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WEATHER

Cold and snow to return

After a lengthy thaw that brought rain and torrents of snowmelt to much of Germany, wintry temperatures and snow will return in the coming days, the German Weather Service (DWD) reported on Wednesday.

Published: 19 January 2011 15:45 CET
Cold and snow to return
Photo: DPA

Colder air is set to move into Germany during the second half of the week DWD meteorologist Dorothea Paetzold said.

Residents can expect some fog and a few snowflakes in the northwest, otherwise the crisp temperatures will be accompanied by sunshine, she said.

Soggy weather on Wednesday will likely turn icy overnight, with temperatures as low as -4 degrees Celsius potentially creating dangerous driving conditions. Mountainous regions could see some snow.

On Thursday, highs will range between -1 and 4 degrees Celsius, with sunshine in the south, clouds in the north and snow in the central mountain ranges. Southern and southeastern states could see a light dusting of snow overnight, Paetzold said.

The Alps and northern low-mountain ranges will see a bit more snow on Friday, while freezing rain is possible in the northwest. Highs will hover between -2 degrees in the mountains and 3 degrees at lower altitudes.

Saturday will start the weekend out with heavy cloud cover, but it will likely recede as the day goes on. Snow or freezing rain are likely in the west, with highs ranging between -2 and 4 degrees Celsius.

That night temperatures are likely to dip to their coldest levels in several weeks, with between 0 and -8 degrees Celsius in the forecast, Paetzold said.

Click here for The Local’s weather forecast.

The Local/ka

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BERLIN

Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Finding an appointment at the Bürgeramt to register an address has long been an unwanted chore for new arrivals in Berlin - but from October, this gruelling ritual will be a thing of the past.

Published: 19 September 2024 13:51 CEST
Anmeldung: Berlin to re-launch online housing registration in October

Every foreigner who’s lived in the German capital has experienced the stress of trying to find an appointment at the Bürgeramt, or citizens’ office. 

In order to register an address – a process known as the Anmeldung in German – residents generally have to scour a list of available appointments, sometimes waiting weeks for a spot or travelling to a far-flung part of the city to complete the process. 

From mid-October, however, the city has announced that people will be able to register and deregister their place of residence online. The Local has contacted officials to ask for the specific date in October that this is happening and will update this story when we receive the information. 

According to the Senate, the move will free up around 500,000 appointments that would ordinarily have been taken by the hundreds of thousands who move into and around the city each year.

Berlin had briefly offered online registrations during the Covid-19 pandemic, but removed the service once social restrictions were lifted. 

How will the new system work?

The online registration system is apparently based on Hamburg’s system, which was developed under the so-called ‘one-for-all’ (EfA) principle. This means that other states around Germany can adopt the same software as part of their digitalisation efforts.

People who want to register address will need to fill in an online form, provide proof of their new residence and also identify themselves using their electronic ID, which will either be an electronic residence permit or a German or EU ID card. 

READ ALSO: What is Germany’s electronic ID card and how do you use it?

After the process has been completed, a sticker for the ID card will be sent out via post.

Aufenthaltstitel

A German residence permit or ‘Aufenthaltstitel’ with an electronic ID function. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

This can then be used to update the information on a residents’ eID card and access the registration confirmation digitally.

Those who don’t have access to a validated electronic ID will need to either activate their eID function at the immigration office or Bürgeramt or register their address in person.  

In 2024, the service will only be available for single residents, but online registration for families is also in the pipeline.

Is Berlin making progress with digitalisation?

It certainly seems like it. This latest move is part of a larger push to complete digitalise Berlin’s creaking services and move to a faster, more efficient online system.

At the start of the year, the capital centralised its naturalisation office in the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) and moved all citizenship applications online. 

Since then, citizenship applications have been completed around ten times faster than previously – though tens of thousands of applicants are still waiting for a response on their paper applications.

More recently, the LEA also announced that it had moved to a new appointment-booking system designed to end the predatory practice of appointment touting, or selling appointments for a fee.

Under the new system, many residents permits – including EU Blue Cards – can be directly applied for online, with in-person appointments reserved for collecting the new (or renewed) permit.

READ ALSO: What to know about the new appointments system at Berlin immigration office

Meanwhile, those who can’t apply online yet can access appointments by filling in the contact form, with the LEA hoping that this will deter people from booking appointments with the intention to sell them on. 

In another move to speed up bureaucracy, Berlin also opened a new Bürgeramt in the district of Spandau this September, with the governing CDU announcing on X that more new offices would follow in the near future. 

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