Sachstandsanfrage: How to Ask the Office About a Pending Application
Months after filing, the only thing many applicants have from the immigration office is a confirmation of receipt. A Sachstandsanfrage (status inquiry) is the short letter or email that asks where the application stands. It costs nothing and can bring a missing document to light. It does not, by itself, make the office decide.
What the law gives you
No statute uses the word Sachstandsanfrage. The closest rule is § 25 Abs. 2 S. 2 VwVfG: where it helps to speed up the procedure, the authority should tell the applicant promptly after receiving the application how long the procedure is expected to take and whether the documents are complete. Immigration and naturalization offices apply their Land’s procedure act. Some Länder, Berlin among them, simply adopt the federal VwVfG by reference. This article cites the federal sections.
That is a duty to inform, not a deadline. The office may answer with an estimate or a request for further documents. Some do not answer at all, and the rule carries no sanction.
When a status inquiry makes sense
A status inquiry is most useful once the usual processing time has clearly passed, or when you have heard nothing since the confirmation of receipt. One clear inquiry works better than repeated ones. Some offices publish their own rules: the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), for example, asks naturalization applicants not to send status inquiries and points to long processing times.
If your residence permit is about to expire, a status inquiry is the wrong tool. Apply for the extension before the expiry date. Under § 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG, the existing permit then stays in force until the office decides (this does not apply to a Schengen visa), and the office confirms this with a Fiktionsbescheinigung (a certificate confirming your right to stay while your application is pending).
What to put in it
Keep it short and factual. The office should be able to find your file and answer in one step. Include:
your file number (Aktenzeichen) or the reference on the confirmation of receipt
your full name and date of birth
what you applied for and the date you filed
a concrete question: whether documents are missing and how long processing is expected to take
an offer to send any missing document at once
a date by which you would appreciate a reply
Send it in a way you can prove later, such as the office’s contact form with a saved confirmation, or an email you keep. Keep a copy of the reply.
What a status inquiry does not do
It does not extend or pause any deadline, and it is not a formal remedy. It is also not a legal requirement for an action for failure to act (Untätigkeitsklage). § 75 VwGO allows that action if the authority has not decided within a reasonable time without sufficient reason. As a rule, it cannot be filed before three months have passed since the application.
A dated inquiry and the office’s reply still have value. They show what the office knew and when, and what it said about the reason for the delay. That matters if the case goes to court.
When to get a lawyer
Advice makes sense when the inquiry gets no answer, when the answer gives no real reason, or when the delay starts to cost you something: a job offer that depends on the permit, a move, or a family member waiting abroad. A lawyer can judge whether the time is already unreasonable, write to the office on your behalf, and weigh whether an Untätigkeitsklage is the right next step.
Get a waiting application moving
Fiona Macdonald advises on delayed residence, Blue Card and naturalization applications, from the first letter to the office to an action at the administrative court. Fiona Macdonald advises clients anywhere in Germany and internationally by video.
Related reading
Sources
§ 25 VwVfG, Beratung, Auskunft, frühe Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung, gesetze-im-internet.de, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vwvfg/__25.html (accessed 20 October 2026).
§ 81 AufenthG, Beantragung des Aufenthaltstitels, gesetze-im-internet.de, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004/__81.html (accessed 20 October 2026).
§ 75 VwGO, gesetze-im-internet.de, https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/vwgo/__75.html (accessed 20 October 2026).
Service Berlin, "Einbürgerung - Verleihung der deutschen Staatsangehörigkeit beantragen", https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/318998/, accessed 20 October 2026.
Last reviewed: October 2026 — RAin Fiona Macdonald
This article reflects information available at the review date above and may not remain current as rules and practice change. It is general information only, not legal advice, and does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Liability for reliance on its contents is excluded to the extent permitted by law.
