Processing times of the citizen’s offices in Germany for deregistration of residence
We receive many inquiries about how long it takes the local citizen’s offices to process deregistration applications by mail. There is no universal answer here.
The length of time it takes to process deregistration queries depends on many factors. These include:
- Sick leave of staff
- Holidays / vacation time
- Coronavirus / Lockdown in Germany
Based on our years of experience we can say that the average processing time after receiving the letter is 1-3 weeks. This waiting period is shortened or extended by reasons above. We have already received answers within a few days. On the other hand, we have also waited more than 4 weeks.
Effects of the coronavirus on German citizen’s offices
Despite COVID-19 we receive many residence deregistration confirmations for our customers
Despite the restrictions, there are many citizen’s offices that process applications quickly. Unfortunately, there are also cities where we are now waiting for weeks for a response. Many citizen’s offices are closed. Requests are only processed by mail / email / telephone.
Since the outbreak of COVID-19, we have worked on many cases on behalf of our clients and are happy to share our findings. We update this list regularly. If you have had other experiences you are welcome to let us know.
Processing times by city
Some cities are currently experiencing significantly longer processing times. This affects large cities in particular.
| City | Status | Processing time residence deregistration |
|---|---|---|
| Aachen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Aalen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Berlin | up to 8 weeks | |
| Bonn | up to 4 weeks | |
| Braunschweig | up to 4 weeks | |
| Bremen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Celle | up to 4 weeks | |
| Cologne | up to 4 weeks | |
| Darmstadt | up to 4 weeks | |
| Dortmund | up to 4 weeks | |
| Dresden | up to 4 weeks | |
| Dusseldorf | up to 4 weeks | |
| Essen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Flensburg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Frankfurt a.M. | up to 4 weeks | |
| Freilassing | up to 4 weeks | |
| Göttingen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Hamburg | up to 8 weeks | |
| Hannover | up to 4 weeks | |
| Heidelberg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Herzogenaurach | up to 4 weeks | |
| Karlsruhe | up to 4 weeks | |
| Kassel | up to 4 weeks | |
| Kiel | up to 4 weeks | |
| Konstanz | up to 4 weeks | |
| Krefeld | up to 4 weeks | |
| Leipzig | up to 4 weeks | |
| Ludwigshafen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Lübeck | up to 4 weeks | |
| Magdeburg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Mainz | up to 4 weeks | |
| Mannheim | up to 4 weeks | |
| Memmingen | up to 4 weeks | |
| Munich | up to 8 weeks | |
| Mönchengladbach | up to 4 weeks | |
| Neuss | up to 4 weeks | |
| Neustadt an der Donau | up to 4 weeks | |
| Nuremberg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Offenbach | up to 4 weeks | |
| Oldenburg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Osnabrück | up to 4 weeks | |
| Potsdam | up to 4 weeks | |
| Regensburg | up to 4 weeks | |
| Rosenheim | up to 4 weeks | |
| Saarbrücken | up to 4 weeks | |
| Stuttgart | up to 4 weeks | |
| Trier | up to 4 weeks | |
| Ulm | up to 4 weeks | |
| Weimar | up to 4 weeks | |
| Wiesbaden | up to 4 weeks | |
| Wilhelmshaven | up to 4 weeks |
My citizen’s office is not listed
We have made the following experience: the smaller the city, the faster the processing time. Delays can only be caused by the postal system. On average you should receive your confirmation within 1-3 weeks.
How long does it take before I receive an answer?
Please take into consideration that in addition to the processing times there are also mailing times.
Please keep in mind that we do our best to provide plausible and up to date information, but, we are not an official advisor (in terms of the Legal Services Act, RDG) on taxes, legal matters and such. Our service does not replace a individual consaltancy by a legal service. We provide you with digital tools and automated workflows to empower you on your deregistration of residence journey.