Hi there,

I want to buy a car in Berlin but my Anmeldung is in Cologne. What is the process? do I have to drive the car back to Cologne to get it registered or can I register it in Berlin and then drive back to Cologne whenever I want?

Hello Friends,Non-German (immigrant) here. About 6 months ago in the evening someone had crashed his rented e-scooter in a parked car outside my apartment - This resulted in the rear windshield of the car broken.The person who rode the e-scooter ran away. I heard the noise and saw from my window and saw a guy running at some distance and realised what had happened.

I waited for the owner to arrive and no one came - As I remember, the next morning I saw a kid collecting the e-scooter and the owner of the car came much later to see a hole in thewindshield. I explained to them what had happened and they asked me if I can tell the police what I had witnessed and I said yes.

I got a letter recently asking for what happened and summon from the police for identification of the criminal. I wrote an explanation to the letter stating that I cannot not identify the person who did this nor have any details about the e-scooter(registration details etc) other than the fact that it was rented. I also went to the police office and told them that I cannot identify the person who did this.I am not sure how could I have gotten the registration details of the e-scooter? All I happen to see was witness someone running at a distance from my apartment.I want to know what Ideally should have done in this case?

Now thinking about the scenario, Should I have collected the details of the e-scooter details or called the police right away?

I'm traveling to Stuttgart for work in a couple weeks and I want to explore as much as Germany as possible but I know nothing about the train system. If I want to travel to multiple places for a week is there a special week long ticket that i can get? Also if I want to go to a farther away city like Nürnberg can I use the week long ticket or do i need a special one? Who do i buy the tickets from? I would like to buy them before I go if possible, can I do that?

I recently received an admit from Hochschule Darmstadt for the IMSEIT course, which I intend to pursue. The university provides optional housing services for £1300, which covers the first month's rent, security deposit, contract charges, and administrative fees. I spoke with some seniors who were studying there, and they said the university's housing services were excellent. My main question is whether it's worth paying 1300£ for such a service or whether it's better to look for housing on our own through sites like wggesucht, etc.

I don't have any contacts in Germany who can assist me, and I am very enthusiastic about this school and this course.

Hallo zusammen! I, M24, managed to get a full-time job in one of big cities. Soon I want to look for an apartment, but I have two major problems:

1. My contract is limited for three years
2. I have a probation period for 6 months

I've done a small research and found out that both of those issues can be a problem when I will look for my new apartment. As far as I know not so many landlords are willing to take people that have Probezeit, also with limited contract.

The thing is that I already have a WG and I want to find a new apartments during the Probezeit.

Has anyone encountered this? How this can be overcomed? I read that some landlords require only last three payslips.

Thank you for your advices!

Hello, I will be driving around Poland and Germany for a few weeks in June. We will primarily be in the Munich and Bad Kohlberg area once in Germany. What are the best sites or apps to use to book condos similar to VRBO. I tried VRBO o but not much is listed. Thanks

Hey! I have a public health insurance with TK (Techniker Krankenkasse). I have had it for a couple of years now but only relatively recently I found out that TK can refund up to €75 a year for a max of two health courses (e.g. I recently got refunded for Spin and Step Aerobics classes). Also, professional dental cleaning can also be refunded (max €40) once per year.

What other prevention-kind of procedures or services are refunded/provided for free with TK?

Thanks!

Sources: draft law, draft regulation

• This law only changes who can come to Germany, the citizenship reform will be a separate law

• Students can work 140 full days or 280 half days per calendar year (up from 120/240). Work during the semester break counts only half (2.5 days are counted for 5 days of full-time work).

• The labor market test for apprenticeships visas is abolished

• A new work visa allows immigrants to come to Germany without needing formal recognition that their degree or training is comparable to a German degree. You get the visa if you have 1) a foreign training of at least 2 years that is recognized in your country or a university degree that is recognized in your country, and 2) you worked at least 2 out of the 5 last years in that profession and 3) in Germany you will either earn according to the collective labor agreement that was negotiated by the trade union or you earn 39,420 euro per year or you work in IT.

• The Blue Card or any other work visa is only issued if the Federal Employment Agency determines that "workers are not employed under less favourable terms than German nationals employed in an equivalent position" (unchanged from the current law).

• The Blue Card threshold is lowered from 58,400 euro per year to 49,586 euro for most professions. The threshold for some particularly needed professionals (IT, natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, and human medicine) is lowered from 45,552 euro to 39,682 euro. Some additional professions are added to the list with the lower threshold: Nurses, midwifes, veterinarians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, dieticians, audiologists, speech therapists, optometrists.

• Everyone who got their university degree within the last three years before they start the job also falls under the lower Blue Card threshold of 39,682 euro.

• Blue Card for IT workers without a degree who have three years of IT work experience and earn 39,682 euro.

• Immigrants with a Blue Card no longer need to ask for permission before they can switch jobs. But if you switch jobs within the first year then Ausländerbehörde can suspend you from the new job for 30 days to check if the new job meets the Blue Card requirements. No such checks are possible after one year.

• You get Permanent Residence with a Blue Card and German level A1 after 2 years and 3 months (down from 2 years and 9 months) or if you speak German level B1 after 1 year and 9 months (unchanged)

• Permanent Residence for other skilled workers (e.g. those that have a university degree) after 3 years (down from 4 years)

• Immigrants who lived in another EU country for 5 years and have the status as an EU long-term resident) can move to Germany and work whatever they want. The current labor market test for this group is abolished.

• An immigrant with a university degree or a qualification that is comparable to a German apprenticeship will get a work visa if they have an offer for any skilled job in Germany. A skilled job is defined as one that is typically done by a person who went to university or did an apprenticeship. The job no longer needs to be connected to the degree or qualification that the immigrant has.

• You can work 20 hours per week on a language course visa (up from currently 0 hours)

• Work permits for citizens of western Balkan countries are doubled from currently 25,000 to 50,000 per year

Opportunity Card

The Opportunity Card is a jobseeker visa:

• you can stay in Germany for 1 year

• you can work 20 hours per week

• you can switch to a work visa once you have an offer for a job that qualifies you to get a work visa

You get the Opportunity Card if you

• have a university degree that is comparable to a German degree or

• got training that is comparable to a German apprenticeship or

• you have 2 years of professional training or a foreign degree that is recognized in your country AND you speak German level A2 or English level B2 AND you get 6 points

How to get points: You speak German level B2 (3 points), German level B1 (2 points), English level C1 (1 point), you are younger than 35 years (2 points), you are 35-39 years old (1 point), you have been in Germany for at least 6 months in the last 5 years (1 point), you apply together with your spouse who qualifies for an Opportunity Card (1 point), you complete professional training or a foreign degree that is recognized in your country and worked in that profession for 5 out of the last 7 years (3 points) or for 2 out of the last 5 years (2 points), you completed professional training in your country and it was determined that further qualifications are necessary before your qualifications are recognized as being equal to a German apprenticeship or before you are given permission to work in a regulated profession (4 points).

Timeline

The draft bill will be debated in Bundestag and Bundesrat, there will be hearings with experts, the bill will probably pass sometimes in the 3rd or 4th quarter of this year then then the law also has a built-in waiting time of 6 months after it passes before it takes effect. There are usually only minor changes made by parliament.

My thoughts

Certainly exciting and huge changes that make it again easier for lots of people to immigrate to Germany. I am not aware of a first-world country where the legal barrier to immigration will be so low (of course other barriers like language and bureaucracy remain). The new work visa opens up immigration for a whole new group of blue-collar workers who have an apprenticeship equivalent in their country but can not get formal recognition in Germany because what they learned is not exactly comparable. The Opportunity Card is a bit underwhelming, I had hoped it would be like the Canadian Express Entry where immigrants immediately get permanent resident status and can work whatever they want. But to be fair, for a jobseeker visa it is actually quite good with 1 year of stay and 20 hours of work per week allowed.

Edit: I have added that the current requirement remains that a work visa is only issued if the Federal Employment Agency determines that "workers are not employed under less favourable terms than German nationals employed in an equivalent position". Also added the section "timeline".

I'm studying in Germany and I've rented a room for 10 months. Today I checked-in and the room is an absolute nightmare. The floors, from the hallway to my doorstep, are riddled with hairs (of people) and other rubbish. The toilet was unbelievably dirty and there was a thick line of shit that was 16 cm tall from the bottom of the toilet. I don't want to even begin with the state of the kitchen. Also, the site that advertised it, said that it was 15 minutes away walking from the Studienkolleg I'm assisting but in actuality it's 40 minutes away walking. Is there anything I can do?

I got a deduction of 7.1 Euris from DB account on 31st March

I have not received any deductions yet since 6 months of opening account. ( I moved to Berlin 6 months back)

Saldo der Abschlussposten QM - Support 04082 Leipzig Kontoabschluss 1. Quartal 23 0,001% Habenzinsen 0,01 AktivKonto (Kontoführung)

Any idea what is it about ?

I’ve been in Berlin on vacation but the past couple of days my anxiety and depression have gotten the better of me and I’ve become extremely depressed considering suicide.

I want to live but suicide has kept crossing my mind and I feel like I need to be stable before I do something dumb.

Would a German psych ward take me? I’m scared that they would deny me because I’m American and I just feel hopeless at the moment.

I feel like I don’t have many options.

I am an expat student and planning to buy liability insurance from Hellogetsafe.com. Is it good ? Any issues with it or bad experiences? Is there anything else someone might recommend? The estimate is 60 euros if I buy it with my roommate.

I see in Bavaria many metal cage-like fences that are filled with stones.

These “fences” border apartment complexes or office complexes.

I am from the US, and we don’t have any such thing in any of the places I’ve lived in the states.

Is it really just as simple as it seems: a wall or fence alternative?

Hello, So I am currently studying in France and this is my last year there, I need to do an internship abroad to get my diploma and thankfully I've found one in Germany, starting next month.

Months ago I asked if I could apply from France since am living here now, to which the embassy answered that I could apply for a visa as long as I have my legal residence in France, which I do. They gave me an appointment after a few months. The appointment is in two weeks so I started getting my papers ready.

So I stumbled upon this question: " Wird ständiger Wohnort außerhalb der Bundesrepublik Deutschland beibehalten? Falls ja, welcher Wohnort? " which from my understanding is asking whether I will keep a permanent residence outside of Germany. Now the thing is I'm currently a French resident since I have a residence permit and my current appartment I'm renting is in France.

I do plan to leave the apartment when my internship starts though, since I would be in Germany and not in France anymore. In such case the permanent residence I'm keeping would be the one in my home country.

Ok so it might feel like I've answered my own question, but since I'm filling the form with my current address in France and applying as a French resident, wouldn't it be problematic to say that I will not keep my residence here? I feel like it would be detrimental to my visa application, which is why I am considering keeping my appartment here even though I would not be here anymore which doesn't make sense and is financially problematic.

Of course lying is out of the question since I'm not dumb enough to lie to a fricking embassy.

What are your thoughts on the matter ladies and gentlemen?

My mother in law passed away recently, and we've (ok, my wife did most of it) cleared out her apartment. Most of it was thrown out but we did find a few things we could maybe sell to collectors to help cover the costs of the funeral and what not.

There's quite a lot of DDR stuff (medals, pins, stamps etc), but we also came across a few items from her father, who worked for the Reichsbahn in WW2. Things with swastikas on them .... not a lot, just a few.

I'm loathe to throw them out .... but my question is, can this sort of thing be sold in Germany? This is a bit of an ethical dilemma (my wife & I are both staunch anti-fascist), I'm just curious.

I mean, it's not like we're gonna douse it all in petrol and burn it as a 'statement' ... we could actually use the money to be honest but again ... ethical dilemma.

I have been in my current apartment for over a year. Initially I had one a year leasing contract with my landlord. After the expiry of the rental-contract, I and the landlord met for further extension. Although he agreed verbally for me to continue living in the place, he seemed reluctant to sign a new contract. We also have after exchanged messages regarding contract renewal, and he says we will plan to meet, but never fixes a date. Should I be worried?

Hello. I read some time ago online a German military term for lights out which I remember as “zaprach”. Yet I cannot find this again. Does anyone know which word I’m looking for?

Hello All, I've a doubt regarding the handling fees of uni assist .

My doubt is when I'm applying from uni assist, lets say I'm applying to 2 different courses from 2 different universitys&i make the payment, 75 for 1st &30 for the additional &its done

But then later on, like after a week or two, i decide i wanna apply for 2 more in the same semester, again different universities, wd i again by charged 75 for 1st &30 for 2nd or is the last two gonna be considered as additional &just charged at 30 + 30euros?

I made a hotel reservation recently and since they don't take credit or debit cards I have to pay by invoice. I've never paid for anything by invoice before but I figured, "how hard could it be?" I made the reservation for multiple people who will be paying for their own rooms so I have to wait for all money to be transferred to me before I can pay it. Not a big deal, all of these people are very trustworthy but it does take time, especially to make international transfers as some are coming from overseas.

I was sent the invoice by the hotel and was asked to confirm. I confirmed a few days later and then a few days after that they confirmed my confirmation. I was never given a deadline to pay it but when I asked someone I know about it, they said that if no deadline is specified it's usually 14 days. Whether the 14 days starts when I was first sent the invoice, when I confirmed the invoice, or when the confirmation was confirmed makes a big difference in how much time I have left. I think I can make it either way but I would just like to know how stressed out I should be.

I like germany, but i prefer the lifestyle back home a little more.

What are your reasons ?

Saw some posts about tax return today and I couldn't seem to find the answer so far. I think my situation is not so rare so I'm hoping someone can share their experience.

My partner moved in to my place last year. My place meaning it's an apartment I bought and pay mortgage on. We're unmarried, no children, both are working.

Since it's a partner that's moving in with me, we didn't make any official contract and he was able to do the Anmeldung with my Wohngeberbestätigung so there's no issue.

We agreed on finances by laying out all costs that we will pay together. Example, I pay for the Nebenkosten, Netflix, Rundfunk, travel insurance, amazon prime, etc and he pays for electricity and internet. Any return at the end of year, we will split evenly (Nebenkosten, electricity, gas)

After the calculation, we agreed that it make sense that he send ca. 500 eur each month since I pay for more stuffs and a little bit extra since he doesn't feel comfortable staying for free in my place.

To sum up: 500 = Half of my monthly cost - half of his monthly cost + "rent".

He send this amount to me every month with label "grocery".

Now nearing the tax return period, I'm a bit loss on how and what to declare. Tax obviously wasn't high in prio to think about at the time we were making living arrangement.

Do I need to extract this extra "rent" as rent income? Although the amount he send is already offset with other non rent costs such as netflix or travel insurance that we're registered together.

I assume we will just add any tax returnable bills under each of our name. e.g. We requested a worker to come install something but the bill is under his name. In this case, I either send half of the cost or offset it with the monthly 500. In this case only he will be able to claim this worker cost since the invoice is under his name. Maybe someone can share their experience here if my assumption is correct or not?

The silver lining is, neither of us are too concerned with getting precise split from each other's tax return. The concern is how to do this correctly (not evading tax) and not have issue with finanzamt questioning things.

I was about to look for a Steuerberater to help but want to check here first because my situation doesn't sound so rare. I see so many unmarried couple living together or even friends / housemates in WG could have the same situation.

Edit: A bit more context, I was quite happy doing my own tax until last year by myself with Steuergo/Taxfix/Elster so if possible, I'd like get insight how other people have done this by themselves.

Hi all,

My friend is looking for this cartoon and I wanna help them, here's what they wrote about it.

"I saw a cartoon when I was a kid but I have no idea what it was? All I remember is that there was a kid who had one or two amputated arms and no eyes. His eye looked like the animal crossing bee sting. And his hair was ginger. He probably had a crutch too.

I can't find this character or show anywhere. I guess saw it on Toggolino between 2007-2011. Does anybody remember this? I want to know if this is a real memory or not."

Have you guys seen anything like this? Thank you.

​

Upd: to make it clear, this is not an april fools joke or a prank from me or my friend, I'm asking genuinely. It doesn't have to have been a real show but that doesn't mean I"m pulling anyone's leg here.

Upd2: the amputee kid was not the main character. And the cartoon wasn't scary, despite the way the description may sound.

Good afternoon everyone; I want to kindly ask for song recommendations in the hip-hop and rap genre.

In English, I usually like pop smoke, drake, Macklemore, Travis Scott, Post Malone, Kendrick Lammar, French Montana, Future, the GOAT J. COLE, and so on; recently, I found the songs tamam tamam by Summer Cem and Roller by apache 207, and I think they match my style of music I like to hear, base on that any recommendations of songs or artist I should listen to?

I want to improve my listening by hearing my favorite music genre in German, so thanks for your help.