Something very cool that I just found by accident this afternoon… Jump!

Well, you’ve made it this far, why not keep on truckin’? The next step is to head down to the local Aliens’ Authority office, or ‘Ausländeramt’, to pick up your residency permit (Aufenthaltstitel) and or your work permit (Arbeitsgenehmigung). Work is a subject for another post, but I’ll cover the permit now because it’s kind of part of the whole moving process. You’ll probably get you residency permit and work permit at the same time like I did, but if you haven’t found work yet, then you can at least apply for a residency. In fact, while you’re down at the office you might as well apply for your work permit for ‘Selbstständigkeit’, or the independent/freelancer permit.

On to the aliens…  They aren’t exactly green, slimy or ready to suck face with you, though they do remind me a lot of the Vogons. Find them lurking at:

In Berlin, the Aliens Authority is located at

Ausländerbehörde (ABH)
(Abteilung IV)
Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24
13353 Berlin.

Look here for more detailed info..

The wonderfully talented and enthusiastic individuals lucky enough to enjoy the not boring and often challenging work at the Ausländeramt can help you with a number of exciting issues, including, but not limited to those in this list.

Great! So you know hat you want, now you just need to go and get it. Start by going down to the office and getting a feel for the atmosphere. The sites and sounds (and smells) will pique your desire to aid in the efficiency of the office and accelerate the process, I promise.

Start by getting an appointment. Once you have the necessary paperwork, MAKE AN APPOINTMENT OVER THE PHONE. Or have someone comfortable with the language do this for you. If you do not make an appointment by phone, you will spend an eternity getting one at the office in person.

Once you have a case worker, PESTER THEM. Call them, write them, send them flowers or death threats, but whatever you do, don’t leave the work at hand up to them. It will be filed and forgotten. This is the rule.

I hope the process goes smoother for you than it did for me- I was lucky to get a great job at an office where they were willing to pay me as if I was an independent. You might try this approach, too, since basically it puts the legal onus upon you, should you be sniffed out by German Shepherds and sent packing. But don’t do what I did. Look for a job, get it, and do it all legally. This will save you wrinkles and grey hairs.

As a matter of fact, having a letter from an employer is key to getting your permits in most cases, even if you aren’t going to work there. I managed to get my permits with a combination of letters from various would-be employers, and I ended up getting a residency, license to work as an independent AND a permit to work at a software company all in one shot. These were extraordinary circumstances, and I’m proud to say that it all happened because of my mastery of the language, powers of reasoning and logic, and big mouth. If the gods have graced you with any of these talents, I suggest you put them to use when confronted by the German bureaucratic machine.

Your mantra: The Squeaky Wheel Gets the Grease

Soon: Banking, etc.

Moving to Berlin - The Basics

So, you finally made the decision to move to Germany’s capital. Berlin is a young, vibrant city, full of life and artistic energy. I moved here because of a music career, and I’m sure something creative has drawn you to Berlin as well.

I’ve lived in Berlin for about a year now. When I first got here, I really had no idea where I wanted to live. In fact, it was actually a secondary matter, since I was basically sleeping on couches. Eventually I settled on Prenzlauer Berg. People were telling me that it was too trendy and that sort of thing, but I kind of like its gentrified East Berlin flavour- the only thing that’s getting on my nerves lately is the amount of babies around here…

Other interesting neighbourhoods are definitely Kreuzberg, Mitte, Friedrichshain and Neukölln, but in my opinion Berlin in general is cool, so I think you should like it pretty much anywhere. Just make sure you get a decent apartment and some okay flatmates and everything should turn out fine.

Places to look for flatmates online:
WG-gesucht.de
Studenten-wg.de
Berlin.de

You really shouldn’t pay more than 200 euros a month for a shared place, and a whole flat can be yours for 400 to 500 euros. That’s all a question of what you are willing to put up with. For example, I live in a nice old building with a coal stove in my room to heat during the winter, and we have a boiler in the kitchen and bathroom for hot water. That’s not really luxury, but hey, I put up with it because my place is right across from Mauerpark, and now I kinda like it.

Next: Registering yourself as an alien!