Create meetup in Berlinchevron_right
Select a place on the map to change the location.
I want to meet
Verified required?
want to meet at fmd_good Whitebox
want to meet at fmd_good Mirror Room
want to meet at fmd_good Corner Diner
explore Berlin Guides
Berlin Hidden Gems (2026)
kirstin
Berlin on a Budget: Tips 2026
annette
Where to Stay in Berlin (2026)
frieda
3 Days in Berlin: Itinerary 2026
rabeakurth
Things to Do in Berlin (2026)
viktoria
Best Food in Berlin (2026)
bar_chart Trends in Berlin
Contact form to activate e-ID?
I hope not, cos they… Since Landesamt für Einwanderung(LEA) original OTV system for getting appointments online is permanently shut down, the only way to get an appointment now is their contact form?
I hope not, cos they hardly reply for contact form, the last time I used the contact form, nobody replied after months, I don't even remember what was my request because there's no acknowledgment email even being sent.
I can't activate my Blue card e-ID at a regular bürgeramt because it's issued by LEA, it has to be activated by them....
fwiw the LEA has a specific email for eID issues that's separate from their general contact form - it's eid-berlin@lea.berlin.de. i sent them a polite german email with my case number and they responded in about 4 days, got an appointment for 2 weeks later. also worth noting that the keplerstrasse office has weird hours, they're closed on wednesdays and fridays for walk-ins, learned that the hard way standing outside for nothing
the walk-in thing at keplerstrasse works but only if you get there by 6am, sometimes they run out of numbers by 7.30. i'd also try emailing the lea's IT support directly at eid-berlin@lea.berlin.de, got a reply in 3 days when i had the same issue last year. worst case you can mail your blue card and a prepaid return envelope to their postfach with a note asking for activation, they've done that for a few people i know
You're right that the contact form is basically a black hole. I've heard the same from multiple people.
What I'd try instead is showing up at the LEA's office on Keplerstraße on a Tuesday or Thursday morning before they open. They've been known to hand out emergency walk-in numbers for specific issues like e-ID activation when you explain the online system is broken. Bring your passport, blue card, and any LEA letters you have.
If that doesn't work, write to the Berliner Beauftragte für Datenschutz und Informationsfreiheit about the lack of response on your contact form. Sometimes that gets things moving faster than anything else.
What is the current assessment of potential security threats in the city?
if u actually want to prep, look at ur district's Katastrophenschutz page, not the citywide stuff. Mitte and Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg run their own Ehrenamt units and some Bezirke offer free Erste Hilfe + Notfallvorsorge courses a couple times a year, usually announced through the Bezirksamt newsletter. i did one in Neukölln, two evenings, they hand u a checklist for a Notgepäck and tell u where ur nearest Sammelplatz is. that last bit matters more than any threat level number, because if something happens u want to know which direction to walk, not read a Verfassungsschutzbericht
A lot of the "measures" you read about are things you'd never clock as security unless you're looking. plainclothes Beamte at Bahnhof Zoo and along the U8 corridor, video surveillance expansion that the Polizei quietly funds through the Landesprogramm, and the Kontaktbereichsbeamte who actually walk their Kiez and know the regulars. That last one matters more than people think, the KOB is often the first to hear about something off.
For staying informed i'd add two things the others missed. the Berlin Senat has a citizen info hotline (030 90120) that gives real updates during incidents, and your Bezirksamt often posts localized notices that never make the Polizei feed. Also check whether your building has a Hausordnung with evacuation info, because in a real incident the building is your first problem, not the city.
honestly for everyday life the threat stuff barely changes anything, but one thing people overlook is the BVG & S-Bahn. there's a reason you see more Bundespolizei at Ostbahnhof & Gesundbrunnen rather than the tourist spots, since rail hubs are the actual soft target. if u want a practical habit, know where the emergency exits are at big stations & don't leave bags unattended, they announce that every few min for a reason.
load 8 more replies