June 11, 2026
Apply for a WBS in Berlin: online application, documents and steps
Photo: LinkedIn Sales Solutions via Unsplash.
You apply for a WBS in Berlin at the housing office (Wohnungsamt) of your district, online through service.berlin.de or by post. The application is free, and the Wohnberechtigungsschein is usually valid for one year across all of Berlin. With a WBS you can apply for subsidised social housing. Waitly collects Berlin waiting lists and lets you know when new apartments are published.
Last updated: 13 October 2026.
In short
Berlin's district housing offices issue the Wohnberechtigungsschein (WBS). You apply online or by post with an income declaration, an income certificate and ID copies, and the WBS level depends on your income. There are no fees. A WBS is usually valid for one year and entitles you to apply for subsidised apartments, not to a specific apartment.
Who can apply for a WBS in Berlin?
You can apply for a WBS in Berlin if you are at least 18, are not staying in Berlin only temporarily and your income is within the limit. According to the service portal, "not only temporarily" means at least 11 months. German citizens, EU citizens and people from outside the EU with a residence permit valid for at least one year are all eligible.
You can check whether your income qualifies using the Senate Department's WBS eligibility check. For the national picture, see our overview of the WBS in Germany.
Which WBS levels are there?
Berlin issues the WBS in levels that show by what percentage your income may exceed the federal limit under section 9 of the Housing Promotion Act (WoFG): WBS 100, WBS 140, WBS 160, WBS 180 and, for a small share of future new builds, WBS 220. A WBS 100 or WBS 140 is enough for almost all social housing. The current amounts for each household size are in the Senate Department's income limits table.
Photo: Claudio Schwarz via Unsplash.
Which office handles the WBS application?
The housing office of the district you live in is responsible. According to the service portal, you can send a paper application to either the citizens' office (Bürgeramt) or the housing office of that district, but the housing office is the one that assesses your income. Addresses and phone numbers are in the list of Berlin housing offices.
If you don't live in Berlin yet, send your WBS application to any Berlin housing office. After the move, our guide explains how to register your Berlin address.
How to apply for a WBS online, step by step
The Berlin WBS application runs online through the WBS service page on service.berlin.de, where the "Jetzt online erledigen" (apply online now) button opens the form. The process has four steps:
Use the eligibility check to see whether you qualify and which WBS you are likely to get.
Ask your employer to fill in and sign the income certificate.
Complete the online form and upload all supporting documents as PDF or JPG, with a maximum of 5 MB per file and 30 MB in total.
The housing office assesses your income and issues a WBS at the matching level.
For a paper application, download the same forms from the service page. Every adult in the household must sign it.
Photo: Luis Villasmil via Unsplash.
What documents do you need for a WBS application?
Every WBS application in Berlin needs three core documents, plus further proof depending on your situation.
Always required:
The WBS application form (BauWohn 502)
An income declaration for each person in the household, signed by every adult
An income certificate completed by your employer, plus copies of the ID documents of everyone named in the application
Depending on your situation:
A partnership declaration for unmarried or unrelated people
Your children's birth certificates, a declaration of joint custody or an acknowledgement of paternity
The maternity record (Mutterpass) showing the 14th week of pregnancy
Both sides of a severe disability ID card
A certificate of enrolment if you are a student
A residence permit if you are not from an EU country
Cost, processing time and validity
A WBS application in Berlin costs nothing: the service portal lists the fees as "keine" (none). The state does not publish a fixed processing time. It depends on the district and on whether your documents are complete, so submit everything with your first application.
Under section 27 WoFG, a Wohnberechtigungsschein is issued for one year. If your WBS expires before you find an apartment, you submit a new application.
WBS for students and other special cases
Students apply for a WBS the same way as everyone else, adding a certificate of enrolment, and international students also need a certificate showing how long their studies last. Under section 21 WoFG, half of any BAföG grant counts as income. A joint application for a flat share is not possible, and several individual WBS certificates cannot be combined. Our guide to finding a student apartment in Berlin covers other routes.
A household can apply together if its members are related or sign a partnership declaration. As a rule each person is entitled to one room, and a single person may live in up to 50 square metres in a one-and-a-half or two-room apartment. If your housing situation is especially difficult, you can also apply for a WBS with special housing need, commonly called a Dringlichkeitsschein.
Photo: Jakub Żerdzicki via Unsplash.
What to do once you have your WBS
With a WBS you apply directly to the landlords of subsidised apartments anywhere in Berlin. Berlin's large housing companies state in their listings whether a WBS is required and which one. You hand the certificate to the landlord when you move in, but a WBS does not give you an automatic right to social housing.
If an apartment is only let to WBS holders, you need a valid WBS at the right level, so compare the listing with your certificate. Our guides cover how social housing in Berlin works and how to search for apartments with a WBS. For a look at a single district, see our article on WBS apartments in Neukölln.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for a WBS without an appointment?
Yes. The service portal offers two routes, online and by post, and neither needs an appointment. Your district housing office answers questions about it.
Where do I find the forms for a paper application?
All forms are available as PDFs on the service portal's WBS page: the application (BauWohn 502), the income declaration (BauWohn 504) with notes, the income certificate (BauWohn 504a), the partnership declaration (BauWohn 550) and the declaration of joint custody.
Is a WBS only valid in my district?
No. According to the Senate Department, a WBS is valid for the whole of Berlin, whichever district issued it, so you can apply in any district.
Find WBS apartments in Berlin
Once your WBS arrives, hearing about apartments early is what counts. On Waitly's page for WBS apartments in Berlin you can see current offers and sign up to be notified when new WBS apartments are published. Signing up improves your chances of reacting in time, but it does not guarantee an apartment.
