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State guide

Bavaria (Bayern)

Where to register, which immigration office handles your case, how to book, and what differs from the nationwide rules.

Checked 5 Nov 202633 official sources

This page is general information only. Rules, fees and procedures change. Always check with the authority responsible for you before you act.

This page only lists what is specific to Bavaria. For the nationwide rules (the two-week deadline, documents, landlord confirmation, fines), see the Anmeldung guide. For visa and permit types, see the visa guides. All facts below were checked on 2026-11-04 on the linked official pages.

1) Registering your address (Meldebehörde)

How to find yours. In Bavaria you register with the Meldebehörde of your municipality: the "Gemeinde, Stadt oder Verwaltungsgemeinschaft" (BayernPortal, "Wohnsitz; Anmeldung", checked 2026-11-04). In small towns this can be a Verwaltungsgemeinschaft, an administrative partnership shared by several municipalities, rather than your own town hall. You can search for the service and your location on BayernPortal or on servicesuche.bund.de.

Main cities

München
Registration: what the official page says
Register online (main residence only) or in person at a Bürgerbüro. In-person visits need an appointment, booked online or by phone at 089 233-96000.
Source
Wohnsitzanmeldung, Terminvereinbarung, checked 2026-11-04
Nürnberg
Registration: what the official page says
Register online or in person within two weeks of moving in, at the earliest on the day you move in. It's free. The online service needs a German ID card or EU eID card, so people with other documents register in person, with an appointment. Bring your Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, ID documents and, if moving to Nürnberg, any birth or marriage certificates. If you don't speak enough German, bring someone to translate.
Source
Wohnung anmelden, checked 2026-11-04
Augsburg
Registration: what the official page says
The city's Ausländerbehörde page sends you to the Bürgerbüros, with appointments via the city's booking link.
Source
augsburg.de Ausländerbehörde page, checked 2026-11-04
Regensburg
Registration: what the official page says
Foreign nationals can register, deregister or change their address without an appointment at the Abteilung Ausländerangelegenheiten (Maximilianstraße 26), Mon, Tue, Thu and Fri 08:00–10:30. Everyone else registers at a Bürgerbüro, where you don't need an appointment (regensburg.de online appointments, Anmeldung der Wohnung, checked 2026-11-05).
Source
regensburg.de, checked 2026-11-04
Würzburg
Registration: what the official page says
Bürgerbüro, appointment only. Online registration through the federal service is available since 21 Sep 2026.
Source
Bürgerbüro booking, Meldewesen, checked 2026-11-05
Ingolstadt
Registration: what the official page says
Bürgeramt, appointment required (online, by phone or email). Phone 0841 305-1500.
Source
Wohnsitz; Anmeldung, Terminvereinbarung, checked 2026-11-05
Erlangen
Registration: what the official page says
No appointment needed at the Bürgerservice on the ground floor of the town hall (Ummeldungen, i.e. address changes, are listed). Online booking is also offered for "Meldewesen".
Source
erlangen.de Terminvergabe, checked 2026-11-04
Fürth
Registration: what the official page says
Registration has an online procedure and online appointment booking (Bürgerzentrum).
Source
services.fuerth.de, checked 2026-11-04

2) Ausländerbehörde (immigration office)

Who is responsible. Under Bavarian law, the Kreisverwaltungsbehörden are the local immigration offices ("untere Ausländerbehörden") (ZustVAuslR §1, checked 2026-11-04). In practice this means:

  • if you live in a kreisfreie Stadt (an independent city), go to that city's office;
  • if you live anywhere else, go to the Landratsamt (district office) of your Landkreis.

Your Ausländerbehörde is the one for the area where you usually live (ZustVAuslR § 7, checked 2026-11-05): the Landratsamt, or the city itself if it is a kreisfreie Stadt. The Landkreis Würzburg, for example, runs its own office separate from the city (Landratsamt Würzburg booking, checked 2026-11-04).

The same regulation also names:

  • the Regierungen (the seven regional governments) as higher and central immigration offices;
  • the Regierung von Mittelfranken as the central office for skilled workers;
  • the Landesamt für Asyl und Rückführungen (LfAR);
  • the Bavarian Interior Ministry (StMI) as the top authority.

(ZustVAuslR §1, checked 2026-11-04)

LfAR. The Bayerisches Landesamt für Asyl und Rückführungen (Ingolstadt/Manching and Munich) focuses on voluntary return, obtaining passport replacement documents and supporting the local immigration offices. It is not a place where newcomers apply for permits (lfar.bayern.de, checked 2026-11-04).

Central office for skilled workers (ZSEF).

  • The Zentrale Stelle für die Einwanderung von Fachkräften (ZSEF) at the Regierung von Mittelfranken in Nürnberg handles the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren, §81a AufenthG) for all of Bavaria. It has existed since 01.12.2020 (ZSEF; ZustVAuslR §4, checked 2026-11-04).
  • Employers can choose either the ZSEF or the local immigration office where the company is based (StMI, checked 2026-11-04).
  • Exception: for nursing professionals, other health professions (Gesundheitsfachberufe) and licensed professions such as doctors (Approbationsberufe), only the ZSEF is responsible (ZustVAuslR §4(3); StMI: nursing since 1 July 2023, other health professions since 1 July 2025, checked 2026-11-04).
  • Applications go through an online service, with optional login via an ELSTER company account. The ZSEF's role ends once it sends the pre-approval for the visa (Vorabzustimmung). It does not answer questions about the visa process at the embassy (ZSEF, checked 2026-11-04).
  • Fee published by the ZSEF: €411, charged once when the agreement is signed and not refunded if the procedure fails. Fees for recognition of qualifications and for the visa are charged on top (ZSEF, checked 2026-11-04).

Appointments and online applications in the main cities

München
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Servicestelle für Zuwanderung und Einbürgerung (SZE) in the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR), Ruppertstraße 19. Register your address first. For a permit or extension, send the application and documents online or by post, and the office then sends you an appointment. Some appointments can be self-booked via the online services. Booking is always free: the city warns against paid third-party appointment offers. Service line: 089 233-96010.
Source
SZE FAQ, SZE info, checked 2026-11-04
Nürnberg
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Amt für Migration und Integration. Apply online first. Once your documents are complete, the office invites you to an appointment by post. Since 22 Feb 2025, most online services no longer run through the "Mein Nürnberg" account. The office moves to Stadthaus Q from 30 Nov 2026. Phone 0911 231-4700 (Mon–Fri 08:30–12:30).
Source
Kontakt, Aufenthaltserlaubnis, checked 2026-11-04
Augsburg
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Sachgebiet Migration und Aufenthalt. Request an appointment through the online contact forms at augsburg.de/auslaenderbehoerde. The office moves to Schafweidstraße 37 (Haunstetten). Phone access is limited from 9 to 13 Nov, and normal service starts at the new site on 16 Nov.
Source
augsburg.de, checked 2026-11-04
Regensburg
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Abteilung Ausländerangelegenheiten. Walk-in hours are only for picking up finished permits and for address registration. For everything else, contact the office by phone, email or post and you get an appointment if needed. Online applications are also offered.
Source
Abteilung, Online-Anträge, checked 2026-11-04
Würzburg (city)
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Fachabteilung Staatsangehörigkeits- und Ausländerangelegenheiten, Rückermainstraße 2. Appointments are required at the town hall, but the Service-Point (pickups, general information) needs no appointment. Contact staff are assigned by surname, and there is an online contact form. Asylum, Duldung and humanitarian cases go to the branch office at Veitshöchheimer Str. 100.
Source
wuerzburg.de, contact form, checked 2026-11-04
Ingolstadt
How it works (per the official page)
The office is the Amt für Ausländerwesen und Migration. For granting or extending permits, staff assign appointments only after you send a message (see ingolstadt.de/migration). You can self-book only for things like picking up a permit.
Source
Terminservice, checked 2026-11-04
Erlangen
How it works (per the official page)
The office is part of the Bürgeramt. Appointments can be requested online. There is a walk-in "Willkommenstheke" (welcome desk) on the 2nd floor of the town hall.
Source
erlangen.de, Termin Ausländerbehörde, checked 2026-11-04
Fürth
How it works (per the official page)
Online appointment booking for residence permits and permit pickups. Changes to permit conditions (Nebenbestimmungen) can also be requested online.
Source
services.fuerth.de, checked 2026-11-04

3) Official portals & finders

4) Known differences vs nationwide guides

  1. Bavaria has a central office for skilled workers. The ZSEF in Nürnberg can run the accelerated skilled-worker procedure for employers anywhere in Bavaria, and it is the only option for health and nursing professions (sources above). Nationwide guides usually mention only the local immigration office.
  2. The ZSEF fee is €411. It is published by the ZSEF itself (source above).
  3. In many large Bavarian cities you apply first and get an appointment afterwards. München, Nürnberg and Ingolstadt (and Regensburg and Augsburg via contact) have you send your application or request first; the office then assigns the appointment. You usually cannot simply book a free slot (sources above).
  4. Munich warns that appointments are always free. Do not pay third-party sellers of appointments (SZE FAQ, checked 2026-11-04).
  5. The LfAR is not a permit office for newcomers. It handles returns and passport replacement documents (source above).
  6. Offices are moving. Nürnberg's office moves to Stadthaus Q from 30 Nov 2026, and Augsburg's moves to Haunstetten in mid-November 2026. Check the address before you go.
  7. Registration fees: Munich is already covered in the Anmeldung guide. For other cities, ask about any fee when you book.

Source check

The official sources checked agree with each other.

General information summarised from official sources. Check with the responsible office before you act.

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