Berliners can visit Bürgerämter with no appointment on May 14

An “action day” on May 14 means that Berliners will be able to use certain Bürgeramt services without having to book an appointment in advance.

Berliners can update IDs without appointment in mid-May

Getting an appointment to complete almost any bureaucratic task is nigh impossible at Berlin’s Bürgerämtern (citizens’ offices). However, on May 14, locals have a day-long opportunity to drop by the Bürgeramt and settle their affairs without any appointment booking.

But there’s a catch, drop-in appointments on May 14 will only be for matters related to personal ID cards (Personalausweise), passports (Reisepässe) and eIDs. It will not be possible to drop by to complete your registration (Anmeldung), the appointment that so many international Berliners spend months trying to secure.

“With this appointment-free day, we have meaningfully expanded the service portfolio of Bürgerämter,” Berlin secretary for Digitisation and Administrative Modernisation Martina Klement wrote in a press release.

Nine Berlin Bürgerämter will take part in “Aktionstag”

Nine of Berlin’s 12 Bürgerämter will take part in the “action day”, with the exception of Bürgerämter in Reinickendorf, Lichtenberg and Pankow. However, as usual, residents will only be able to drop by the Bürgeramt where they are registered.

In recent months, Berlin has been expanding the number of Bürgeramt services which residents can complete online, which now includes Anmeldung, but only for people who have a German Personalausweis or eID.

In August 2024, Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) promised that all Berlin Bürgerämter would, in future, offer one appointment-free day per week.