German bureaucracy affords awareness to changes.

Had a few things happen lately that I thought are worth sharing about life in Germany.

First thing is that I’ve had a Bahncard50 for multiple years. They have a price for seniors of 50% off which was available until this year at the age of 60 already. They also had what they called a partner card which meant spouses could have the same type of card and price so that when my wife turned 60 we both got the senior price although I was only 56. Thus I had an affordable Bahncard 50 for the last 6 years already. My present card is expiring in a couple of weeks and I did not get a replacement by post like in the past. I called the service line and they said that the partner deal no longer exists and now the senior card is only available from the age of 65. Thus I won’t get the discounted price again for another few years. Supposedly they mentioned this when they sent my wife’s new Bahncard50 but she didn’t notice or mention this fact.

On the other hand, at the beginning of May the new “Deutschlandcard” came out, which lets one ride all local public transportation and regional trains (but not longer distance ones like the ICE, IC, EC and some RE trains) for a month for just 49 Euros. I think it is offered through the summer but not sure if such a thing will continue afterwards. But with this card actually covering most of my likely usage for the coming months, plus the normal possibility of gets a special “Spar” price by booking in advance online for a specific train, I opted to get a much cheaper Bahncard25 instead of the Bahncard50.

An upshot is that I got a bit complacent. I thought, OK, I know how things work here. I will get a new Bahncard automatically like always. But I had to go online and order a new card after having estimated what is going to be optimal in a changed situation.

I also recently finished doing my American tax forms which have to be submitted in addition to the German ones. This is an annoyance only US citizens will likely know. I have to include a form from an office in Berlin that certifies my coverage under the German social security system or else I have to pay American social security taxes in addition. For 26 years this was accomplished by faxing a request to the Berlin office and waiting approximately 6 weeks for the document to arrive by post. They still won’t email it.  I got post back from the office weeks ago and wanted to send in the document. Then I realized I had only read the cover letter acknowledging my request but instead of the needed document it was just a form to apply for the actual document. And all of the information for the form had been included in my previous request. But they added a new level of bureaucracy so that one has to apply - just to get an application. Now I likely have another 6 weeks to wait.

Lesson learned. Double check things when dealing with officialdom, even if you have done them many times in the past.

Some days ago an American acquaintance living in Berlin posted on social media that she had finally gotten her German driver’s license. She mentioned although due to a reciprocal agreement through her American license she didn’t have to take the practical test or driving instruction, the process had taken over 2 ½ years.  I’m sure much of this was due to the impact of Covid slowing things down but she also mentioned that she had tried to sign up to take the written theoretical exam in Bonn but they said it could only be taken in German. She had now managed to take the test in Berlin in English. 

Having been through this myself in 1997, I knew that they already offered the written test in a dozen languages back then. I had to consider that there are often different rules in different cities or regions of Germany, so it is not always easy to know what is really valid. I went online and verified that at least in Baden-Württemberg the TÜV offered the testing in many languages. The ADAC site indicated that this was true across Germany. Finally I called the office in Bonn. They assured me that the written driving exam there is also offered in 13 languages including English. Likely it was a case of miscommunication and someone mixed up the fact that the practical driving exam is usually only offered in German, the written exam is different.  Maybe this is not the case everywhere? But the standard offering does apply in Bonn.

I think the lesson is that despite the clichés of German efficiency, mistakes still happen. It is good to have an overview of how things work before hand, and then find someone with good German skills to assist with official inquiries if needed. I’ve repeatedly had situations where civil servants insisted that there was one way to do things, or one rule, although possible alternatives or other options were actually available. Not sure if it is laziness or incompetence but I’ve often found myself having to explain how something actually has to be done. But one has to be diplomatic about it. Often people conflate their situation with another’s, disregarding what might seem like small differences that actually have major consequences.