Welcome to Bremen.

1.

Arriving

Is Bremen the first city in Germany you have arrived in? Then you must officially register in Bremen.

Do you want to apply for asylum in Germany? Then you must register as an asylum seeker. If you register as an asylum seeker, it will be checked whether you are allowed to stay in Germany for a longer period of time. You must apply for asylum if you want to stay in Germany. In Bremen, you can register as an asylum seeker with the police or here:

Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (“Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge” – BAMF)
Lindenstraße 110
28755 Bremen

Migration Office (“Migrationsamt”)
Stresemannstraße 48
28207 Bremen
Tel.: +49 421 36188630

Central Reception Centre (“Zentrale Aufnahmestelle für Asylbewerber und Flüchtlinge (ZAST)“)
Lindenstraße 110
28755 Bremen

You can find more information on arrival and registration on the BAMF website.

• The asylum procedure

  When you arrived in Bremen, following steps are necessary for the asylum procedure:

  1. Registration

  You have to register with a reception centre like the Central Reception Centre (“Zentrale Aufnahmestelle” – ZAST). You should bring all your documents with you. At the reception centre fingerprints and passport photos will be taken. Afterwards, you will get a list (“Laufzettel”) with various tasks; you have to, for example, get in contact with certain institutions. You will receive a confirmation called “Auskunftsnachweis”, which proves that you are authorised to stay in Germany and to receive public services. After your registration you will get an accommodation.

  Central Reception Centre (Zentrale Aufnahmestelle (ZAST))
  Lindenstraße 110
  28755 Bremen

  2. Appy for a consultation at BAMF

  If the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees ( Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)) does not contact you, you have to apply for a consultation at BAMF. At the consultation it will be decided, whether and how long you are allowed to stay in Germany.

  Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF))
  Lindenstraße 110
  28755 Bremen

  3. Complete the tasks of your “Laufzettel” from the Central Reception Centre (“Zentrale Aufnahmestelle” – ZAST): 

  On the document you received from the initial reception centre are various tasks. You should complete the tasks one by one. Examples of this task are:

  – Make a medical appointment and visit a doctor
  – Go to official institutions (for example the migration centre (“Migrationsamt“) or the city office (” BürgerServiceCenter“)
  – Pick up all services you got approved for (for example tickets for the public transport)
  – If necessary, make further appointments

  4. Consultation

  During your consultation you have to explain why and how you came to Germany. You are allowed to bring a caregiver or an translator along. After the consultation the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)) will check your application for asylum and will inform you about their decision. You get a temporary resident permit (“Aufenthaltsgestattung”) until you receive the decision.

  ** If you have questions about your arrival in Bremen and the asylum procedure, please ask for additional assistance from independent information centres. For more information click here. **

  5. Residence obligation

  You are not allowed to go outside of your residential district until the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (BAMF)) has  decided. The BAMF can take several decisions:

  You receive a residence permit (“Asylgestattung”)
  You receive a temporary resident permit (provisional asylum – “vorläufiges Asyl”)
  You receive a exceptional leave to remain or a “Duldung” (asylum application is withdrawn)

  The decision of the BAMF affects the further procedure in your case.

• Unaccompanied refugee minors

  The “Initial Reception Centre for Unaccompanied Minor Foreigners” specialises in unaccompanied minor refugees. This means that all refugees and immigrants under the age of 18 who came to Germany on their own can live here first of all.

  The Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) takes care of all children and adolescents who are younger than 18 and have not come to Germany with their parents (or guardians). After the initial admission, they will first be taken into care by the Youth Welfare Office. This means that the Youth Welfare Office will find them a safe accommodation and will keep on looking after them. This includes giving them something to eat, enough clothes, medical care and social care. However, the Youth Welfare Office has nothing to do with the asylum application. They do not decide how long you can stay in Germany.

  The Youth Welfare Office assigns you a person who is legally responsible for you ( a guardian). In most cases, you will then live in a facility until you are 18 years old. Other young people also live in this institution. There are also guardians who are always there for you. They help you with your everyday life, for example with your homework or visits to the doctor. The counsellors also support you in private matters, for example if you want to contact your family. Don’t be afraid to talk to the counsellors if you have questions or problems!

  Initial Reception Centre (EAE) for Unaccompanied Minor Foreigners (umA)
  Steinsetzerstrasse 12
  28279 Bremen
  Phone: +49 421 98964840

  Initial care centre of the Youth Welfare Office for unaccompanied minor foreigners
  Breitenweg 29-33
  28195 Bremen
  Tel.: +49 421 36117040

• The first time after your arrival

  During the first time refugees are accommodated in reception centres for immigrants. Depending on your country of origin you are accommodated in such an institution for up to six months or until the decision about your application is taken.

  During your stay in an accommodation you are supplied with food, clothes, toiletries, health services and further individual services for you and your children. If you have important appointments, you receive tickets for the tramway and the bus. Moreover, you receive an amount of money each month to cover your personal needs. These services are regulated by the “Asylbewerberleistungsgesetz”. You also have the right to receive these services in your next accommodation. You find the information about where and when you get your money on the documents from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (“Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge” – BAMF). You can use the money for example to do something in your free time. In Bremen there are a lot of different offers for recreation and culture activities, which are partly for free.

  As soon as you are legally recognized as refugee you are allowed to move and reside freely throughout Germany. You do not have to stay in Bremen. If you want to travel to another German state, inform yourself about the costs you have to bear yourself.

  The people who work in your accommodation will be pleased to help you with questions. Apart from your accommodation you can receive support from counselling offices in Bremen as well.

  ** If you are legally recognized as a refugee, in most cases you get a residence permit for three years. Afterwards it will be checked again, whether the circumstances in your home country have changed or not. If you keep the entitlement of asylum, you are allowed to apply for a permanent residence permit (“Niederlassungserlaubnis”). This permission is valid unlimited – even if the situation in your home country becomes stable, you do not have to leave Germany with a permanent residence permit. **

2.

Health Care

Once you have submitted a request for asylum at a reception centre (for example the ZAST – “Zentrale Aufnahmestelle”), you get an appointment for medical examination. In this medical examination vaccinations will be refreshed. Moreover, a doctor checks, whether you unknowingly suffer from tuberculosis. In case of health problems, pregnancies or a childbirth, refugees directly receive medical care. You get a replacement card from the ZAST, which is valid for three months until your stay in Bremen is clarified. Afterwards you get a health card.

In cases of emergency you can go to a doctor or into a hospital without a medical treatment certificate.

We have listed information and contact points regarding the subject health here.