FAQ - English

The Foreigners' Registration Office Potsdam will only be responsible for your case if you have entered the country with an appropriate visa and have registered as a resident of Potsdam at the Citizens' Service Office (Bürgerservice) of the state capital Potsdam.

When contacting the Foreigners' Registration Office Potsdam, please always send a copy of your passport and your registration certificate. If you are contacting us on behalf of another person, you must enclose a power of attorney from said person.

The jurisdiction always depends on your actual place of residence, in this case Berlin.

Correct. According to §17 para. 1 BMeldG you are obliged to register at the registration office responsible for your place of residence within two weeks. Non-compliance may be punished with a fine of up to 1000,00 Euro, §54 para. 3 Alt. 2 BMeldG.

You have to register the move at the Bürgerservice. Otherwise, mail from public authorities (foreigner's registration office, tax office, police) and courts cannot reach you.

Before entering the Federal Republic of Germany, you are generally required to apply for a visa. This applies to both tourist and long-term stays in Germany. For questions and advice regarding the visa procedure, your first point of contact is not the Foreigners’ Registration Office in Potsdam, but the competent German embassy (§§ 6 para. 1, 3, 71 para. 2 S. 1 AufenthG).

The Foreigners’ Registration Office is not authorized to provide information on your visa application, even if you do not receive any feedback from the responsible German embassy. Furthermore, the Foreigners Authority Potsdam is not allowed to grant visas due to a lack of jurisdiction, even if the embassy is unable or willing to do so. These proceedings provided by the federal legislature must be followed without exception.

Exemptions from the mandatory visa for tourist entries apply to nationals of the so-called Annex II countries, however only for tourist and visiting stays for a duration of up to 90 days. You can check whether this privilege applies to your country under this link:

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/de/service/visa-und-aufenthalt/staatenliste-zur-visumpflicht/207820

No. In general, neither the Schengen visa nor the visa-free 90-days tourist stay for persons from Annex II states entitle the holder to employment (§ 6 para. 2a AufenthG).

Entering the country without the required visa is not permitted (§ 14 para. 1 AufenthG) and may result in the implementation of residence-ending measures, in particular deportation and, if applicable, a ban on re-entering (§ 11 AufenthG) Germany. In addition, you may be charged with a criminal offense for illegal residence (§ 95 para. 1 AufenthG), which can hinder the issuing of your residence permit in Germany.

Nationals of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland may apply for a residence permit in Germany without having an entry visa (§ 41 para. 1 AufenthV). In addition, nationals of Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco and San Marino may apply for a residence permit in Germany without an entry visa as long as it is not intended for employment (§ 41 para. 2 AufenthV).

If you are a national of one the countries mentioned above, you must report to the Potsdam Foreigners' Registration Office within 90 days of entering the country.

Yes, we strongly recommend you to apply for a visa even if you are exempt from the visa requirement as a national of one of the countries listed in § 41 para. 1, 2 AufenthV. You have the right to apply for a visa at the German embassy or consulate of your home country according to §§ 6 para. 3, 71 para. 1 AufenthG.

The Foreigners' Registration Office Potsdam may process applications within the scope of its jurisdiction only after you have registered your address at the registration office of Potsdam. In addition, the Foreigners' Registration Office is heavily booked and obtaining an appointment may take substantial time.

If you apply for a visa before you enter the country, you will already have a valid residence and work permit at the moment of entry and will not have to wait for an appointment after you have registered. If you first apply for the residence and work permit in Germany, you must expect waiting periods of several weeks during which you are not allowed to work. This is because, in addition to waiting for the appointment, you must also wait for the assessment results from the Federal Employment Agency, which can take up to an additional 3 weeks. If you apply for a visa as soon as possible with knowledge of your long-term stay, you might avoid stress and long waiting times.

Yes, we strongly recommend that you advise your future employees to obtain a visa before entering the country. The Foreigners' Registration Office in Potsdam is not allowed to process applications until the person has registered at the Registration Office in Potsdam. In addition, the Foreigners' Registration Office is highly booked and obtaining an appointment may take substantial time.

If your employees apply for a visa beforehand, they will have a valid residence and work permit at the moment of entry and do not have to wait for an appointment after registration. If they first apply for the corresponding residence and work permit in Germany, they must expect waiting periods of several weeks during which they are not allowed to work. This is because in addition to the waiting time for the appointment, in the vast majority of cases you also have to wait for the assessment result from the Federal Employment Agency, which can take up to an additional 3 weeks. If you apply for a visa beforehand, you and your employees might avoid stress and long waiting times. We strongly recommend contacting the responsible embassy in the home country of your future staff for advice.

You can address your question to the Foreigners' Registration Office Potsdam (auslaenderbehoerderathaus.potsdamde), stating the full name and date of birth of the person in question. Please note that with regard to person-specific inquiries, a copy of the passport and power of attorney of the person in question must be attached as a PDF file for data protection reasons.

You must register at the Citizens' Service Office. After that, you should send a copy of your passport, visa and registration certificate in one single PDF document to the Foreigners' Registration Office by e-mail (auslaenderbehoerderathaus.potsdamde) or by mail (Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 79/81, 14469 Potsdam) to make an appointment.

You must contact the Foreigners' Registration Office three months before your residence title expires by e-mail (auslaenderbehoerderathaus.potsdamde) or by mail (Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 79/81, 14469 Potsdam) to make an appointment.

The Foreigners' Registration Office is not responsible for the naturalization procedure. Please contact the Citizenship Office of the city of Potsdam (Standesamt).

You must notice the Citizens' Service Office (Bürgerservice) about your intended departure before leaving the country (notice of departure).