漏 dpa
There will be a new service at Berlin's Bürgerämter (citizens' offices) on May 14: for the first time, citizens will be able to apply for a new ID card or passport throughout the day without an appointment.
Nine of Berlin's twelve districts are taking part in the day of action, according to the Senate Chancellery. Reinickendorf, Lichtenberg and Pankow are not taking part.
It was reported that the offer only applies to passport and ID matters. The so-called universal jurisdiction of the Berlin authorities will be suspended for 24 hours on that day. This means that during the campaign, Berliners can only go to the citizens' office in the district in which they are registered. According to the announcement, this is possible during the usual opening hours of the respective district offices.
The Berlin Senate has been working for some time to ensure that people can get an appointment at the citizens' office within 14 days. Digital services, which have recently been expanded, are seen as a means of relieving the burden on public offices. For example, it is now possible to register and re-register online without the need for an appointment.
Another idea is to deal with issues at the citizens' office without a pre-booked appointment. The governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) advocated this some time ago. Now a practical test is to show whether the approach works and is accepted. "I am delighted that so many districts are taking part in the experiment and wish all employees and customers every success," explained Wegner.
According to Martina Klement, State Secretary for Digitalization and Administrative Modernization, appointment-free services could be a useful addition to the service portfolio of citizens' offices. "As no fixed appointments are made, waiting times are to be expected," she explained on the day of the campaign. "Should there actually be longer waiting times on site, we ask for your understanding in advance."