A survey by the Consumer Protection Association Berlin-Brandenburg has found that the quality of service at Berlin’s Bürgerämter fairs pretty well in a national comparison. One Amt in the capital is a particular crowd-pleaser.

The VSVBB Bürgeramt ranking 2023

A trip to the Bürgeramt is nobody’s favourite activity; it’s hard to find an appointment, once you get there you’ll have to wait around, and the staff aren’t famous for their high spirits.

For the fifth time, the Consumer Protection Association Berlin-Brandenburg has ranked the country’s Bürgerämter based on which provides the least painful administrative experience for visitors, by analysing 53.274 online reviews of 354 offices across the federal states.

Out of five stars, the average rating for Bürgerämter in Germany - the place you are reliant on to organise everything from applying for Elterngeld, renewing your driving licence and getting your Anmeldung - was 3,62 stars. It may be nothing to write home about, but is still the highest average ranking the assessment has seen in its five years of existence. 

Of the whole country, Bielefeld, Bochum and Freiburg in Breisgau were the cities where Bürgerämter performed best, being awarded between 4,05 and 4,11 stars out of 5. The cities that fared worst in the ranking when it came to were Duisburg, Cologne and, at the very bottom, Mönchengladbach.

Berlin Bürgerämt voted second-best in Germany

As is currently the case in almost all German cities, Berlin is in desperate need of more Bürgerämter to serve its growing population. The city is slated to open four new Bürgerämter by 2025, even one with WiFi, but these additions will barely scratch the surface of what is required to significantly reduce appointment waiting times.

That said, according to the experiences of Bürgerämt visitors, Berlin’s 43 administrative offices are the fifth best in the whole country, scoring an average of 4,01 stars based on 12.880 reviews on the internet.

One office was given particular praise: Bürgeramt Klosterstraße in Berlin’s central Mitte neighbourhood. According to 334 visitors, the Klosterstraße office is the second-best in the country, which perhaps has something to do with the fact that it was also one of the most up-to-date, having opened for business as recently as 2021. 

However, for the best Bürgeramt experience in all of Germany, you’ll have to head to Bezirksgeschäftsstelle West in Braunschweig, which visitors awarded no fewer than 4,9 stars. 

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