Blue Card in Berlin
How to apply for the Blue Card in Berlin at the State Office for Immigration (LEA)
Here you learn ...
how to convert the Blue Card visa into a residence permit
how to extend the Blue Card
where the Blue Card application must be submitted (competence)
which documents you need for the Blue Card (Berlin)
1. Convert Blue Card visa into residence permit
After entering Germany, you must first register your apartment ( Section 17 BMG ) and then convert the visa for the Blue Card into a residence permit with the responsible immigration authority. The same applies to extending the Blue Card. The requirements for a residence permit are basically the same as when applying for a visa (see Section 6 Paragraph 3 Sentence 2 AufenthG), but with a few special features. The easiest way to find out which immigration authority is responsible for your particular immigration authority is to use the so-called “ authority finder ” of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). In some cases there are also authority finders within individual cities. For example, in Hamburg each district has its own immigration authority (see the authority finder for the city of Hamburg here ). In Hamburg it is therefore comparatively difficult to determine who is responsible. However, it must be said to the city’s credit that the Hamburg Welcome Center is also an authority with overall responsibility for skilled workers.
2. Apply for a Blue Card online
The residence permit for the EU Blue Card can generally be applied for in any way imaginable (e.g. in writing by post, by email, orally on site or online using the contact form ). There are no special regulations for the form of the application. In particular, contrary to popular belief, it is not necessary to book an appointment to apply for a residence permit. The immigration authorities in the major cities (in particular Berlin (State Office for Immigration (LEA)), Munich (Munich District Administration Department (KVR)) and Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt am Main Immigration Office)) have now almost without exception developed online portals through which applications can be submitted.
The online portals of the largest immigration authorities can be found here:
Contact form/online service of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) in Berlin
Contact form/online service of the District Administration Department (KVR) Munich
Contact form/online service of the Foreigners' Office Frankfurt am Main
Using the contact forms is relatively self-explanatory. The only thing that can cause difficulties is the responsibilities of the different departments. In the contact form of the State Office for Immigration in Berlin (LEA), the responsibilities are as follows:
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin B1, B2, B3: Blue Card and family members + students
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin B4: Visa approvals for Berlin
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin B6: Business Immigration Service (BIS)
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin E2: USA, Canada, South America, etc.
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin E3: Australia, India, Israel, etc.
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin E4: China, Japan, Korea, Russia, Singapore, Vietnam, etc.
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin E5: Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia)
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin E6: European citizens (freedom of movement), Great Britain, Switzerland
Department of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) Berlin S5: Türkiye and Ukraine
The complete organizational chart of the State Office for Immigration is available for public inspection . The organizational chart also contains all other responsibilities of the LEA.
CONTACT US
Are you looking for a lawyer in German immigration and foreigners law? Our lawyers will be happy to support you in residence procedures before embassies, immigration authorities and administrative courts in Germany..
Contact us to book a consultation via video call! with a German Attorney for immigration law!
VISAGUARD.Berlin Legal Services
When using the contact form of the Berlin Immigration Office (State Office for Immigration), you should also note that in addition to the general contact form, there is also a special contact form for applying for a Blue Card (see Contact form of the Berlin Immigration Office (LEA) for applying for the EU Blue Card ). If you want to use the general contact form (e.g. to submit documents later), please make sure that you select the correct department (for holders of an EU Blue Card these are departments B1/B2/B3 ) and the correct service (e.g. EU Blue Card or family reunification for the holder of a Blue Card). Some departments of the State Office for Immigration (LEA) and the Munich District Administration Department (KVR) even offer an emergency appointment or urgent appointment via the contact form (see here forbooking an appointment in an emergency at the KVR Munich ).
When using the online forms, it is also a good idea to download and save the summary of the form or the email confirmation after submitting it. In cases where the time of submitting the documents or the application is important, these confirmations serve as proof that the documents were actually submitted. This is particularly relevant if, for example, the immigration authorities have set a deadline for submitting documents or if a fictitious certificate is being applied for.
The online portals usually also provide the documents required for the Blue Card. The list of documents for the EU Blue Card from the largest immigration authorities can be found here:
Checklist for applying for the EU Blue Card at the State Office for Immigration (LEA) in Berlin
Checklist for applying for the EU Blue Card at the District Administration Office (KVR) in Munich
Checklist for applying for the EU Blue Card at the Immigration Office in Frankfurt am Main
Checklist for applying for the EU Blue Card in Hamburg (Hamburg Welcome Center)
Until 2023, it was still possible to communicate with the authorities by email, but the public email addresses of the Berlin State Office for Immigration, the Munich District Administration Department and the Frankfurt am Main Immigration Office have since been switched off. Only lawyers still have the option of contacting these immigration authorities via the electronic justice system ( special electronic lawyer mailbox (beA) ).
3. Necessary documents Blue Card EU residence permit
To apply for the Blue Card at the responsible immigration authority, at least the following documents are usually required:
Valid passport
employment contract
employer's certificate
professional license (if required)
university certificate
Anabin extract or certificate evaluation
previous residence permit (visa)
rental agreement
proof of monthly rental costs
health insurance certificate
current biometric photo
Once the required documents have been submitted (in full), the immigration office will make an appointment to issue the residence permit. After the appointment and payment of the fee, the residence permit will be issued.
Further Information
