What’s new in Berlin
Berlin events in July
- Berlin Fashion Week (July 2-5)
- 48 hours of Neukölln (July 3-5)
- CSD (July 24-25)
- Summer vacations for Berlin schoolchildren (July 9 to August 22)
- FIFA World Cup (June 11-July 19) – go Canada!
New S-Bahn line
The new S15 line opened on June 15. It has 3 stops, runs every 10 minutes, and is 9 years late. For now, it runs from Gesundbrunnen to Hauptbahnhof. It should run all the way to Südkreuz in 2044.3
Low birth rate and emigration
The birth rate in Berlin was down 5% from 2024 to 2025. Alt-Biesdorf, however, is putting in overtime with a record 90% increase in birth registrations.5
What’s new in Germany
Bürgergeld got worse
Bürgergeld, the social assistance for people with a low income, is getting replaced with Grundsicherung. Grundsicherung has stricter conditions, less access to job training, lower housing benefits, and harsher punishments for non-cooperation.2
Before, you could get Bürgergeld for 1 year, then you would need to use up your savings until you have €40,000 left, then you could get Bürgergeld again.
Now, there is no 1-year period. You must use up all your savings until you have €5,000 to €20,000 left, then you can get Grundsicherung.7
Retirement will suck
The government wants to reform the pension system to account for Germany’s ageing population.
The proposed changes:6
- You will pay more
- Employees currently pay 9.3% of their income for public pension insurance. It would raise to 11.5% by 2040.
- Self-employed people would be forced to pay for public pension insurance. It would cost 18.6% of their income, because their employer does not pay half of it.
- No more minijobs. Employees earning under €602 per month would also need to pay public pension insurance.
- You will retire later
- The retirement age would slowly be pushed from 67 years old to 70 years old. Starting in 2032, it would be pushed by 6 months every decade.
- The early retirement age would be pushed from 63 to 64 years old.
- The semi-retirement age would be pushed from 55 to 58 years old.
- You will get less
- After 2032, pensions would no longer rise proportionally to wages. Currently, if you earn the average salary for 45 years, your retirement pension is around 48% of the current average salary. In the future, the same contributions would get you a lower pension relative to current wages.
- Part of your public pension payments will be invested in the stock market by the government.
This is happening in parallel with the proposed health insurance changes which remove free Familienversicherung for spouses, raise contributions for childless people, lower Krankengeld payments by ~9%, and raise maximum monthly payments.8
End of the Tankrabatt
The Tankrabatt reduced gas prices by around €0.17 per litre. It ended on June 30, so gas prices should go up in July.1 Time to get a bicycle!
What’s new on All About Berlin
Sue the immigration office
The Ausländerbehörde is slow. They must process cases within 3 months, yet the majority of residence permit applications take longer. Suing them often speeds things up.
Immigration lawyer Artjom Spirin helps you decide if you should sue the immigration office. It’s a free consultation. You only pay if you choose to sue. If you are successful, the LEA usually refunds your legal costs.
How to sue the immigration office
Other changes to All About Berlin
- Heat wave update
In my moving in guide, I mention that you should probably buy a fan before you need it, because they’re usually hard to find in the middle of a heat wave. I want to write a new guide to help immigrants deal with all four seasons. - Car update
I have rewritten my car buying, car insurance and cost of car ownership guides. I mention that Ukrainians can drive in Germany. I have also found a new English-speaking car insurer that recognizes foreign driving experience. This helps immigrants get much cheaper car insurance. - Median income went up
The median income for full-time employees is now €50,280 in Berlin (April 2024) and €54,066 in all of Germany (April 2025).4 I have rewritten my cost of living and updated my salaries guides. - Traffic going down
AI is still killing All About Berlin. Traffic is down 75% compared to June 2024, and 8% compared to last month. On the bright side, you were outstandingly generous with your donations in June. I am really grateful for it. - Over 250 other changes
- Refreshed “moving to Berlin” guide
- Immigration office wait times improvements
- Improved menu and breadcrumb navigation
- Better-timed, more helpful email reminders
- Automated more of the fact-checking
- A whole new website that I will tell you about soon
What I learned this month
Ukrainians can drive in Germany
Ukrainian refugees can drive in Germany with their Ukrainian driving licence. If it expires after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it stays valid in Germany. I have updated my driving licence guide to mention this.
Bike theft
Someone tried to steal my bike at a busy intersection, in broad daylight, right in front of a Späti. They mangled my lock before the Späti owner shooed them off.
Foldable locks are not great, but I prefer a lightweight lock and good bike insurance. I’m insured with Hepster, but I never had to use it. A friend used his LVM bike insurance twice.
Interesting links
- Kebab price map (I remember €3.50 kebabs…)
- Which restaurants got the most reviews removed?
- Restaurants abusing Indian cooks