Berlin-Berliners can now go online to request another residential registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) for their current address, the city state's interior ministry announced on Monday. It's an important document necessary for moving house, getting married, and sometimes opening a bank account, as well as a handy proof of address if you're crossing the German border during corona - but getting hold of an extra copy just got a bit easier.
Up to now, the only way to obtain a replacement or additional Meldebescheinigung was to attend an in-person appointment at whichever Bürgeramt has an appointment free. That trip is now no longer necessary, doing away with a tiny bit of the Berlin bureaucracy we all know and love/hate.
"Our citizens are now free to choose whether they would rather go to the Bürgeramt in person or use the online service," said Sabine Smentek, state secretary at the interior ministry. She added that the new offering marks a step forward in the digitisation of bureaucratic services. Around 130,000 new Meldebescheinigung certificates are issued in Berlin every year.
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The process can be completed via the Berlin city website, available here in German. It cannot be used for first time registrations or for registering a change of address. There's a catch though - requesting your Meldebescheinigung comes with a €10 fee. It will then be sent to you by post.
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