Where to get help about life in Berlin?

If this website does not answer your questions, this is where you can find help about life in Berlin.

General questions

In English

You can get help from these communities and services.

• Free Advice Berlin — Facebook group
• Berlin EXPATS — Facebook group
• Berlin4Beginners — Facebook group
• /r/berlin — Reddit community
• /r/germany — Reddit community
• Toytown Germany — Forum. Less active than before.
• Quora — a general Q&A website
• Expatriates StackExchange — Q&A website for expatriates
• Booka Local — Hire a local to help you

In German

If you speak German, these communities can also help you

• Gutefrage — similar to Quora and Yahoo! Answers
• /r/de — Reddit community
• /r/FragReddit — small Reddit community
• Jeder hilft jedem — Facebook group

Immigration questions

• Consultation service of the Ausländerbehörde
  Use this email to ask questions about the Ausländerbehörde. They answer quickly. This is a free service.
• "Working and Living in Germany" hotline
  This hotline helps people move to Germany. They speak English. This is a free service.
• Legal advice service of the Ausländerbehörde
  The Ausländerbehörde offers free immigration advice in German, Turkish, Farsi and Arabic. You might also be able to get help in English. This is a free service.
• Welcome Center of the Commissioner for Integration and Migration
  They offer legal help with immigration. They speak English, and many other languages.
• The Imagine Foundation
  If you are a software developer from a developing country, they can help you find a job and move to Germany. They speak English. This is a free service¹.
• Red Tape Translation
  They offer immigration coaching. They can also come with you to the Ausländerbehorde. They have a lot of experience with visa applications. They often help me with this website.
• Problems and challenges with the Ausländerbehörde (Berlin)
  In this Facebook group, people get help with their Ausländerbehörde problems.
• Fem.OS
  They offer information and legal advice for female migrants. They speak 10 languages.
• Verfahrenshinweise zum Aufenthalt in Berlin (in German)
  This internal document tells you exactly how the Berlin Ausländerbehörde works. It has better information about visa and residence permits than the official website.
• Booka Local
  Offers professional visa consultation. They can also go to the Ausländerbehörde with you.
• Job seeker visa/Blue Card/Dependent Visa/Work Permit Germany — Facebook group
• German visa help — Facebook group
• German freelance visa help — Facebook group
• List of English-speaking relocation consultants
• List of English-speaking lawyers in Berlin

Apartment questions

• Tenant association (Mieterverein)
  You must be a member. It costs around 4€ to 10€ per month. They usually speak English. The Berliner Mieterverein and Mieterschutzbund Berlin are the two biggest associations in Berlin.
  
• Tenant counsel (Mieterberatung)
  There are dozens of locations in Berlin. You can contact them and ask questions. This is a free service from the city of Berlin. They might not speak English.
• Lawyers
  Use my list of English-speaking lawyers. If you have legal insurance (Rechtsschutzversicherung), you can get their advice for free. If not, a lawyer costs around 200€ per hour.
• Conny
  Conny is a legal service that helps people lower their rent. They also have a legal hotline for tenants that costs 4€ to 10€ per month. They speak English.

If you receive housing benefits, you can contact your local Sozialamt. They can help you with apartment problems.

If you are an asylum seeker, you can contact the housing section of the Landesamt für Flüchtlingsangelegenheiten. Call +49 30 90225 1261 or write to [email protected].

Medical questions

• How to find English-speaking medical professionals in Berlin
• List of English-speaking doctors and GPs in Berlin
• List of English-speaking dentists in Berlin
• List of English-speaking psychiatrists and psychotherapists in Berlin

Legal questions

• Lawyers
  Use my list of English-speaking lawyers in Berlin. If you have legal insurance, they can help you find a lawyer. Your legal insurance covers the cost of talking to a lawyer. They might have a legal hotline that you can call for free.
• Tenant associations (Mieterverein)
  A Mieterverein protects tenants from landlords. When you are a member of a Mieterverein, you can get help from their lawyers. They can check your lease, help you with a bad landlord, get your rent reduced, and help you sublet an apartment. The membership costs 40€ to 100€ per year^{1, 2}. If you have a low income, it can be cheaper¹. Some unions have a waiting period before they help you, and some don't¹. If you don't speak German, Berliner Mieterverein can help you in English and in other languages.
• Legaltech (Rechtsdienstleister)
  Legal services can help you with specific legal problems. For example, Conny specialises in tenant law. They can lower your rent and many other things. I reviewed them here. Usually, their services cost nothing if you lose. If you win, they keep a part of the money you get.
• Workers union (Gewerkschaft)
  If you are in a union, you can usually get free legal help, but only for work-related problems¹.

If you have a low income, you can apply for legal help (Beratungshilfe) at the local Amtsgericht¹. You will get a certificate (Beratungshilfeschein) that pays for your legal costs. If you get ALG II or Sozialhilfe, or if you are an asylum seeker, you are eligible¹. You will probably need to speak German.

If you have legal insurance, it covers talking to a lawyer. They usually have a legal hotline that you can call for free.

Financial questions

• Tax advisors
  Use my list of English-speaking tax advisors in Berlin.
• Tax software
  • If you are an employee, you can use Taxfix or SteuerGo. Both are available in English. They help you enter expenses and file tax declarations.
  • If you are self-employed, you can use Sorted or LexOffice. They help you with invoicing and VAT reporting. Sorted is available in English. It lets you book time with a tax advisor when you need help. If you don't know what you are doing, you can still make very expensive mistakes. A tax advisor is better, but more expensive. Some banks like Kontist, Holvi and Qonto can also make your accounting easier.
• Tax union (Lohnsteuerhilfeverein)
  A Lohnsteuerhilfeverein can help you file your taxes. It's usually cheaper than a tax advisor. The cost is often based on your income.

Business questions

People who can help you

• Berlin Chamber of Commerce (IHK)
  They offer help in English by phone, by email and in person. This service is only for businesses. They do not help freelancers.
• Tax advisors
  Use my list of English-speaking tax advisors in Berlin.
• List of English-speaking lawyers in Berlin
• Berlin startups — Facebook group
• Berlin freelancers — Facebook group

Useful websites

• Existenzgruender.de — official resource with a lot of detailed information
• Make it in Germany — official advice and information for foreigners
• Starting your own business — An official resource from the Ministry of Economic Affairs
• List of official resources (in German)

Ask me

Write to [email protected]. I can't answer every question, but I can point you in the right direction.