Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen)

This page gives general information from official sources, checked on 4 Nov 2026. Rules and office procedures change. For your own case, contact the office responsible for you or a qualified adviser.

This page only covers what is specific to Lower Saxony. For the nationwide rules (two-week deadline, documents, Wohnungsgeberbestätigung and so on), see the Anmeldung guide and the visa guides.

1) Registering your address (Meldebehörde)

How to find yours. Your city or municipality (Gemeinde) is your registration office. Use the Serviceportal Niedersachsen: choose a service and enter your place of residence, and it shows the responsible office. If it finds nothing, the municipality hasn't entered its data yet, so go to its own portal. Source: service.niedersachsen.de/ort (checked 2026-11-04)

Online registration (eWA): mostly not for new arrivals from abroad.

• Hannover: you can register online only when moving within Hannover or from elsewhere in Germany (currently except Saxony), only for a new main residence, only as an adult, and not yet with an electronic residence permit (eAT). Source: hannover.de › Wohnsitzanmeldung-in-Hannov… (checked 2026-11-04)
• Hildesheim: you need a German ID card with the online function or an EU eID card, plus BundID, AusweisApp and an NFC smartphone. You cannot use it with an eAT yet. Source: stadt-hildesheim.de › elektronische-wohnsitzanmel… (checked 2026-11-04)
• To check whether your town takes part: wohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de (as cited by serviceportal.gemeinsamonline.de/Onlinedienste/Service/Entry/ewa, checked 2026-11-04)
• You can only change the address stored in an eAT in person at the Ausländerbehörde for your new home. Bring your Meldebestätigung. Source: service.niedersachsen.de/detail (checked 2026-11-04)

Main cities (registration / appointments):

Registration fees: ask when you book. The eWA service describes itself as free ("kostenlos"): serviceportal.gemeinsamonline.de/Onlinedienste/Service/Entry/ewa (checked 2026-11-04)

2) Ausländerbehörde

Who is responsible. It's the Landkreis, the kreisfreie Stadt, the große selbständige Stadt, the Region Hannover, the Landeshauptstadt Hannover or the Stadt Göttingen. Source: service.hansestadt-lueneburg.de › auslaenderangelegenheiten-9… (checked 2026-11-04). Lower Saxony has 52 municipal Ausländerbehörden: lab.niedersachsen.de › zentralstelle-fur-das-besch… (checked 2026-11-04). The office for your place of residence is responsible, not the place you happen to be: bamf-navi.bamf.de/de/Themen/Behoerden (checked 2026-11-04)

Central office for skilled workers (state-specific). The Zentralstelle für das beschleunigte Fachkräfteverfahren is part of the Landesaufnahmebehörde Niedersachsen (LAB NI) and is based in Osnabrück. It started work on 1 Jul 2025. Since 1 Jan 2026 it is the only office handling the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§ 81a AufenthG) in Lower Saxony. The local Ausländerbehörden no longer do this. Employers apply through its online service. After you arrive, your local Ausländerbehörde becomes responsible, and you apply for your residence permit there.

• beschleunigtes-fachkraefteverfahren.niedersachsen.de/startseite (checked 2026-11-04)
• beschleunigtes-fachkraefteverfahren.niedersachsen.de › die-zentralstelle-fur-das-b… (checked 2026-11-04)
• hannover.gov.de › beschleunigtes-fachkraeftev… (checked 2026-11-04)
• Contact (published): hotline 0541 66888 200, fachkraefteeinwanderung@lab.niedersachsen.de
• For anything other than the § 81a procedure, contact your local Ausländerbehörde.

Landesaufnahmebehörde (LAB NI). It is the state reception authority: lab.niedersachsen.de/startseite (checked 2026-11-04). Its role for asylum and reception is not covered here.

Main cities:

Ausländerbehörde fees: these follow the national fee rules (AufenthV § 45). The city pages say only "ggf. Gebühren", so ask your office for the amount.

3) Official portals & finders

• Lower Saxony state portal: niedersachsen.de (checked 2026-11-04)
• Serviceportal Niedersachsen (office finder): service.niedersachsen.de/ort (checked 2026-11-04)
• Ministry of the Interior: mi.niedersachsen.de (checked 2026-11-04)
• Landesaufnahmebehörde: lab.niedersachsen.de (checked 2026-11-04)
• Zentralstelle beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren: beschleunigtes-fachkraefteverfahren.niedersachsen.de (checked 2026-11-04)
• Federal service search: servicesuche.bund.de (from the nationwide guide)
• BAMF office finder (Ausländerbehörde by place of residence): bamf-navi.bamf.de/de/Themen/Behoerden (checked 2026-11-04)
• Online registration check: wohnsitzanmeldung.gov.de

4) Known differences vs nationwide guides

1. § 81a accelerated procedure is centralised. Since 1 Jan 2026 it goes only to the Zentralstelle at LAB NI (Osnabrück), not your local Ausländerbehörde. Sources as in section 2.
2. The Hannover area has two Ausländerbehörden. The city (Willkommensservice) serves city residents, and the Region Hannover serves the surrounding towns. Göttingen likewise has a city office separate from the Landkreis office. Sources as in section 2.
3. Many offices are online first or online only. Wolfsburg and Osnabrück are online only for residence permits. Hannover and Braunschweig take most applications online, and you can't just book an appointment first. Sources as in section 2.
4. Online address registration usually can't be used by newcomers with an eAT or arriving from abroad. Plan for an in-person Bürgeramt visit. Sources as in section 1.
5. The office finder is the Serviceportal Niedersachsen (state level), in addition to servicesuche.bund.de.