How to Book a Visa Appointment in Berlin
This page provides step-by-step instructions for booking visa appointments at the immigration office in Berlin. Find out when, where and how to secure a suitable appointment to ensure that you can submit your visa application in a timely manner.
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If you are needing to apply for a visa (residence permit) in Berlin, then one of the first challenges you will face is securing a suitable visa appointment at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde). High demand for appointments is coupled with limited supply and sporadic availability, leading to frustration and worry for applicants who are often under considerable time constraints.
Whether you need help navigating the appointment booking platform or want to know when is best to search for appointments, we hope our tips and guidance will help you land an appointment that fits into your relocation timeline.
How to book a visa appointment in Berlin
Step 1: Open the online booking platform
The first thing to know is that all visa appointments in Berlin are booked through the immigration office’s online booking platform.
Step 2: Initiate the booking process
Once on the booking platform, you initiate the visa appointment booking process by clicking on the Book appointment button.
Step 3: Accept the visa appointment conditions
You will then be shown a webpage with the visa appointment conditions. Just tick the box confirming you have read and understood the information and click ‘Next’.
Step 4: Select the visa type you wish to apply for
On the page that opens, answer some basic questions and select the visa type you are wanting to apply for at the immigration office in Berlin:
The appointment booking platform uses different names for the visas than what we use on this website. To help you identify the visa you are looking to apply for, here is how our visa names match up with the visa types on the immigration office’s appointment booking platform:
Work Visa = Residence permit for qualified skilled workers with an academic education
Blue Card = EU Blue Card / Blaue Karte EU
Job Seekers Visa = Residence permit for job-seeking qualified skilled workers
Working Holiday Visa = Residence permit to participate in the Working-Holiday or Youth-Mobility Program
Freelance Visa = Residence permit for freelance employment
German Language Visa = Residence permit for attending a language course
Student Visa = Residence permit for the purpose of studying
Au Pair Visa = Residence permit to start employment as an Au-pair
Once you have selected the visa type you wish to apply for, scroll to the bottom of the page click ‘Next’.
Step 5: Select an available visa appointment from the calendar
Once you have selected the visa type you wish to apply for, you will be shown a calendar with available appointments. Available appointments show up in blue – select the available date, choose a time slot and click ‘Next’:
Step 6: Enter your personal details
Once you have selected a date and time for your appointment, you are then required to enter your personal details and click ‘Next’:
On the page that opens, you will see a summary of your visa appointment details. Check over the details and click ‘Book Appointment’:
Step 7: Download appointment confirmation as a PDF file
Once booked, you are given the option to download the visa appointment confirmation as a PDF file. You will also receive this appointment confirmation via email (remember to check your spam/junk folder). The confirmation will detail the time, date and location of your visa appointment in Berlin as well as your appointment number.
Congratulations! Once you have made it this far, you have successfully booked a visa appointment in Berlin. The next stage is to start preparing your visa application – for detailed advice on applying for a range of visas in Berlin, check out our free visa guides.
Common issues when booking visa appointments in Berlin
There are no appointments showing on the booking platform
The main issue that people face when booking visa appointments in Berlin is that there are frequently no appointments available. If this is the case, you will be shown the following message when selecting the visa type on the appointment booking platform:
If you are shown this message, you need to wait for the next batch of appointments to be released by the immigration office.
Visa appointments are released sporadically throughout the week so we recommend checking multiple times a day from around 7 a.m. For further details of when to search for visa appointments in Berlin, see the relevant section below.
The online booking platform crashes
The visa appointment booking platform crashes on a daily basis due to technical problems and high traffic. When this happens, simply re-visit the booking platform later in the day when it is hopefully back up and running.
The appointment confirmation was not received
It is important that you receive your appointment confirmation once you have booked your visa appointment in Berlin. You need this confirmation as it contains the time, date and location of your visa appointment as well as your appointment number.
At the end of the appointment booking form, you are given the option to download a PDF copy of your appointment confirmation. If you forget to download the PDF confirmation, then you should also receive an appointment confirmation in your inbox (check your spam/junk folder). If you do not receive this email, then you should contact the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) and request that it is re-sent to your email address. You can contact the relevant department at the Berlin immigration office via their contact form.
When to book a visa appointment in Berlin
The booking period for visa appointments in Berlin is generally 1–3 months. Therefore, once you have successfully scheduled your visa appointment, be aware that your appointment date may be up to 3 months away. With this in mind, we recommend that you start searching for a visa appointment as early as possible to avoid too much of a delay in applying for and receiving your visa.
When are new visa appointments released in Berlin?
Unfortunately, there are no clear-cut answers to this as visa appointments are released sporadically throughout the week by the immigration office in Berlin.
However, over the last 5 years, we have had the most success searching the appointment booking platform on weekdays from 7 a.m. Sometimes appointments are released much later in the day, and often not at all. With this in mind, we recommend keeping the appointment booking platform open on your computer throughout the day and refreshing it at regular intervals.
Can you line up at the immigration office in Berlin for a same-day appointment?
It is currently not possible to queue up at the immigration office in Berlin in order to receive a same-day visa appointment.
Berlin Immigration Office – Keplerstraße 2
Keplerstraße 2
10589 Berlin
GermanyThe immigration office at Keplerstraße 2 is responsible for processing:
When to line up for a same-day appointment:
When permitted, the best time to line up outside the Keplerstraße immigration office is from around 5 a.m. on Thursdays, although this can vary. However, by arriving at this time, you generally have a decent chance of receiving a same-day visa appointment.
Berlin Immigration Office – Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24
Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24
13353 Berlin
GermanyThe immigration office at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24 is responsible for processing:
When to line up for a same-day appointment:
When permitted, the best time to line up outside the Friedrich-Krause-Ufer immigration office is from around 5 a.m. on Thursdays, although this can vary. By arriving at this time, you generally have a decent chance of receiving a same-day visa appointment.
What are your options if you cannot secure a visa appointment in Berlin?
If you are unable to secure a visa appointment through the immigration office’s appointment booking platform and are running out of time to apply for a visa in Berlin, then your best option is to email the immigration office.
You can find the relevant contact details for the immigration office here. When emailing the immigration office, include details of:
Your visa situation
Your first and last name
Your date and place of birth
Your nationality
You should then hopefully receive a response from the Berlin immigration office and be issued with a suitable visa appointment.
We hope this guide helps you secure a visa appointment at the immigration office in Berlin. For further tips on how to move to Berlin, including detailed visa advice, check out our free relocation guides and resources on our homepage.