As Germany prepares for a snap federal election on February 23, Berlin has closed five Bürgerämter (citizens’ offices), citing limited staff capacity.

Berlin closes five Bürgerämter until late February

Five of Berlin’s 43 Bürgerämter will remain closed from January until late February 2025, while Bürgeramt employees help with preparations for Germany’s snap federal election on February 23.

The five offices affected are Bürgeramt Freidrichshain-Kreuzberg (Frankfurter Allee), Bürgeramt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf (Halemweg), Bürgeramt Marzahn-Hellersdorf (Helle Mitte), Bürgeramt Reinickendorf-Ost (Teichstraße) and Bürgeramt Spandau (Wasserstadt).

According to the Senate Chancellery in Berlin, employees at the above Bürgerämter may also have to help with election-related tasks on the Monday following the vote (February 24), so a re-opening date has not been set in stone.

Existing Bürgeramt appointments will go ahead

While the appointment booking system for the abovementioned offices will be temporarily suspended, Berliners who have already booked an appointment at one of the five locations can still attend their Termin.

However, it may be the case that the appointment location is moved to another Bürgeramt, in which case you will receive an email informing you of the new appointment location.

For anyone who urgently needs an appointment, it is worth remembering that since October 2024, certain Bürgeramt services, such as Anmeldung, can be completed online.

In future, each of Berlin’s 12 districts should have a three-person electoral office dedicated to the administrative preparation required before a vote, though recruitment processes for these positions have been slow.

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