Overview

• The transport administration reports a median €42.29 administrative cost per permit versus a €20.40 fee fixed for two years since 2008.
• Berlin issued 80,390 resident permits from January through July, producing uncovered costs that add up to millions of euros.
• The Senate says a fee change is currently in a participation process, and coalition partners are seeking a meeting to decide next steps.
• The CDU says it does not want a simple price hike and instead proposes digital permits and fewer, clearer exemptions to cut processing effort.
• Past coalitions resisted higher charges, and after the CDU rejected an SPD push for €120 per year in late 2024, Berlin still charges far less than cities like Bonn (€300), Münster (€260), Freiburg (€200) and Cologne (up to €120).