Your city
The rules are the same across Germany. What changes is where you go, how you book and what you can do online. City pages cover only those local differences.
- BerlinBerlin · You can register at any of Berlin's Bürgerämter, whichever district you live in. Residence permits are handled centrally by the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), which now works mainly through online applications and contact forms instead of an open booking calendar.
- Munich (München)Bavaria · Registration and residence matters are both run by the city's Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR): six Bürgerbüros handle the Anmeldung, and the Servicestelle für Zuwanderung und Einbürgerung (SZE) handles residence permits, mostly through online applications.
- HamburgHamburg · Hamburg charges a fee for in-person registration and runs it through the Hamburg Service vor Ort offices. Residence permits are split between the Hamburg Welcome Center (skilled workers), the district 'A' locations of Hamburg Service vor Ort, and the central Amt für Migration.
- Frankfurt (Frankfurt am Main)Hesse · Frankfurt's Bürgerämter take walk-ins on Mondays and Wednesdays and see people by appointment only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The Ausländerbehörde takes applications only through its online services.
- Cologne (Köln)North Rhine-Westphalia · Cologne's nine Kundenzentren take walk-ins on Mondays and Wednesdays and need an appointment on other days. At the Ausländeramt, district offices handle study, humanitarian and most settlement permits, while a central office on Dillenburger Straße handles the rest.
- Düsseldorf (Düsseldorf)North Rhine-Westphalia · All services at Düsseldorf's eleven Bürgerbüros need an appointment. The Ausländerbehörde accepts residence permit and settlement permit applications only through its online services, not by email.
- StuttgartBaden-Württemberg · You can use any of Stuttgart's Bürgerbüros, and a live traffic light online shows current waiting times. The Ausländerbehörde at Eberhardstraße 39 sees people only with a confirmed appointment, and emergency appointments are handed out online.
- LeipzigSaxony · Leipzig's Bürgerbüros take walk-ins throughout their opening hours, and new appointments are released every weekday at 17:00. The Ausländerbehörde has had a special fast-track process for non-EU skilled workers and researchers since 2013.
Your city isn't listed? The national guides apply everywhere — search your city's website for “Bürgeramt” or “Bürgerbüro” to find the local office.