Fristfrei

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State guide

Free State of Thuringia (Freistaat Thüringen)

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

Checked 6 Nov 202641 official sources

Fristfrei gives general information only. Rules, addresses and procedures change. Always check with the responsible authority, or get advice from a qualified counselling service or lawyer.

This page only covers what is specific to Thuringia. For the nationwide rules (2-week deadline, documents, Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, online registration requirements, visa types), see the Anmeldung guide and the visa guides.

All facts checked 2026-11-04.

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1. Registering your address (Meldebehörde)

How to find yours

  • In Thuringia you register with the Meldebehörde of your municipality, town or Verwaltungsgemeinschaft ("Meldebehörde der Gemeinde oder Stadt"). Source: buerger.thueringen.de/detail (checked 2026-11-04)
  • Use the state Zuständigkeitsfinder on the Serviceportal Thüringen (enter your town). The portal itself says that results are not yet available for every municipality. Source: buerger.thueringen.de (checked 2026-11-04)
  • The same Serviceportal entry links to the electronic Wohnsitzanmeldung (eWA). Source: same buerger.thueringen.de detail page (checked 2026-11-04)

Main cities

Erfurt
Office
Bürgeramt (Bürgerservice Meldeaufgaben). Locations: Bürgermeister-Wagner-Straße 1, Reichartstraße 8, Große Arche 6
Booking
Appointment only. Bookable online for Meldeaufgaben
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
erfurt.de › stelle-309.htmc
Jena
Office
Bürgerservice (Fachdienst Bürgerdienste), Tel. 03641 49-3800, buergerservice@jena.de
Booking
Online via TEVIS: tevis-bs.jena.de. Deregistering a secondary residence (Nebenwohnung) is also possible by e-mail to bs-antrag@jena.de
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
tevis-bs.jena.de/select2
Gera
Office
StadtService H35, Heinrichstraße 35, 07545 Gera, Tel. 0365 838-1900
Booking
Appointment generally needed: online, by phone or at the reception desk
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
gera.de › stadtservice-h35
Weimar
Office
Foreign nationals register at the Ausländerbehörde, Schwanseestraße 17 (see section 4)
Booking
Online: termine-reservieren.de/termine/weimar/abh. Slots are limited at the moment. Freed-up slots are released around 8:00 in the morning
Gotha
Office
BürgerBüro, Neues Rathaus, Ekhofplatz 24, Tel. 03621 222-402 / -405
Booking
Online booking is recommended: gotha.de/de/online-terminvergabe.html. A Meldebescheinigung and some other services need no appointment
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
gotha.de/de/buergerservice.html
Eisenach
Office
Bürgerbüro (Einwohnermeldeamt), Markt 22, Tel. 03691 670-800
Booking
Appointment needed, online or by phone: eisenach.de/rathaus/online-terminvergabe. You cannot register in advance, only after you have actually moved in
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
eisenach.de/rathaus/buergerbuero
Nordhausen
Office
Bürgerservice, Neues Rathaus (ground floor), Markt 1, 99734 Nordhausen, Tel. 03631 696-9555, buergerservice@nordhausen.de
Booking
Online booking: tevis.svndh.de/select2. For foreign nationals registering a home, the booking page says an appointment isn't strictly needed and you can email the office instead. (checked 2026-11-04)
Suhl
Office
Meldebehörde (Pass- und Meldewesen), Neues Rathaus
Booking
Online: stadtsuhl.flexappoint.de. You must confirm the booking within 4 hours via the link sent by e-mail, or it is deleted
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
stadtsuhl.flexappoint.de
  • Weimar: register at the Bürgerbüro. You must go in person. Source: stadt.weimar.de › wohnung anmelden (checked 2026-11-05)
  • Fees: none of the pages we checked publishes a registration fee. The Gotha page says the Meldebestätigung is issued free of charge ("unentgeltlich"). Source: gotha.de › wohnung anmelden (checked 2026-11-04)

2. Ausländerbehörde

Who is responsible

  • Residence law is carried out by the Ausländerbehörden of the Landkreise (districts) and kreisfreie Städte (independent cities). Oversight lies with the Thüringer Landesverwaltungsamt. Source: justiz.thueringen.de/themen/migration/aufenthaltsrecht (checked 2026-11-04)
  • So whether you go to a city office or a district office (Landratsamt) depends on where you live. Example: in the Wartburgkreis, the office in Eisenach only handles residents of the city of Eisenach; everyone else in the district goes to Bad Salzungen. Source: wartburgkreis.de/landratsamt/online-terminvergabe (checked 2026-11-04)
  • Central office for skilled workers: according to make-it-in-germany, Thuringia has no central contact point for the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (§81a AufenthG). It refers employers to the Thüringer Agentur für Fachkräftegewinnung. Source: make-it-in-germany.com › Zentrale Auslaenderbehoerde… ("Stand: 2026", checked 2026-11-04)
  • Thuringia is setting up a central immigration office (Zentrale Ausländerbehörde) at the Landesverwaltungsamt. Public broadcaster MDR reports it should start work by December 2026 at the latest: mdr.de › politik-zentrale-auslaender… (checked 2026-11-05). Your local Ausländerbehörde remains your first contact.

Main cities and districts

Erfurt
Office
Ausländerbehörde, Schillerstraße 40, 99096 Erfurt, Tel. 0361 655-4400, Auslaenderbehoerde@Erfurt.de. Organised in teams (e.g. Team 1: employment, EU Blue Card, Tel. 0361 655-4410)
How to apply / book
Visits only with an appointment arranged by e-mail. Give your name and date of birth
Jena
Office
Ausländerbehörde
How to apply / book
Applications are checked without an in-person visit. Send forms and documents (copies, not originals) by post or by e-mail to antrag-abh@jena.de. If a visit is needed, they give you an appointment. Online booking only for Verpflichtungserklärungen: tevis-ab.jena.de/select2
Gera
Office
Ausländerbehörde, Heinrichstraße 35/45, Tel. 0365 838-1900, auslaenderwesen@gera.de
How to apply / book
No in-person submission of applications. Apply online, by post or by e-mail (with a handwritten signature). They then invite you for biometrics and payment. Online applications cover employment, training, family reunification, Niederlassungserlaubnis, EU documents and more. Apply for an extension 3–4 months before your permit expires
Weimar
Office
Amt für Migration / Ausländerbehörde, Schwanseestraße 17, 99423 Weimar, Tel. 03643 762-222, auslaenderbehoerde@stadtweimar.de
How to apply / book
Permit applications only by post or e-mail. Staff assign appointments case by case. Only address registration can be booked online
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
stadt.weimar.de › auslaenderbehoerde
Gotha (Landkreis)
Office
Ausländerbehörde des Landkreises (part of the Ordnungsamt), Schöne Aussicht 5, Haus D, Gotha, Tel. 03621 214-523, auslaender@kreis-gth.de
How to apply / book
Appointment arranged in advance ("nach vorheriger Terminabsprache") by phone or email.
Eisenach
Office
Ausländerbehörde Eisenach (Wartburgkreis)
How to apply / book
Online: termin.wartburgkreis.de → "Ausländerbehörde Eisenach". The Landratsamt accepts only cashless payment
Nordhausen (Landkreis)
Office
Landratsamt Nordhausen, Fachgebiet Ausländerwesen, Behringstraße 3, 99734 Nordhausen, Tel. 03631 911-3100, auslaenderwesen@lrandh.thueringen.de
How to apply / book
Fully online applications for employment, study/training, family reunification, EU free movement and Niederlassungserlaubnis
Source (checked 2026-11-04)
landkreis-nordhausen.de/aufenthaltsrecht
Suhl
Office
Ausländerbehörde (part of the Sozialamt), Friedrich-König-Straße 42, 98527 Suhl, Tel. 03681 74-2874, auslaenderbehoerde@stadtsuhl.de
How to apply / book
Appointments by arrangement, by phone or email. The city's booking portal lists only the Neues Rathaus offices.
  • Erfurt booking: request an appointment by email to Auslaenderbehoerde@Erfurt.de. The Ausländerbehörde's own page, last updated in September 2026, says visits are "nur nach vorheriger Terminvergabe per E-Mail" (erfurt.de › stelle-135.htmc, checked 2026-11-06). An older service page from November 2024 still points to an online booking form (erfurt.de › leistung-2165.htmc); follow the newer office page.
  • Suhl's official city website is suhl.eu, not a .de domain.

Officially published fees (local examples only)

  • Erfurt, residence permit for employment: €100.00 to issue, €93.00 to extend; further fees possible in individual cases. Photo kiosk at the office: €6.00. Source: erfurt.de › leistung-2165.htmc (checked 2026-11-04)
  • Jena, Verpflichtungserklärung (formal obligation to cover a visitor's costs): €29.00. Source: service.jena.de › einladungs-verpflichtungser… (checked 2026-11-04)
  • Other offices: fees follow the national rules (AufenthV § 45). The office tells you the exact amount.

3. Official portals & finders

4. Known differences vs nationwide guides

  1. No central Ausländerbehörde. Your district or independent city is responsible (justiz.thueringen.de, above). There is no central contact for the accelerated skilled-worker procedure (make-it-in-germany PDF, above).
  2. Paper-first or online-first immigration offices. Jena, Gera and Weimar handle permit applications in writing or online, without a booked visit to submit them. You are invited only for biometrics or questions. This differs from the "book an appointment and bring originals" pattern in the Berlin examples in our visa guides (sources in section 2).
  3. Erfurt: appointments by email rather than an online calendar (section 2).
  4. Weimar: foreign nationals do their Anmeldung at the Ausländerbehörde, not at a general Bürgeramt. Weimar requires the landlord's confirmation; a tenancy agreement alone is not enough (stadt.weimar.de Ausländerbehörde page, above).
  5. District vs city. In Gotha, Nordhausen and Eisenach (Wartburgkreis), registration is with the city, but the Ausländerbehörde is the district Landratsamt (sources above).
  6. State tools: the Serviceportal Thüringen/Zuständigkeitsfinder and ThAVEL replace or add to the federal finders. Coverage is not yet complete for all municipalities (buerger.thueringen.de).
  7. Online booking systems differ from city to city: TEVIS (Jena, Nordhausen, Weimar), flexappoint (Suhl), the Wartburgkreis portal (Eisenach). See section 1 and section 2 for links.

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

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