Employees at the Munich District Administration Office (KVR) have been accused of taking part in a bribery scheme which issued forged visas and residence permits to international residents.

Munich immigration office raided amid bribery accusation

Four employees and one former employee at the KVR in Munich are suspected of taking part in a bribery scheme in which they received money and other favours in exchange for issuing visas and residence permits.

German media outlets have reported that a sixth person, who is not a current or former KVR employee, was arrested on March 6 and is accused of having organised the bribery scheme.

On March 12, police raided the KVR office in the Ludwigsvorstadt-Isarvorstadt district of the city and several of the suspects’ homes. The suspects are now being investigated for their parts in the scheme between 2022 and January 2024.

Suspect acted as “relocation agent” in Munich

According to the local newspapers Munich Merkur and TZ, which broke the story, the group are suspected of accepting cash bribes and other “gratuities” such as “handbags, trips, events and limousine rides” in exchange for permits.

The Merkur has reported that the suspect who was not employed by the KVR worked as “relocation agent”, spending time in the office and its vicinity to approach foreigners and soliciting them. Several KVR employees became suspicious when the “relocation agent” became a regular visitor and was invited to meetings with the five suspected employees.

In these meetings he is suspected of offering the five suspected KVR employees bribes in exchange for residence permits for his “clients”. It is yet unclear how many residence permits were issued as part of the scheme.

KVR launched internal audit investigation into visa bribery scheme

After the suspicious behaviour became more apparent, the KVR launched an internal investigation at the office, accessing records without employees’ knowledge.

These investigations lasted several months, before the office brought a case against the five employees. "The proceedings will still take some time,” said Juliane Grotz, a spokesperson from the public prosecutor’s office, told Merkur.

In the meantime, proceedings aren’t expected to impact legitimate residence permit applications at the office. Like in many German cities, for years international residents in Munich have been struggling to get timely visa and residence permit appointments. A continued lack of staff and high demand mean consistent delays are unlikely to reduce in the near future.

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