Not everyone in Germany may advise you on residence law. In practice it is either a Rechtsanwalt (a lawyer) or an advice centre recognised by the state. You can check both yourself, for free, on official registers. And free state-funded advice for migrants exists in Germany — try that before you pay anyone.
Where to look them up
Amtliches Anwaltsverzeichnis — the official nationwide register of lawyers
The official register of every Rechtsanwalt admitted in Germany, run by the federal bar (BRAK). The page is also available in English.
Search your lawyer's name and city. There is a field called "Professional subtitle" — set it to Migrationsrecht and it returns only lawyers who specialise in migration law. If your adviser's name is not here, they are not a lawyer, whatever they call themselves.
Rechtsdienstleistungsregister — Bundesamt für Justiz
The official register of non-lawyers who are permitted to provide legal services in a few limited fields — debt collection, pension advice, or the law of a foreign country.
This register matters for what is not in it: advice on German residence law is not one of the categories anyone can register for. If a person is neither a lawyer nor part of a recognised advice centre, they have no standing to advise you on German residence law.
BAMF-NAvI — Behörden (find your local Ausländerbehörde)
The official finder for authorities, including the Ausländerbehörde for your area.
Enter your town or postcode. Contacting the authority yourself is always free — you do not need to pay a middleman for it.
Free help — try this before you pay anyone
Migrationsberatung — free advice centres on BAMF-NAvI
Germany has state-funded advice for adult migrants, and it is free. Use this map to find the nearest centre by entering your town; the page is available in English. Go here once before you pay anybody — a great many questions are answered at this stage.
The Jugendmigrationsdienst advises young people with a migration background, free of charge. The site finds the service nearest you.
Faire Integration advises refugees and migrants on their rights at work — pay, contracts, working time. The advice is free, and the site lists the counselling centres.
Faire Mobilität, run by the DGB trade union federation, advises workers from other countries on their rights at work, in several languages. The site lists the advice centres.
Warning signs
- Anyone who "guarantees" you an Aufenthaltstitel or a visa. The decision belongs to the Ausländerbehörde, not to an adviser.
- They will not say which Rechtsanwaltskammer they belong to, or will not give you their full name so you can look them up.
- They call themselves a "Berater" or "consultant" but are neither a lawyer nor part of a recognised advice centre.
- They charge you for advice that the Migrationsberatung gives free.
- They sell you an appointment (Termin) at the Ausländerbehörde. An official appointment is not something you buy.
- They ask for cash and refuse to give a receipt (Quittung) or a written agreement.
- They keep your original passport, or get you to sign blank forms or a Vollmacht you cannot read.
What it should cost
A lawyer's fee is not fixed and depends on the case. We print no figure here because we have no official schedule for one. Before any work starts, get a written estimate (Kostenvoranschlag) with each item listed separately, and make clear whether the Ausländerbehörde's own official fee is included or extra — that government charge is a completely separate thing from the lawyer's fee. And remember that advice at the Migrationsberatung is free.
If it has already happened to you
Onlinewache — report to the police online
Each German state (Bundesland) has its own online police reporting service. Choose your state from this page. In an emergency, call 110.