Lost id/Aufenthaltstitel in Germany

Question

(Asking for a friend; yes, really.)

I'm a Japanese expat in Germany and I've lost my wallet in a DB train, including my id and visa (Aufenthaltstitel), credit cards and all. I've naturally cancelled all my cards already. What are the next steps I should do?

• I tried calling the DB lost and found office, but no number seems to connect (!?).
• I went to the police who told me they can't do anything for me without seeing my Aufenthaltstitel.
• I went to city hall who would not replace my Aufenthaltstitel without a police report.

Am I stuck between a rock and a hard place?

Answer 1

I went to the police who told me they can't do anything for me without seeing my Aufenthaltstitel.

I went to city hall who would not replace my Aufenthaltstitel without a police report.

This is both bullshit from people that cannot think farther than their desks border. You don't file lost stuff with the police, unless you think it might be stolen. And police will have to take your report if you report your ID stolen. Who else would do it?

So what you should do is go the the town hall again and ask for the name and number of the individual that needs a police report. Then go to the police station and file said report. If they don't let you, tell them to call the individual in question and let them sort it out. Explain the catch-22 and tell them you won't leave until they tell you how to get out of this situation.

Answer 2

You should definitely contact DB again to register your loss. If you can't reach them on the phone, use Email or chat or whatever means they offer on their website. It would probably help if they confirmed your registration of the loss in writing.

If neither the police nor the local authority are willing to help, contact your consular staff in Germany for assistance - you will probably have to appear in person at your consulate taking with you all papers able to identify you, your address and business/occupation. Once they help dealing with the German authorities or issue an official confirmation of your identity, things might get that bit easier to manage.

Ultima ratio is contacting a German lawyer for Ausländerrecht, but that will set you back several hundred Euros or more and should be avoided until really necessary. In short: You will need to break up that pingpong game between the two - legally unconnected - authorities.