Since Berlin’s online Anmeldung service launched in mid-October, just 7,3 percent of address registrations have been completed using the new service.

Berlin online Anmeldung services see just 5.500 registrations

When local authorities in Berlin launched an online version of the city’s Anmeldung address registration service in mid-October, there was hope that administrative employees would have more time for appointments that must be carried out in person.

But nearly two months after the online service launched, just 5.500 of the around 75.000 address registrations filed in that time have been completed online.

Despite the slow start, Berlin’s Chief Digital Officer Martina Klement (CDU) said she was “very satisfied” with how the first few weeks had gone. “For every resident who didn’t come to the citizens’ office (Bürgeramt) to register, an appointment was made free for someone else,” Klement told local broadcaster rbb.

Why are so few people using online Anmeldung in Berlin?

In the coming year, Berlin will launch a campaign to raise awareness of services which are newly available online and Klement hopes that in the future around a third of residents will use the online Anmeldung to register their address.

But further hurdles remain, especially for international people. Completing your Anmeldung online requires an electronic ID (eID) card, which can be either a German residence permit or an ID card from another EU country. This means the online service remains out of reach for most international newcomers in Berlin.

More fundamentally, amid the worst housing shortage Germany has seen in 20 years, it is also increasingly difficult to find an address in Berlin at which to legally register and live.

Established in late 2023, the “Anmeldung für alle” (“registration for all”) campaign demands that authorities set up a fairer address registration system. “For many migrants, the vicious circle of Anmeldung means the exclusion of basic rights and services that are essential for a dignified life,” the campaign argues. 

Everyone in Germany needs to show their Anmeldung certificate for all kinds of administrative tasks, such as applying for a residence permit, opening a bank account or finding a job.

The current situation leaves newcomers at “risk of sexual aggression, abuse and other types of violence”, a risk which is even more acute for women, queer people and migrants who do not come from wealthy families, Anmeldung für alle points out.

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