The Landesamt für Einwanderung in Berlin has introduced a new appointment booking system, which aims to prevent appointments from being illegally sold off.

Berlin LEA launches new digital appointment booking method

The Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), colloquially known as the Ausländerbehörde, has launched a new appointment booking system.

The change comes after the previous Online Appointment System (OTV) was taken off the internet for maintenance work, with the aim of preventing people from using bots to book appointments and sell them off to desperate appointment seekers.

Under the new system, people will need to apply for an appointment via a contact form and digitally upload their relevant documents, such as an application for extending a visa or residence permit. Once their documents have been checked applicants will then receive an appointment invitation.

Long appointment waiting times are still expected

While the change should stop opportunistic scammers from selling off appointments, a seriously stretched workforce in Berlin’s administration means that long waiting times and delays will continue for the foreseeable future.

Residence permit and visa holders should be able to receive an appointment in time for their documents to expire, but it has long been the case that the Ausländerbehörde is too stretched to meet such deadlines. In June 2023, Ausländerbehörde director Engelhard Mazanke admitted that the office was so overwhelmed with paperwork that it was “on the edge of dysfunctionality”.

Little has changed since Mazanke’s admission. To keep the problem at bay, under the new system, if your residence permit, residence authorisation or temporary suspension of deportation expires within the next four weeks or has already expired, using the contact form will count as an application.

“This means that your previous residence permit will be regarded as valid,” according to an announcement from the LEA, and “you can continue to work or study until you attend the appointment allocated by the department”.

However, the extended valid status is limited to activities in Berlin, meaning residence card or visa holders cannot travel abroad after their documents have expired and before they attend an appointment for renewal.

Thumb image credit: Perfect Wave / Shutterstock.com