We support refugees in Stuttgart!

In principle, you are free to choose the place or district of your admission and initial registration. According to the general decree of the regional councils, they are directly responsible for your admission. If you can provide proof of private accommodation, you should first register at the local Citizens’ Registration Office or Residents’ Registration Office and then go to the Foreigners’ Registration Office. Im Rahmen der Ukraine-Aufenthalts-Übergangsverordnung hast du 90 Tage Zeit, dich um einen Aufenthaltstitel zu bemühen.

If you do not have a place to live, the district in which you first appear is responsible for temporary accommodation. In this case, you should usually contact the local immigration office first. If there are no grounds for exclusion, you will be forwarded to the occupancy management department of the social welfare office, which will allocate you accommodation. Contact us if you have any questions or need support with the admission process.

Proceedings in Stuttgart

In Stuttgart, the procedure is uniformly regulated as follows:

1. You can visit the Foreigners’ Registration Office at the following times:
   Eberhardstr. 39
   70173 Stuttgart
   
   Monday: 08:30 – 11:30 a.m.
   Tuesday: closed
   Wednesday: 08:30 – 11:30 a.m.
   Thursday: 08:30 – 11:30 a.m.
   Friday: closed
   
   Your documents will be checked here and it will be determined whether you are entitled to protection under § 24 AufenthG(criteria on the website of the BMI).
   In addition, you will be processed for identification purposes.
   
   If you are entitled to protection and there are no general obstacles to distribution (e.g. due to the admission quota), you will be forwarded to the Social Welfare Office – Occupancy Management Department.
   
2. You will receive a so-called “routing slip” from the Foreigners’ Registration Office. With this you go to the:
   
   Social welfare office
   Jägerstr. 14
   70173 Stuttgart
   
   Opening hours:
   
   Monday: 08:00 – 13:00
   Tuesday: closed
   Wednesday: 08:00 – 13:00
   Thursday: 13:00 – 17:00
   Friday: closed
   
   First you go to the 4th floor. There you present your routing slip and – if you do not have a private room – you will be assigned to accommodation.
   You will also receive a voucher from SSB for free use of public transport for two weeks.
   
3. You then go down one floor in the same building. There you will receive the application documents for social benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG). You will receive benefits under the AsylbLG as long as you do not yet have a residence permit.
   The invitation to register for the residence permit is usually issued within 1-2 weeks.

Important note: Since October 6, 2025, there has been a freeze on admissions in Stuttgart, as Baden-Württemberg is over-quota in the FREE distribution system. Only refugees who can provide proof of private accommodation with a rental contract of at least one year or whose own underage children or spouses already live and are registered in the city of Stuttgart will be accepted.

Procedure in other districts

Outside of Stuttgart, the procedure may differ; there is no standardized state-wide regulation. In principle, the immigration authorities will check whether admission can take place before accommodation is provided in the district. It is advisable to contact the occupancy management of the desired district first. In the Stuttgart area, we regularly have good experiences with the districts of Böblingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr.

State Initial Reception Centers (LEA)

The options mentioned above are generally only possible during normal official opening hours. Alternatively, there is the option of contacting a state initial reception center (LEA). These take in refugees around the clock and distribute them to so-called “minus districts” (districts with a negative admission quota) within a few days.

LEA Karlsruhe
Durlacher Allee 100
76137 Karlsruhe

LEA Ellwangen
Georg-Elser-Straße 2
73479 Ellwangen (Jagst)

LEA Freiburg
Müllheimer Straße
79115 Freiburgerfügbarkeit we offer a transportation service for the onward journey to Sindelfingen.

Important: The above-mentioned admission options apply to adults entering the country alone or with family. If you are a minor and are traveling without parents (unaccompanied minor refugee – UMA/UMF), other procedures apply. We will prepare and publish further information on this. Until then, you are welcome to contact us – we will also provide support in this case.

No. As of September 2022, almost all public support has ceased. The “help ukraine” ticket is also no longer issued by Deutsche Bahn in Stuttgart. Exceptions apply only in special cases or official measures, such as cross transfer from other federal states, where tickets are issued to the state initial reception facility.

No. All refugees must make their own plans for temporary accommodation – also to bridge the waiting time for visits to the authorities. The possibility to stay overnight at waiting hall 2 at Stuttgart main station – as in the past until September 2022 – is not possible. We therefore advise all refugees to plan their stay in Stuttgart in good time.

Refugees from Ukraine usually enter with a special status(§24 Residence Act). In Stuttgart, you will usually receive an invitation to register for the residence permit within 1-2 weeks. They must bring a biometric photo to the appointment and – if they do not speak German – a translator.

A provisional certificate of application or issue of the residence permit is then issued and the residence permit goes into production as a plastic card (eAT). An appointment for collection can be arranged after six weeks at the latest.

In other districts, a fictitious certificate is usually issued first; an invitation to collect the residence permit is then issued after a few weeks.