Kreisverwaltungsreferat a.k.a. the red tape (not!)
Today I managed to register my address (obtain the Anmeldung) and get a residence permit. I read all those horrible stories but none of it turned out to be true*. The form are bilingual, people there speak English, I didn’t have to shell out a single Euro for this. Hell, I didn’t even the room rent contract! I guess I was through in less than an hour. And it’s only because I wanted to get the residence permit before registering myself. [well, I thought that it was one and the same process, but it’s not].
Short Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR) howto:
- don’t go there on Monday, I’ve heard it’s the worst day to go there. I tried Friday, and it worked
- take U6 line, get off at the Poccistrasse stop, follow the “Kreisverwaltungsreferat” signs
- enter the Kreisverwaltungsreferat building, make sure you’re at Ruppertstraße 19 and not 11
- you have to register youself first, this is done on the first floor [American English] (ground floor [British English], Erdgeschoss [German]) behind the door that says “Meldebehörde”. You take a waiting number and wait for your number to appear on a display. You may need to fill out a form, which is available on the second floor [AmE]/first floor [BrE]. I had it because I went to the second floor first
- when you’re asked about religion you must bear in mind that if you declare yourself as a believer you will be subject to church tax, which is something like 8% of the income tax
- the funny thing is that you just state where you live, you don’t need any kind of rent contract to prove it
- once you’re done there, you go to the second floor [AmE]/first floor [BrE], and look for a desk with the first letter of your last name
- a lady there will ask you for your passport, photocopy it, give you a waiting number and a form [which might be needed to register your address in the first place]. The number will have “Ausländerangelegenheiten” written on it. You fill out the form and wait until your number shows up
- the servant will ask you for your passport, Anmeldung, do a couple of thing and you will get your residence permit in no time
All in all, a piece of cake. But of course, take all the documents you have, just to be on the safe side [e.g. work contract, rent contract, work permit (new member states), etc.]
* I think it was that easy because, after all, I am a citizen of the European Union. Your mileage may vary.