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GERMAN CITIZENSHIP

Berlin launches online German citizenship application form

Under a new service launched by the immigration office on Tuesday, foreigners in Berlin can check if they're eligible for German citizenship and submit their applications online.

Published: 2 January 2024 17:18 CET
Ausländerbehörde Berlin
The entrance to the Foreigner's Office (Ausländerbehörde), which has become a symbol of red tape in Germany - in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance / Kay Nietfeld/dpa | Kay Nietfeld

The new online application form, which can be found on the website of the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), marks a major breakthrough in the digitalisation of Berlin’s immigration services.

It allows people to complete a ‘quick check’ to see if they meet the criteria for citizenship, including continued residence in Germany of at least six years, but in most cases eight; the ability to secure your livelihood without relying on benefits and at least B1 level German. 

Once applicants have passed the initial checks, they can fill in their application form on the LEA website and submit it along with relevant documents. 

The application fee of €255 per person can also be paid online via PayPal or using a debit or credit card. 

READ ALSO: The vocabulary you need to understand the German citizenship process

However, the new digital services got off to a rocky start on Tuesday morning after the link to the online application stopped working for a number of hours.

Frustrated foreigners even posted screenshots of the crashed webpage on social media, lamenting that the good news had so quickly marred by technical problems.

In response to a query by The Local, the Berlin LEA press office confirmed that the website had crashed during the day but said the problem had been quick to solve.

“It is correct that the online application and quick check for naturalisation were activated this morning and failed after more than 40 successful applications in the late morning,” a spokesperson explained.

“The error was rectified within a very short time and the online application is available again.”

However, it’s not the only tech issue to hit Berlin public offices this week. 

German media reported that a faulty software update meant Berlin’s Bürgerämter or citizens’ offices had to resort to analog mode on Tuesday, causing major disruption. 

A press statement from the Senate Chancellery sent out on Tuesday morning mentioned a “technical malfunction in a database at the Berlin IT Service Center” (ITDZ).

It meant that appointments for things like getting a new German ID were cancelled or unavailable. 

According to Tagesspiegel, the issue was being worked on, but people still may face problems accessing services this week. 

Centralised authority 

The start of 2024 has brought with it more than one significant change in how citizenship applications are processed in Berlin.

Alongside the new digital form, the Senate has also opened up a new centralised naturalisation authority at the LEA. 

Previously, Berliners had to apply for citizenship in their local borough, or Bezirk, and faced the prospect of restarting the process if they moved to a different area.

With the capital currently handling an estimated backlog of at least 30,000 citizenship applications, there are hopes that the 200 staff members at the centralised authority and the digital processes will help speed things up.

READ ALSO: Why German citizenship applications in Berlin are facing delays

Due to the switch to the new authority, the boroughs stopped handling new applications last year and will forward all the existing paperwork onto the LEA.

According to the authorities, people who were waiting for a decision on their citizenship application when the LEA was opened do not need to submit a new online application.

Instead, they will need to wait until the LEA gets in contact with them and can then forward any additional documents to the authority online. 

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BERLIN

Tesla’s factory near Berlin gets approval for extension despite protests

Tesla has confirmed its plans to extend its production site outside Berlin had been approved, overcoming opposition from residents and environmental activists.

Published: 17 May 2024 08:54 CEST
Tesla's factory near Berlin gets approval for extension despite protests

The US electric car manufacturer said on Thursday it was “extremely pleased” that local officials in the town of Grünheide, where the factory is located, had voted to approve the extension.

Tesla opened the plant – its only production location in Europe – in 2022 at the end of a tumultuous two-year approval and construction process.

The carmaker had to clear a series of administrative and legal hurdles before production could begin at the site, including complaints from locals about the site’s environmental impact.

READ ALSO: Why is Tesla’s expansion near Berlin so controversial?

Plans to double capacity to produce a million cars a year at the site, which employs some 12,000 people, were announced in 2023.

The plant, which already occupies around 300 hectares (740 acres), was set to be expanded by a further 170 hectares.

But Tesla had to scale back its ambitions to grow the already massive site after locals opposed the plan in a non-binding poll.

The entrance to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg.

The entrance to the Tesla factory in Brandenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Lutz Deckwerth

Their concerns included deforestation required for the expansion, the plant’s high water consumption, and an increase in road traffic in the area.

In the new proposal, Tesla has scrapped plans for logistics and storage centres and on-site employee facilities, while leaving more of the surrounding forest standing.

Thursday’s council vote in Grünheide drew strong interest from residents and was picketed by protestors opposing the extension, according to German media.

Protests against the plant have increased since February, and in March the plant was forced to halt production following a suspected arson attack on nearby power lines claimed by a far-left group.

Activists have also built makeshift treehouses in the woodland around the factory to block the expansion, and environmentalists gathered earlier this month in their hundreds at the factory to protest the enlargement plans.

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