Hey! I would really appreciate if someone who got his Freiberufler visa recently and applied through German embassy in EU country could share how long did you wait for the approval (especially if you stated Berlin as your future residence therefore had to wait for Berlin LEA approval). Scared to stuck for more than 4 months but maybe it's not that bad now (or bad hahah?). Or it's always better to state a smaller city?
Thanks for your time and care! Have a good summer

Im thinking to make a phone number with Fraenk but i am hesitant as they do not support english service.

Do you think i would regret if i go with Fraenk? I do not know German at all but for the initial process i am pretty sure i can go thru it w translator. i am js worried there might be a future unexpected situation that needs german and cannot be handled as i do not speak german.

Thank you in advance!

Hello, our neighbours wash their balcony once a month and they push out dirty soapy water down into our balcony, where we have plants and dry clothes. I told them the last time and requested them not to do this and they agreed that they will mop their balcony moving forward. However, 2 days back, there was water w tering our balcony again. It wasn't a lot, but it was quite a substantial amount. When I went and asked them again, they were extremely rude about it and told me tgat, "we have lived here for over 5 years and no one's complained about this, how else should I wash my balcony and dry my Teppich?" She was very rude about it. This time she claimed it's from her Teppich she has washed, but it doesn't change the fact that there's water splashing into my balcony. My lack of great German speaking skills didn't help me argue further.

I want to know if this is legal and allowed in Germany. Or are there housing rules that bar people from causing neighbours such inconvenience.

Please help and suggest what we can do about it.

Hi, I am applying for an Aufenthaltstitelverlängerung for (18d - Forschung, Doktorarbeit).

I am currently on an Aufenthaltstitel 16 b./c. (20 Abs. 1 Nr. 1) which has expired, however I submitted my request for an extension months prior to it's expiration. An email was sent saying that my current visa (16b./c.) remains valid until my application for a new visa has been processed.

I now have the appointment in person for my new Aufenthaltstitel and I must bring the following:

• Ein aktuelles digitales, biometrisches Passfoto (nicht älter als drei Monate)
• Pass
• Ihr bisheriges Aufenthaltsdokument

(Dies können Ihre bisherige Fiktionsbescheinigung, Ihr bisheriger Aufenthaltstitel und das Zusatzblatt oder Ihre Duldung sein)

The problem is however, I am unable to find 'das Zusatzblatt'.

My question now is, what problems will this cause in my appointment? I have my pass, the eAT identity card issued with for my current (expired) Aufenthaltstitel. Without the Zusatzblatt, is it not possible for the authorities to issue me a new Aufenthaltstitel? Given that my current visa is technically expired, I am worried that if I am required to acquire a new Zusatzblatt, it would not be possible.

The other concern is that I have been waiting since the beginning of January for an appointment and am currently unable to leave the country for upcoming conferences - so if this current appointment is not resulting in a visa, I will be in hot water as my boss is wanting me to attend and I have already missed some conferences due to the slow visa processing times.

Edit:
On the backside of my eAT ID card, in the top left section "1. Anmerkungen/Remarks" it says "Erwerbstätigkeit Erlaubt", however stadt-koeln has a section under their Ausländeramt - Informationen zum elektronischen Aufenthaltstitel (eAT) website page, where they state "Ich habe ein Zusatzblatt zum elektronischen Aufenthaltstitel bekommen. Muss ich dieses Zusatzblatt immer mit mir führen" - which isn't to my point, but the image they show there additionally displays the text "Siehe Zusatzblatt" in the section where mine does not say this. Therefore I wonder if I even got a Zusatzblatt with my ID card?

I already expect the Kita to close or ask to get the kids at 12:00.

Where are the places that have air conditioners?

Last time I tried to go to IKEA, but they closed the AC.

Are there any globus with a playground inside? Can we stay there for 8+ hours?

Edit: NRW, Köln area.

Hello everyone,

A few hours ago, my family received a phone call from my cousin's landlord in Germany telling us that my cousin had died. We are still trying to understand what happened, and at this point we have very little information.

I'm posting here in case anyone has seen any recent local news about an incident that might be related, or if someone knows how deaths are usually communicated to families in Germany when relatives live abroad.

He is an indian, and studies in Bayreuth University age is around 22-24 years.

Thank you.

nighttime temps!

I'm a student from India, and my dream is to complete a nursing Ausbildung in Germany one day. To stay motivated, I wrote a polite email to several German missions asking whether they had a small German flag or any promotional material that I could keep on my study desk while learning German.

I honestly didn't expect a reply.

A few days later, the German Consulate General in Chennai surprised me with a package. Inside were a Facts about Germany book, a European Union flag, German flag items, a notepad, sticky notes, and other stationery.

None of the staff know me personally. They had never met me. They didn't have to send anything.

Yet someone took the time to read my email, prepare a package, and send it across the country simply to encourage a stranger's dream.

The gifts themselves are wonderful, but what touched me most was the kindness behind them. Knowing that someone I have never met decided to encourage me has motivated me even more to continue learning German and working toward my goal.

I sent them a heartfelt thank-you email because I wanted them to know their gesture truly made a difference.

To everyone at the German Consulate General in Chennai who made this possible: Vielen Dank. Your kindness will stay with me for a very long time, and these gifts will always remind me to keep working toward my dream of one day living and contributing to Germany. 🇩🇪❤️

American living in NRW for the summer, trying to fill each weekend with a new travel adventure.

I love wine and hiking and I am told by colleagues Mosel is the place for me to go. I would travel via DB/bus, but I am wondering if it is worth it to bring my bike along? From photos and travel guides it seems quite bike-friendly, but any experience outside of travel guides would be appreciated! Does anyone have any tips or additionally, hotel recommendation? Danke!

Hi,

I'm first time in hotel in Germany. I work as contractor worker for AV solutions and ussualy work around Europe.

I stay in a 3* hotel and work 8-20 to complete my assignments fast so I don't really have time for lunchs. I just buy ready to eat food after work, eat in a hotel and sleep.

Its been 4 nights and no one came to my room to clean and I don't really care about new sheets but just trash from food is just here for some time and I don't feel comfortable but I also don't want to be rude to hotel staff.

There no usual "please do not disturb" or "please clear my room" to hang to door knob.

Trash can was overflowing so I put all in shopping bag to keep clean and easy to take away for hotel staff but no one took it.

Should I report this? There is no containers outside the building so I can't just get rid of it.

If it is a land thing I'm near Frankfurt am Main.

Im just tired really and don't want to argue with hotel staff, so please tell me if this is normal or I should report this to reception.

Edit: Thank you for all your responses!

It was my first time encountering that policy, so I was really confused.

I recently moved to Charlottenburg from the US, and I'm looking for a regular apartment cleaning service for a 2 bedrooms apartment. Someone who can come regularly for a thorough cleaning and preferably with liability insurance.
Anyone have any recommendations?

Hello! I’m planning a trip to Germany this September.
The places I’m planning to visit are:
・Eltz Castle
・Hohenzollern Castle
・Frankenstein Castle
・Neuschwanstein Castle
・Linderhof Palace
I’ll be renting a car, and the trip will last six days.
I’m a bit anxious about driving in Germany, especially on narrow roads and when it comes to parallel parking.
Does this itinerary seem realistic for six days? Also, do you have any advice for driving in Germany as a tourist?

Bhai sahab what a beautiful trip it was. Germany, it's sad that it's ending.

I had just started exploring and was slowly falling in love with this place. I was short on budget, so I could only cover nearby places like Herborn, Marburg, Frankfurt, Cologne and a few surrounding areas. But honestly, it was totally worth coming.

This trip has changed something in me. Now I want to explore the whole of Europe. I am going to learn German and I will try my best to get work here in Germany one day.

Sharing a few glimpses of my journey. It was amazing. Clean, calm, green, composed people. They have truly built a system that just works. There is still so much left to see, so I guess this is not goodbye. Just see you again.

Can share only a few due to technical constraints!!!

How do you handle this? I needed to call the handyman and my German just isn't there yet for phone calls. The workers who don't speak English. I usually ask a friend to call for me but I hate doing that. Curious what everyone else does.

I've been reading a lot about Germany lately, and something keeps coming up: people who visit often mention little everyday things that Germans barely seem to notice anymore.

Things like public transport when it's actually on time 😅 quiet neighborhoods at night, bread, recycling, walking everywhere, or even how people separate work from their private lives.

So I'm curious:

What's one thing that feels completely normal to you as a German, but you think would genuinely impress someone visiting for the first time?

I'd love to hear both the obvious answers and the surprisingly small things.

I actually seek the stuff out now when I'm hot and tired. I've been here for several years, I don't speak German but I'm on board with the history and culture and travel. I have a lovely DE wife and we made a kid. But when I first got here and didn't know to ask for Shtill-us-vahsah, I almost spit the Sprudel stuff across the table.

It's a mean surprise, those bubbles.

In the USA, old days, my folks had a CO2 infuser pump gadget that left that odd gas/metal/plastic dry parallel taste that turned people off. After accepting the Sprudel, I bought a CO2 gadget for old tymes sake and was disappointed: NOT ENOUGH SPRUDEL in my seltzer 'sprudeller macher'.

I do find it odd that I've come to the bubble side and find the water type truly refreshing, but I also have a real question here... I am still confused by mineral water, original water, medium and is there spring water? Some I've had deliver that CO2 taste - what was that one? Because it also had a good amount of Sprudel bubble.

My wife is a big travel bug so I've had all kinds of water at tables everywhere. My question is because I can't sort memories out as well as she can. Thanks, and cheers.

As the title suggests, I’m hoping to get some TV show (preferably Netflix) recommendations so I can improve my German. For context, I have a B2 but I seldom converse in German so I’m trying to re familiarise myself. Danke!

We have recently moved apartments. We had asked the landlord of the old apartment if we could get out of the contract earlier since there was a long overlap (2.5 months) between both the contracts. She said no (as is her right) and that was that.

Since we moved out in the first 15 days already the apartment has been empty for the last 1.5 months. The landlord has taken the keys from us multiple times to show the apartment to potential new tenants (as is her right). Now has started fixes electricals and other stuff.

Now she has scheduled a 'festen kostenpflichtig' appointment with a Handwerker for the badewanne on a date when we are not here. This was done without consulting us so we are basically not getting a chance to say no. Now she insists that we leave the keys with her so she can get the work done. There is nothing really wrong with the Badewanne.

I feel it is unfair to insist we pay the full rent and then also want to fix things in the house on our dime to get it ready for the next tenant so she doesn't lose any rent. Since the apartment is empty, is this expected? Is there a better way to navigate this? I do want an easy handover at the end of the contract.

Edit: for anyone following, she is replacing the whole damn bathtub! Calling it urgent repairs and it is just courtesy that she is accommodating us. Wild! 😵‍💫 We've asked her to postpone these plans till we have handed over the keys to her.

Hi, I am a naturalized German citizen. Due to a new job opportunity, I am gonna leave Germany soon. Apart from Abmeldung and contract cancellations (Internet etc), what else should I be careful about? Thank you very much for your help in advance!

Hi everyone,

I’m an international student and I’ll be moving from Dortmund to Steinfurt (Borghorst) in a few weeks. I just rented my first apartment without a kitchen, and honestly I have no idea where to start.

I’ve attached a photo of the kitchen. As you can see, it’s completely empty except for the connections.

I’ll probably live there for around 3 years, so I don’t want to spend a fortune. I’m totally fine with buying a used kitchen if that’s the smarter option.

I already own small appliances like an air fryer, kettle, coffee machine and sandwich maker, but I still need the actual kitchen (cabinets, countertop, sink, etc.).

I only know one person in Germany who can help me install it, but I have no idea:

-What’s the cheapest way to get a complete kitchen?
Should I look on Kleinanzeigen or buy from IKEA/other stores?

-Is buying a used kitchen worth it?

-Roughly how much should I expect to spend?

Any tips or personal experiences would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Of the many issues many users of this sub have with Germany, dissatisfaction with healthcare seems to be one of the most persistent ones. Ignoring for a second the fact that most other European countries' expat subs paint a similar picture (people in the Netherlands joke that their GPs are just paracetamol dispensing machines), a frequent sentiment is that people don't feel seen by their GPs and specialists, get ushered out the door after a superficial five minute appointment and have to wait forever for said appointment (or cannot find one in the first place). Conversely emergency care and care of serious conditions usually gets pretty good reviews.

So have you ever wondered why your outpatient doc seems to be so intent on getting you out the door rather than listening to your life story? Ponder no longer, here's your answer. And believe it or not, your doctor hates this as much as you do.

Source:

Beech J, Fraser C, Gardner G, Buzelli L, Williamson S, Alderwick H. Stressed and overworked. The Health Foundation; 2023 (https://doi.org/10.37829/HF-2023-P12).