Berlin’s citizens’ offices, the Bürgerämter, work by appointment. In 2015 a start-up offered to find appointments for a fee: 25 euros for one within five working days, 45 euros for one within 48 hours. The city’s portal said that bought appointments were not valid. In December 2015 the site gave up, at least for the time being.
In September 2023 the platform netzpolitik.org tested the booking system. Two out of three requests for an appointment failed. In May 2026 the Senate reported that, by its calculation, every request in March 2026 could be met within 14 days. Mayor Kai Wegner said: Und wir haben Wort gehalten. And we kept our word.