State Office for Refugee Affairs (LAF)

This authority is mainly responsible for:

• Registering, supporting, and accommodating refugees who are newly arriving in Berlin
• Benefits (under the AsylbLG), accommodation, and health insurance for people in the asylum procedure
• Supporting refugees with special protection needs (for example: people with disabilities, pregnant people, or LGBTI* people)
• Counseling on return options if an asylum application has been rejected

You are in the right place if you:

• Are new to Berlin and would like to apply for asylum
• Are new to Berlin, come from Ukraine, and are seeking protection
• Come from a third country and have an Aufenthaltsgestattung (temporary permission to stay during the asylum procedure) (up to 6 months after the end of the asylum procedure)
• Would like to return voluntarily to your country of origin