Ausländerbehörde (Office for Foreigners)
I had an appointmen to register at the Ausländerbehörde today, which is the official agency for foreign visitors something like the INS. The instructions warned me to bring my passport, 2 passport photos, my contract with the university, proof of insurance, and €60 in cash to pay the fee. I also had to bring the application all filled out.
I forgot totally about the fee until I reached the building, a grungy office building in what may be one of the bleakest parts of Berlin. Happily I had €60 in my wallet (I carry far more cash in Germany than I would in the US, since theft is illegal here). I was a bit worried about what they might accept as proof of insurance, but didn't think that the whole business would last more than half an hour.
I went into the appointment promptly, and almost the first thing the man said was: you have been working here illegally. You came in on your US passport, which means you have only a tourist visa. That is illegal and you can be punished. I explained that I had asked the University whether I needed a work permit and they explicitly said no. In that case, he said, the University is also punishable. I told him to talk to the head of personnel. He took my passport and my work contract and said to wait in the waiting room, where I was almost the only white person. I felt right at home, just as if I were back in Chicago.
Happily I had my computer with me, so I searched for the email where the personnel staff said explicitly that I did not need a work permit. When I found it, I went back and showed him. He had not managed to get through to the head of personnel, but the email gave him reason to pause. He decided that he would provide me with a work permit for the future and he would just "forget" about my working illegally, which I took to be a face-saving measure and thanked him politely.
In the end getting it all processed took about an hour and a half, and by the end he was quite nice, even giving me his card and saying to call if I had questions. I have never dealt with the INS in the US, but I think the equivalent would have been a lot more stressful.
I forgot totally about the fee until I reached the building, a grungy office building in what may be one of the bleakest parts of Berlin. Happily I had €60 in my wallet (I carry far more cash in Germany than I would in the US, since theft is illegal here). I was a bit worried about what they might accept as proof of insurance, but didn't think that the whole business would last more than half an hour.
I went into the appointment promptly, and almost the first thing the man said was: you have been working here illegally. You came in on your US passport, which means you have only a tourist visa. That is illegal and you can be punished. I explained that I had asked the University whether I needed a work permit and they explicitly said no. In that case, he said, the University is also punishable. I told him to talk to the head of personnel. He took my passport and my work contract and said to wait in the waiting room, where I was almost the only white person. I felt right at home, just as if I were back in Chicago.
Happily I had my computer with me, so I searched for the email where the personnel staff said explicitly that I did not need a work permit. When I found it, I went back and showed him. He had not managed to get through to the head of personnel, but the email gave him reason to pause. He decided that he would provide me with a work permit for the future and he would just "forget" about my working illegally, which I took to be a face-saving measure and thanked him politely.
In the end getting it all processed took about an hour and a half, and by the end he was quite nice, even giving me his card and saying to call if I had questions. I have never dealt with the INS in the US, but I think the equivalent would have been a lot more stressful.
posted by Michael Seadle at 10:18 PM
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