New document boxes in Berlin: Flexible document collection without an appointment – opportunities for residency rights?

With the new document collection box at the Reinickendorf Citizens' Office, Berlin is sending a clear signal for administrative modernization . For the first time, identity cards and passports can be collected without an appointment and regardless of opening hours. This creates a service that offers considerable potential relief , especially given the strained situation at Berlin's immigration offices .

Use of the document box for immigration authorities

Especially in the area of immigration law, it becomes clear how severely delayed document issuance impacts the work of immigration authorities . When identity documents are missing, procedures stall, deadlines cannot be met, and both those affected and the authorities are under additional pressure. The new document issuance box is therefore more than just a technical pilot project: it is an example of an infrastructure that could also be of urgent help to immigration authorities.

The first drop box at the citizens' registration office at Eichborndamm 215 was put into operation on November 20, 2025. It allows for the collection of newly issued documents and the easy return of old ID cards around the clock. Without appointments or restrictions on office hours, this provides real relief for citizens who previously often had to wait weeks for a collection appointment.

Are document boxes also useful for immigration authorities?

This very effect demonstrates how beneficial it would be to establish a comparable system directly at the immigration office or the State Office for Immigration (LEA). Many people currently wait months to collect their residence permit card (eAT) , even though the card has already been issued. These bottlenecks often arise because appointments for collection are limited. A document collection box could resolve this issue. Residence cards could be collected flexibly and without an appointment as soon as they are available in the system. This would represent a significant organizational advantage for the authorities: less public traffic, less appointment management, and more time for substantive decisions.

At the opening ceremony in Reinickendorf, Berlin's State Secretary for Digitalization, Martina Klement, emphasized that the system represents a step towards a modern administration that offers freedom, flexibility, and genuine usability. These very principles are currently lacking in many areas of immigration law . Extending the system to the immigration office could therefore not only be a further step towards modernization, but also a structural breakthrough. If citizens could collect their residence permits independently and at any time, numerous delays and inquiries would be eliminated. The situation would also improve significantly for employers urgently awaiting the start of employment. This applies particularly to the mandatory issuance of temporary residence permits .

Expansion of the document box to include other authorities

District Mayor Emine Demirbüken-Wegner also emphasized the technical and data protection groundwork required for the pilot project. This groundwork could serve as a blueprint for establishing secure, legally compliant, and decentralized document issuance at the State Office for Immigration. Reinickendorf is demonstrating that digitalization can work in Berlin when implemented consistently. The first document issuance box is therefore not only a step forward for the Citizens' Registration Office, but also a catalyst for the entire Berlin administrative system. The Immigration Office could benefit significantly – organizationally, structurally, and in terms of improved service quality. If Berlin seizes this opportunity and extends the system to the area of residence permits, it would represent a genuine step toward modernization , reducing workload, accelerating procedures, and noticeably easing the daily lives of international professionals .

Conclusion Document box Immigration Office

The introduction of the first document dispensing box in Reinickendorf demonstrates that modern and flexible solutions within Berlin's administrative system are not only possible but urgently needed. While the new system already significantly reduces the workload at the citizens' registration office, the greatest potential lies in the area of residency permits. The immigration office, in particular, has been suffering from structural bottlenecks for years, often exacerbated by the inability to issue identity cards, passports, or residence permit cards in a timely manner. A document dispensing box that allows for the collection of electronic residence permit cards (eAT cards) around the clock would considerably accelerate procedures, reduce appointment bottlenecks, and simultaneously alleviate the pressure on staff. As a further benefit, a document dispensing box would also finally resolve the long-standing problem of missing temporary residence permits.