NCIB Frequently Asked Questions

Here is a consolidated list of various platforms where one can look for apartments. But please beware that real estate scams in Germany are real. Do not pay anything to a private person, before visiting the apartment physically and without a contract!

Apartments Aggregator: 

• ImmoScout24 (Premium account with complete profile gets more response) 
• Immowelt
• Kleinanzeige

Apartment companies:

Furnished temporary apartments

• BWK
• coming home
• Homelike
• HousingAnywhere
• Spotahome
• Wunderflats

Make an appointment at one of the Berlin Citizen offices, and show up with the filled form and requirements. This page can help find available appointments.

You can deregister your address in person, by post, or by email. You must deregister 7 days before you move out and a maximum of 14 days after you move out. If you have only moved to another city in Germany and done the Anmeldung there, you can choose an option to be automatically deregistered from your previous address.

After you deregister, you get an Abmeldebescheinigung (Confirmation of Deregistration). This document confirms that your address is deregistered. If you deregister by email or by post, they sometimes send it to your new address. If you choose to do it in person, you need to book an appointment for Abmeldung. You can choose any Citizen Office (Bürgeramt) in Berlin.

Fill out the Abmeldung form, and go with your filled registration form and your passport or national ID. If you deregister late, a proof of your move-out date. Read more here.

You can apply for a residence permit at the immigration office. You can find more info here and apply for an appointment.

You need to book an appointment at one of the Berlin Citizen Offices. Write an email to [email protected] or [email protected] requesting for an appointment to enable the online function of your Blue Card. You will get a response with an appointment date. An alternative is to contact them through their contact form.  You will then be given an appointment to go and pick it up at the immigration office. Appointments are readily available.

You can find their full contact information here on their page. You can also email them via [email protected] > or the back office- <[email protected] .

You can find a list of affordable hotels near the consulate here, to allow you beat traffic, especially if you have an early appointment. See some examples below:

• The cate house
• Integrity hotel suite

You need to have health insurance in Germany to be able to get a residence permit. There are two types of Health insurance. Public and Private health insurance. Some examples of public health insurances are: TKK, AOK, DAK and Barmer. Contact any of these companies and sign up with them. You can read helpful tips here.

If you opt for a public health insurance, once you have enrolled for the health insurance, this will automatically register you in the German social security system. Then you obtain your German social security ID.

However if you choose private health insurance, you need to make an appointment at your local German pension office (Rentenversicherung),their English hotline for assistance: 0800 1000 480 70. Then go there with your passport and visa (or residence permit). The German pension office will be able to issue your social security card on the spot.

You need a German bank account (Girokonto; current account) to rent an apartment, receive your salary, take out insurance etc. To open a bank account, you usually require the following documents: a proof of German residency (e.g. your Anmeldung) and a proof of identity (e.g a valid passport). You can either start registration online and finish it physically at the bank or do all at the bank. Your bank cards are usually sent to you via post. For more info read this.

You automatically get this as a mail in your post box a few weeks after your residence registration (Anmeldung).

To do tax declaration in Germany, you can either use a tax return online software application or use a tax consultant. Both would require you to pay some fees. Some online applications that offer this service are  like Taxfix, Wundertax, SteuerGo, smartsteuer, Zasta, Taxando. For more information you can read this article.

You will receive a letter of notification at your address after you have done your Anmeldung. There are other special cases that would qualify for an exemption from paying the broadcasting fee. Read more about it in the link below. Exemption Page for Broadcasting fee.

If you live in a shared flat, you can combine monies with your flatmates and pay together. The person making the payment will get a Beitragsnummer (Contribution number), then this person will share this number to the other flatmates. Go to this site and click the first option and enter this number Rundfunkbeitrag.de/Meldedaten. It will then be captured as payment from multiple people in one flat.

There are several online platforms that help you send money to Nigeria. Examples are Remitly, WorldRemit, Wise, Send, OhentPay, TransferGo

If you lose your job you must notify the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) and register as a jobseeker (Arbeitssuchend) within 3 days of getting the first notice from your employer. You can register as a jobseeker before your employment contract finishes. Ideally, you should register at least three months before you leave your job if notified then. You can do this in person, on phone +49 800 4 555 500 or online at the Federal Employment Agency website.

If you have passed your probation period and you work in a company that employs more than 10 employees, you have  three weeks from the day you receive your written termination to file a dismissal protection suit (Kündigungsschutzklage). This will enable you to receive a severance pay package.

The next step is to register as unemployed (Arbeitslos) at the Federal Employment Agency or jobcenter. You should do this latest on the first day of your unemployment. And then apply for Unemployment benefits (Arbeitslosengeld).  

You are eligible for unemployment benefits if you have worked for up to 12 months in total in the past 30 months in Germany. You can apply online or in person at the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) The documents you need to get ready are work certificates from your previous employers. Your previous employers need to fill this form and send it to the Employment agency themselves.

For work residence permits and EU blue cards holders specific to the employer you want to change, you need to apply through the contact form, making sure you choose B1/B2/B3 form and the Change of Employer as the purpose of contact. 

The documents required include the new work contract, the declaration of employment to be filled by the new employer. Other documents include passport and residence registration in Berlin. You will be given an appointment and asked to show up at the immigration office. Find out more here.

You already need to be clear on whether your self-employment is going to be a freelance activity (Freiberufler) or a commercial activity (Gewerbe).This distinction is important both for your registration and also later for tax purposes. It also plays a role in other areas of the law. To know which type of self-employment your profession falls into read this article. 

If you want to register as a self-employed entrepreneur, first contact the local trade office(Gewerbeamt).Freelancers). Freelancers must register with the tax office (Finanzamt).   Feel free to read more on self employment and being a freelancer in these articles. 

To start a business there are 5 steps to take, find out more information here. To register your business,  check out this page here and here. You can use these tools to calculate your net income: arbeitnow, brutto-netto-rechner

You can use these tools to calculate your net income: arbeitnow, brutto-netto-rechner

You can apply for a declaration of commitment document for a short stay for your family members visiting for a period of not up to 90 days. It costs €29 for each document per person. Find more information and book an appointment here. For longer stays (more than 90 days read this information on longer stays). In addition to the formal document, you must also write an informal letter of invitation stating the reasons you are inviting your family member.

You can find more information and forms here.

There are several steps to take for expectant mothers and fathers. Here is an overview.

You can use the official Berlin kita navigator site to locate a kita near you.

You can get authoritative information and apply through this page of the official Berlin website.

See the official guidelines and application information on this page of the official Berlin site.

You can read this article as a guide to start your search. Note that this is not a recommendation but a tip, so you should use your discretion in choosing the right candidate for you.

You can check out Good tutor finder.

As a Nigerian, it is not advisable to get married in Germany due to the complex bureaucratic processes. Instead, you can get married in Denmark where the process is painless and straightforward. Your marriage in Denmark is recognized in Germany.

Afterwards, you have to register your marriage due to tax and all in Germany. You can do this by filling in the Anmeldung zur Eheschließung and submit it at the Civil Registration Office (Standesamt) for a small token. Then do a change of name process.

You have to go to the embassy and apply for a new passport (change of name) but one of the requirements is for you to have a Nigeria newspaper publication stating your change of name (you can do it by proxy). Then get someone to buy a copy and send a scan/pic to you. You can decide to have a copy if you want.

Once you have the new passport, you can write immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) and state you will like to change your name on your permit due to marriage. You will get an appointment or request for some documents and a new card will be sent to your registered address.

NCIB group for Nigerian Parents in Berlin: WhatsApp group.

The common and fast way to find a doctor (near you) is through the Doctolib platform on the web and on app.  

Alternatively you can find a doctor by googling the type of doctor you are looking for whether it’s a general practitioner or a specialized doctor. Go to their website and call or email them or book online for an appointment. Make sure you take note of the type of health insurance they permit, whether it is only public,  only private or both health insurances permitted.

Dr. med. Mariatu Binta Leigh. She’s Black and speaks English, French & German.

Jeffery Olannye is a Nigerian dentist and speaks English and German.

You can find more details on finding a psychotherapist as well as a list of English speaking ones here.

Here is a list of English speaking lawyers. You can also reach out to  Herr Marten Reichenau, his email address is [email protected]. He is really good and speaks English.

Domestic violence affects women and men, however facts have shown that women in particular are mostly victims of domestic violence. There are different forms of abuse, they are social, financial, verbal, physical, and sexual abuse. 

Nationwide helpline for women experiencing violence 0800 116 016  (Hilfetelefon Gewalt gegen Frauen)
The nationwide hotline for women experiencing violence provides anonymous initial telephone and online counseling on all forms of violence around the clock, every day. Your call is free of charge, conversations can be translated into many languages.

For men, they can contact Hilfetelefon Gewalt an Männern (The Violence against Men Support Hotline). Telephone number is +49 800 123 99 00. It is nationwide and anonymous. The website: www.maennerhilfetelefon.de/  (only in German).

BIG Hotline 030 611 03 00
Berlin has a telephone hotline (BIG Hotline) for women experiencing violence. Advice and counseling can be provided anonymously and with translation support if needed. The hotline also arranges free places in women’s shelters and safehouses if you need to leave your home.

There are also many more support facilities for women affected by violence in Berlin offering advice and counselling, support and in some cases anonymous and safe accommodation, too.

•  Frauenraum (Specialist Counselling and Domestic Violence Intervention Centre)
•  Frauentreffpunkt (Counselling Service for Women)
•  Frauenberatung Tara (Counselling Centre for Women)
•  Frauenberatung Bora (Counselling Centre for Women)
•  Interkulturelle Beratungsstelle (Registered charity providing shelter, counselling and advocacy for abused women and their children)

For Counselling in cases of sexualized violence: §  LARA Rape Crisis and Counselling Centre* For further information and services go to www.berlin.de/sen/frauen/keine-gewalt/sexualisierte-gewalt/

If you lose your bank cards within Germany, use the nationwide emergency number  116 116 or contact your bank immediately. If you are abroad use: +49-116 116. Additionally contact the police immediately and report the loss of your ATM/ credit card. If you lose other things check out this page for detailed information on what you should do.

Call the police on 110

Call the ambulance on 112

If you do not already have a license from Nigeria, follow the instructions on this link.

If you already have a Nigerian drivers license, the first step is to find and register at a driving school. Then make an appointment at the city office (Bürgeramt) to apply for a transfer of your foreign driving license. Before attending get all required documents ready including a first aid training certificate, driving school registration certificate and your eye test. Tip: you can do your eye test for free without prior appointment at any Fielmann store in the city.

You can find an excellent overview of options here.

Apps and providers to help you learn German: 

• Reverso Context-Translation Conjugation, Synonyms, Gender etc.
• Duolingo – Repetitive exercise, pronunciation, new words, a little bit of grammar.
• Tandem- Meet native speakers who also want to learn English.
• VHS A1-B1- You’re assigned a tutor, it’s more detailed grammatik than Duolingo. Repetitive exercises and advanced words.
• DW Learn German- Interactive discussions with news, stories, music etc.

Formats:

• Podcasts- Easy German, Hobby loss etc. 
• Youtube- Your German Teacher, Easy German. 
• Text books- Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Schritte Plus 1-6 etc. You can download soft copies online.

This BAMF website provides comprehensive information on all you need to know about the integration course.

I can recommend Moegelin Andreas u. Bettina.The best price I have seen so far in Berlin. You can first send the document to her email. She responds with her price. If you are fine with it, you can then arrange when to pick it up in her office.

Depending on your status (Blue Card holder, freelancer, spouse, refugee etc), there are slightly different rules. Find here a detailed explanation of the process and requirements for each group. 

The procedure is as follows: print and fill out the application form, then attach all the required documents and send via registered mail/post. Send to this address: Landesamt für Einwanderung LEA, Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24,13353 Berlin. Use this link to purchase Standardbrief, Einschreiben mit Rückshein 

With this, you should get a signed confirmation of receipt in your mail box a few days after.  Then wait for an appointment from the Auslanderbehorde. 

You should also submit all your documents in a single PDF in this contact form.

Choose “Unbefristeter Aufenthaltstitel – Antrag” as your Subject (Betreff).

In Berlin, the application process has been centralized with Immigration Authority to allow quick process. You can find all the necessary information and apply here

Berliners, Learners and maybe German Speakers can get a Berlin Library Card

VÖBB costs only 10€ per year.  Aside from an unlimited supply of paper books, CDs and DVD, you also get access to their amazing digital offers like travel guides, eBooks and ePapers, free music streaming, audio books, art house movies and online trainings. 

Among the many providers is also LinkedIn Learning that would usually cost ~39 € alone. Read below how to get there

1. Get your library card in your local library (see locations here) or online
2. log in at voebb.de
3. select Digital Services
4. scroll down and select learn as category
5. scroll down to linked in learning and click borrow learning courses
6. get redirected to voebb.onleihe.de and search for a linkedin e-learning e.g. “agile foundations”
7. click “borrow now”
8. click “borrow now” again one course page
9. click “begin course” on the course page
10. and follow the many steps to finish your linkedin learning account setup

There are certain tips we can provide to help you have fun, meet people and improve your social life as a migrant in Berlin

• Attend NCIB organized events like workshops, get togethers, outings as well the arts and culture festivals
• You can also sign up and attend organized meet-ups on CLIQup 
• For opera enthusiasts you can find planned concerts in Berlin here. This link also provides  an aggregation of different concerts throughout the year in Berlin. 

There are several moving services available. However, there are two that have been used and recommended by members in the Nigerian community. 

1. Moving Guy: We used him for our move and the experience was really great. You can also contact them on Facebook 
2. Another tested platform is Moebeltaxi ( +4917640425081)

One of the recommendations will be to Join(become a member) Berliner Mietverein   and let their lawyers take a look at your case. You might not be the only one in house building with this issue, you can also ask your neighbour what they are doing about it.

Read more information on owning and registering your pet here.

• Install the app Co-Tasker app
• Or check out  Kleinanzeigen

Check preferably Obi or Poco. Obi allows you to choose the electronic gadgets you want separately. Delivery to your gate is free, but delivery to the installation point plus installation comes with a crazy fee. 

• You should get some friends to help you carry the kitchen parts into your flat when it gets delivered. 
•  Then reach out to a 3rd party installer to help you with the installation  (Recommendations: Edi 0152 1321 4665, or this person +4915901392540)

It can happen that you lock your keys in your apartment and  lock yourself out. Please call a locksmith to help you open the door. Find out more information here.