🧭 Living and Arriving in Berlin
How this page works. At the top you can search all topics by keyword. Each topic page begins with the ‘Briefly explained’ section in plain language. Below you will find the most important deadlines, typical mistakes, and an expandable expert section for counselling work.
Rechtsstand September 2026. This information does not replace legal advice.
All topic areas
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Residence and naturalization
Extending your permit, permanent residence, naturalization, protection for Ukrainians (§ 24).
3 Themen
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Learning German
Integration courses, job-related language courses, learning German for free.
3 Themen
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Children, Kita, and school
Kita vouchers, school registration, welcome classes, child benefit and parental allowance.
2 Themen
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Money and social benefits
Bürgergeld, housing benefit, social assistance: who is entitled and where to apply.
4 Themen
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Health and insurance
Health insurance, finding a doctor, emergencies, help without insurance.
3 Themen
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Housing
Finding an apartment, tenancy law, homelessness, and emergency shelter.
2 Themen
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Everyday life
Driving license, public transport, broadcasting fee, and mail from the authorities.
4 Themen
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Rights, protection, and help
Workplace rights, discrimination, violence, lawyers, and legal aid counseling.
4 Themen
🪪 Residence and naturalization
Extending your permit, permanent residence, naturalization, protection for Ukrainians (§ 24).
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Extending your residence title in Berlin: apply in time, Fiktionsbescheinigung, changing purpose
How to extend your Aufenthaltserlaubnis (residence permit) at the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA, State Office for Immigration), why applying before it expires matters, and what the Fiktionsbescheinigung (fictional continuation certificate) means.
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Naturalization in Berlin: requirements, test, dual citizenship, and online application at the LEA
Since 1 January 2024, the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA, State Office for Immigration) has been responsible for naturalization in Berlin. Five years of lawful residence are generally required, dual citizenship is now permitted, and the naturalization test costs 25 euros.
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Niederlassungserlaubnis and Daueraufenthalt-EU in Berlin: staying permanently
Who can get an unlimited settlement permit after Berlin, which requirements apply for which group, and what it costs at the Landesamt für Einwanderung.
🗣️ Learning German
Integration courses, job-related language courses, learning German for free.
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Berufssprachkurse (job-related German language support) in Berlin
German for the job after the integration course: who can take part, who issues the eligibility, and what it costs.
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Integrationskurs (integration course) in Berlin
The state-run German course with an orientation course: who may or must take part, what it costs, and how to register in Berlin.
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Learning German without an Integrationskurs: free and low-cost options in Berlin
Even without an Integrationskurs (integration course) you can learn German in Berlin — at the Volkshochschule (VHS, adult education center), in mother-child language groups, at library Sprachcafés, or online, free or for a small fee.
🧒 Children, Kita, and school
Kita vouchers, school registration, welcome classes, child benefit and parental allowance.
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Kita in Berlin: Kita-Gutschein, needs assessment, and Kita-Navigator
Kita (daycare) care is free in Berlin. You first need a Kita-Gutschein (daycare voucher) from the Jugendamt (youth welfare office), then you search for a place yourself.
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School in Berlin: compulsory schooling, enrollment, welcome classes
Compulsory schooling starts at age 6 and applies to newly arrived children too — how enrollment and welcome classes (Willkommensklassen) work in Berlin.
💶 Money and social benefits
Bürgergeld, housing benefit, social assistance: who is entitled and where to apply.
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Grundsicherungsgeld (formerly Bürgergeld) at the Jobcenter Berlin
Anyone who can work but does not have enough money to live on receives Grundsicherungsgeld from the Jobcenter of their Berlin district — since 1 July 2026 this is the new name for the former Bürgergeld; however, exclusions apply for some foreign nationals.
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Kindergeld, Elterngeld, and Unterhaltsvorschuss in Berlin
Kindergeld (child benefit) is paid by the Familienkasse, while Elterngeld (parental allowance) and Unterhaltsvorschuss (advance maintenance payment) are paid by your district's Jugendamt (youth welfare office) — for foreign nationals without EU freedom of movement, entitlement depends on the residence title.
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Sozialhilfe and Grundsicherung im Alter in Berlin (SGB XII)
If you can no longer work because of age or permanent reduced earning capacity, help comes not from the Jobcenter but from your district's Amt für Soziales (social welfare office); exclusions for foreign nationals apply under § 23 SGB XII.
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Wohngeld, Kinderzuschlag, and the education package in Berlin
If you work but money is tight with rent and children, you can apply for Wohngeld (housing benefit) from your district and Kinderzuschlag (child supplement) from the Familienkasse — plus the education package (Bildungspaket) and discounts like the Berlin-Ticket S.
🩺 Health and insurance
Health insurance, finding a doctor, emergencies, help without insurance.
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Finding a doctor, emergencies, interpreting, and psychosocial help
In an emergency call 112, for urgent complaints at night call 116117, for appointments the Terminservice (appointment service) — and in a mental health crisis, the Berliner Krisendienst (Berlin Crisis Service).
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Health insurance: mandatory, statutory, or private
Anyone living in Germany must have health insurance: statutory or private, depending on your job, studies, and residence title.
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Without health insurance or papers: Clearingstelle, Medibüro, Malteser
Three confidential, free contact points in Berlin for people without health insurance or without papers: Clearingstelle, Medibüro, and Malteser Medizin.
🏠 Housing
Finding an apartment, tenancy law, homelessness, and emergency shelter.
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Finding housing, the WBS, and tenancy law in Berlin
Housing is scarce: applicants should have documents ready, recognize fraud, know their tenancy rights, and use available counseling.
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Lost your home or at risk of losing it: help and emergency shelter in Berlin
Rent debt, eviction notice, no roof over your head: which office in Berlin helps, what being housed by the authorities means, and what applies to EU citizens.
🧭 Everyday life
Driving license, public transport, broadcasting fee, and mail from the authorities.
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Bus and train in Berlin: tickets, Deutschlandticket, and Berlin-Ticket S
What bus and train cost in Berlin, who can use the discounted Berlin-Ticket S (27.50 euros a month), and what you need to show for it.
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Converting a foreign driving license (non-EU) in Berlin
A driving license from a non-EU country is valid for six months after you establish habitual residence in Berlin — after that you must convert it, with simplified rules for some countries.
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Rundfunkbeitrag and mail from the authorities: registering, getting exempted, recognizing deadlines
The Rundfunkbeitrag (broadcasting fee) costs 18.36 euros a month per household, you can apply for an exemption, and objections to letters from authorities usually have a one-month deadline.
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The 10 questions everyone new to Berlin asks
Housing, registration, tax ID, bank account, health insurance, Landesamt für Einwanderung (State Office for Immigration), Fiktionsbescheinigung (provisional residence document), broadcasting fee, recognition of qualifications: short answers in the right order, with links to the detailed pages.
🤝 Rights, protection, and help
Workplace rights, discrimination, violence, lawyers, and legal aid counseling.
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Discrimination in Berlin: AGG, LADG, and where to get advice
Two laws protect you against discrimination in Berlin: the federal AGG (General Equal Treatment Act) for employment, housing, and services, and the Berlin LADG (State Anti-Discrimination Act) for public bodies — with short deadlines and several specialized advice centers.
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Domestic violence in Berlin: help, women's shelters, protection, and residence status
Are you being hit, threatened, or controlled at home? Here you'll find where to get help around the clock (110, BIG Hotline, Hilfetelefon), how a Frauenhaus (women's shelter) and the Gewaltschutzgesetz (Protection Against Violence Act) work, and what § 31 AufenthG means for your residence status.
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Finding a lawyer and paying for legal help in Berlin: Beratungshilfe, Prozesskostenhilfe, free advice
You need legal advice but have little money? Here is how to find a lawyer in Berlin (Rechtsanwaltskammer), apply for Beratungshilfe (legal aid for advice) at the Amtsgericht (local court), learn about Prozesskostenhilfe (legal aid for court proceedings), and which free services exist.
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Labor rights and protection against exploitation in Berlin
Minimum wage 13.90 euros, written employment contract, dismissal only in writing, and three weeks to file suit: what employees in Berlin should know and where they can turn for help.
For reference
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Keyword index
All keywords from A to Z with links to the matching pages.
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Sources and methodology
Where the information comes from and how current it is.
Machine translation. If in doubt, the German page applies. View German original