Your checklist

Anmeldung in Berlin: Bürgeramt appointments and local rules

Last checked

This page only covers what is different in Berlin. The rules, documents and deadlines are the same everywhere — see the national guide: Anmeldung.

In shortIn Berlin you register at a Bürgeramt. You can use any of the more than 60 Bürgerämter across the city, not only the one in your district. Book online on service.berlin.de or by calling 115. Online registration is only open to German and EU citizens with an activated eID, so most new arrivals need an in-person appointment.
On this page
  1. Where to go
  2. How to get an appointment
  3. Emergencies without an appointment
  4. Online registration: who can use it
  5. Sending someone else
  6. Berlin specifics at a glance

Where to go

In Berlin the registration office is the Bürgeramt (citizens' office). Every one of the 12 districts runs several, and Berlin says there are more than 60 in total. You can use any Bürgeramt in the city. It does not have to be in your own district. That makes a big difference when you are searching for a free slot.

Berlin also has a separate Bürgeramt for refugees (Flüchtlingsbürgeramt). If that applies to you, the service page lists it among the offices you can use.

How to get an appointment

  • Online: start at the appointment page. You can pick the service ("Anmeldung einer Wohnung") and see every location, or pick one location and see its services.
  • By phone: the Berlin citizens' line 115 can also book appointments.
  • New slots: Berlin says that when staffing allows, extra appointments are added every day, including short-notice ones. Checking again later the same day, or the next morning, is often worth it.

Emergencies without an appointment

For non-urgent matters Berlin asks you to book. For a genuine emergency you may go to any Bürgeramt without an appointment and explain your situation at the information desk. Staff at the desk decide whether your case counts as an emergency.

Online registration: who can use it

Berlin's own service page says online registration (through BundID and the eID function) needs all of these:

  • German or EU citizenship
  • age 18 or over
  • an ID card with the eID function activated
  • a card reader, or a smartphone with the AusweisApp

The federal online service is also only for people who moved within Germany. So if you are arriving from abroad, or you are a non-EU citizen, you need an in-person appointment. See the national guide for how it works in general.

Sending someone else

You can send another person to register for you. They need your written Vollmacht (power of attorney), plus the documents listed in the national guide. This helps if you have no suitable slot but a friend in Berlin has more free time.

Berlin specifics at a glance

Topic Berlin
Office Bürgeramt (any of 60+)
Booking service.berlin.de or 115
New appointments Added daily when staffing allows
Walk-in Only for genuine emergencies
Online registration German/EU citizens with eID, moving within Germany
Fee None

Official Berlin sources

Rules can change. These are the pages we checked — they have the final word. How we check facts

More for Berlin