This is a guide for the Landesamt für Einwanderung, the immigration office in Berlin. To apply for a residence permit, read my residence permit guide instead.
How to apply for a residence permit
How to contact the Ausländerbehörde
To apply for a residence permit
Some residence permits have their own online application form:
- Blue Card
- Work visa for people with a university degree
- Work visa for people with professional training
- Citizenship
- Student visa
- Permanent residence
If your residence permit is not in this list, send your application through the contact form.
Use the contact form
To contact the Ausländerbehörde, or to apply for a residence permit that is not in this list, you must…
- Find your department
- Use the contact form
Find your department’s contact form. Write in German. If you don’t speak German, use Deepl. If it’s urgent, use the emergency form. Your message must include…- Your name and date of birth
- What you need
- The expiration date of your visa or residence permit
- If your visa or residence permit expires soon, ask for a Fiktionsbescheinigung7
- Attach your documents
Add your application documents to your message. Complete applications are processed faster.9 You can only upload 5 small files. Use PDF files or photos, nothing else. If you have too many documents, merge them and make them smaller. If you still have too many documents, mail them. - Send your message
If you get an error (Anti-Spam-Schutz), it’s because you took too long to send your message. Click the back button, and send it again. After you send the message, click Zusammenfassung ausdrucken to print the confirmation message. This is a proof of your residence permit application. You might not get a confirmation email.8 - Wait for a response
They reply very slowly. If you wait more than 3 months, you can sue the Ausländerbehörde. If your visa or resident permit expires, it’s usually extended until the Ausländerbehörde processes your application. Sometimes, you can’t reply to their emails directly, so you must use the contact form again.
Other contact options
You can contact the Ausländerbehörde by registered mail, but it’s not better or faster.6 You can’t call or fax them.10
Address your letter to the correct department, at the correct address: Friedrich-Krause-Ufer or Keplerstraße.
Emergencies
If it’s urgent, choose the Eiliger Termin/Notfall category in the contact form.1
Locations
In Berlin, there are 3 immigration office locations. Choose the correct one.
- Friedrich-Krause-Ufer
- Keplerstraße
- Fasanenstraße (Business Immigration Service)
Departments
The Berlin immigration office has multiple departments. Send your application to the correct one.
- B1, B2, B3, B4
For skilled workers, students, researchers and their family. They handle Blue Cards, work visas, student visas and more. - Business Immigration Service (BIS)
For skilled workers and their family. They handle Blue Cards and work visas. They work faster than other departments. - E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, E6
For everyone else. They handle permanent residence, freelance visas, and everything else. Choose the department that is responsible for your country. - S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6
For citizenship applications. Choose the department that is responsible for your country.
How to get an appointment
To visit the Ausländerbehörde, you need an appointment. If you go without an appointment, they will not help you.3
You can’t book an appointment yourself.2 You must apply for a residence permit or use their contact form. They decide when they give you an appointment. They can take weeks or months to reply.
Wait times
It usually takes a few months to get a residence permit in Berlin. The wait times vary by department and residence permit type.
Usually, you can’t work or study before you get your residence permit. It might be cheaper to apply in your home country. You can move to Berlin after you get permission to work or study. You don’t need to wait in Berlin without an income.
Payment methods
At the Ausländerbehörde, you can pay with Visa, Mastercard, cash or Girocard.4
When you apply for a residence permit online, you sometimes need to pay in advance, during your application. You can pay with Visa, Mastercard or PayPal. You can’t pay with cash or Girocard.5
How to pay
At the end of your appointment, you get a plastic payment card (Kassenkarte). Bring it to a payment machine (Kassenautomat). Follow the signs to find it. These machines accept cash, EC cards, Visa and Mastercard.4 If your card is not accepted, get cash from an ATM.
After you paid, you can go home. You don’t need to go back to your case worker. The fee is tax-deductible, so keep the receipt.
Sue the Ausländerbehörde
The Ausländerbehörde has 3 months to process your application. If you wait longer, you can sue them.11 This costs a few hundred euros.
First, your lawyer sends a scary letter to the Ausländerbehörde. The Ausländerbehörde wants to avoid a lawsuit, so they process your application faster.
If the scary letter does not work, you can sue the Ausländerbehörde. The legal system is slow, so a lawsuit can take months or years. If you win, the Ausländerbehörde must pay for your legal fees. Usually, the Ausländerbehörde reacts before your case goes to court, so you must pay your own legal fees.12
In other words, pay a few hundred euros, and things sometimes go faster. A lawyer can pressure the Ausländerbehörde, but they can’t help you skip the queue.13
In other cities, threatening to sue the Ausländerbehörde can make things worse. The Ausländerbehörde can become very strict, ask for more documents, and make your application even slower.14
Fiona Macdonald is an immigration lawyer. She has experience with suing the Ausländerbehörde, and she speaks English.
Need help?
The immigration office does not give immigration advice. An immigration lawyer or a relocation consultant can answer your questions. You can also get free advice from some organisations.
Where to ask immigration questions
Sources and footnotes
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (August 2023) ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (August 2023) ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (August 2023) ⤴
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Berlin.de (September 2023), Facebook (2023), Facebook (2023), Facebook (2023) ⤴
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This is called an Untätigkeitsklage nach § 75 VwGO. anwalt.de, se-legal.de, anwalt-diedrich.de, Red Tape Translation ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (December 2023) ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (December 2024) ⤴
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Fiona Macdonald, immigration lawyer (December 2023) ⤴