Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV)

This page is general information only. Rules and office details change, so always check with the office responsible for you. Every fact below lists its source and the date it was checked.

This page only covers what is specific to MV. For the general steps, see the Anmeldung guide and the visa guides.

MV has 2 kreisfreie Städte (Rostock, Schwerin) and 6 Landkreise: Vorpommern-Greifswald, Vorpommern-Rügen, Mecklenburgische Seenplatte, Ludwigslust-Parchim, Nordwestmecklenburg and Landkreis Rostock.

1) Registering your address (Meldebehörde)

How to find yours. You register with your town or Amt, not with the Landkreis. Search "Anmeldung" plus your town in the MV-Serviceportal. The portal describes itself as MV's central administration information platform and lists addresses, opening hours, contacts, required documents and costs for each service. Source: mv-serviceportal.de (checked 2026-11-04)

Online registration (elektronische Wohnsitzanmeldung) in MV: use the address check on wohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de to see whether it works for you.

2) Ausländerbehörde (immigration office)

Who is responsible: the Ausländerbehörde of your kreisfreie Stadt or Landkreis. Example: Landkreis Rostock says its Sachgebiet Ausländerangelegenheiten is responsible if you live in the district. Source: landkreis-rostock.de › auslaenderangelegenheiten-n… (checked 2026-11-04)

Wismar is in Nordwestmecklenburg. Greifswald is in Vorpommern-Greifswald, Stralsund in Vorpommern-Rügen and Neubrandenburg in Mecklenburgische Seenplatte. Source: the district offices listed above.

Central office for skilled workers: the Zentrale Ausländerbehörde für Fachkräfteeinwanderung at the Landesamt für innere Verwaltung (LAiV) MV handles these tasks statewide:

• the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§ 81a AufenthG)
• visa-procedure approvals for employment and related family reunification (§ 71 Abs. 1 S. 5 AufenthG)
• permits for people working in coastal waters (§ 3 Abs. 5 ZuwZLVO M-V)

Source: laiv-mv.de/Migration/FKE (checked 2026-11-04). It was set up on 1 April 2024. Its responsibility usually ends once pre-approval is given in the visa procedure, and after entry the local Ausländerbehörde takes over. Local offices can still accept § 81a applications. Source: regierung-mv.de/serviceassistent/ php/download.php and mv-serviceportal.de/leistung (checked 2026-11-04). Contact: Stern Buchholz 16, 19061 Schwerin, Tel. 0385/588 56 870, fachkraefteeinwanderung@laiv-mv.de. The make-it-in-germany list says "Aktuell kein Online-Antrag möglich" (no online application at the moment). Source: make-it-in-germany.com › Zentrale Auslaenderbehoerde… (checked 2026-11-04)

• Name: the office's own site calls it "Zentrale Ausländerbehörde für Fachkräfteeinwanderung" (laiv-mv.de/Migration/FKE, checked 2026-11-06). The make-it-in-germany PDF still uses an older name, "Zentrale Ausländerbehörde für Erwerbsmigration"; it's the same office, with the same address, phone and email.
• Online residence-permit applications at local offices: the MV-Serviceportal says this depends on the individual Ausländerbehörde, so check your office's page.

Ukrainian § 24 permits: they stay valid until 4 March 2027, after the EU extended temporary protection. Sources: the federal portal germany4ukraine.de › seite node and Ludwigslust-Parchim (kreis-lup.de page above), both checked 2026-11-06. Part of the Rostock Migrationsamt page still shows the earlier date, 4 March 2026; that text is out of date.

3) Official portals & finders

• MV-Serviceportal (statewide service finder and online applications): mv-serviceportal.de (checked 2026-11-04)
• State government: regierung-mv.de (redirects to land-mv.de) (checked 2026-11-04)
• LAiV Migration: laiv-mv.de/Migration (checked 2026-11-04)
• Federal service finder: servicesuche.bund.de .
• City and district portals: rathaus.rostock.de, schwerin.de, greifswald.de, stralsund.de, neubrandenburg.de, wismar.de, kreis-vg.de, lk-vr.de, lk-mecklenburgische-seenplatte.de, kreis-lup.de, nordwestmecklenburg.de, landkreis-rostock.de. All loaded on 2026-11-04.

4) Known differences vs nationwide guides

1. There is a central skilled-worker Ausländerbehörde (LAiV, Schwerin) for § 81a and visa pre-approvals. It does not handle permits after you arrive. Sources: section 2.
2. Booking differs by city. Neubrandenburg is appointment-only, with a 30-day booking window. Rostock books online for the Ortsämter and Migrationsamt. Ludwigslust-Parchim prefers documents by email or post. Sources: section 1 and 2.
3. Fees: no MV-specific fees were found on the pages checked. Use the nationwide fee info (AufenthV) and your local office. Your office tells you the exact amount.