
If you’ve gone through the paperwork for the residency permit for the purpose of freelance work (affectionately known among creatives as the Artist’s Visa), you probably didn’t read anything about needing job offers. The official website encourages you to bring your CV and references, but no-one says anything about needing to have work lined up before you can even start!
The Elusive Permanent Residency
Permanent Residency – two words that might sound like magic to many third country nationals in Germany. One day, once you have dedicated many years of your life to living in Germany, paid lots of tax, paid lots of visits to the Ausländerbehörde, and donated a good chunk of money into the German state pension system, permanent residency will be within your grasp.
Here are the prerequisites for Permanent EC Residence: