How digital are Germany’s civic services offices? Düsseldorf tops the national rankings
Whether it’s changing your registered address, obtaining a certificate of good conduct or applying for a passport: by 2026, the civic services office in the fashion city of Düsseldorf will offer the highest level of digitalisation among German civic services offices. Just how digital these processes actually are varies significantly depending on the city and the service in question. Our analysis shows the extent to which citizens’ services in Germany’s 20 largest cities will be digitised by 2026.
The analysis examined eleven typical citizens’ services, including registering and changing one’s address, ordering official documents and passport matters. The assessment looked not only at whether information or forms were available online, but also at how comprehensively the respective process was carried out digitally. A digital maturity score ranging from 0 to 4 was assigned for this purpose, from ‘service not available online’ to ‘fully end-to-end digital’. Düsseldorf tops the ranking with 86.4 out of 100 points.
Düsseldorf has the most digital citizen service centres among Germany’s major cities
Behind frontrunner Düsseldorf, Munich and Frankfurt share second place with 84.8 points each. Berlin and Essen are also among the five cities with the most digitised citizen service centres. The leading group is very close together: there is a gap of just 1.6 points between Düsseldorf and the second-placed cities, Munich and Frankfurt. The gap to the bottom of the ranking is more pronounced. Duisburg comes last with 68.2 points, ahead of which lie Bremen with 70.5 points and Dresden with 72.7 points. There is therefore a gap of 18.2 points between Düsseldorf and Duisburg.
Compared with last year, there has been significant movement, particularly in the upper half of the ranking. Düsseldorf has climbed from sixth to first place, making the biggest leap at the top. Munich has also moved up significantly: in 2025, the city was still in tenth place. Frankfurt has largely maintained its strong position from the previous year and remains in the leading group. At the bottom of the table, the changes are less pronounced. Bremen and Duisburg already occupied the bottom two places last year.
Residence registration leads the way in digitalisation, whilst certifications lag behind
Standardised civil registry services are particularly well digitalised. Registration and change of residence achieve the highest scores in all 20 cities surveyed. This means that this service can be carried out entirely end-to-end digitally in all of Germany’s largest cities. Ordering official certificates is also highly digitised in 19 out of 20 cities. Services relating to the skilled trades fare similarly well, such as registering a trade-related business with the Chamber of Skilled Trades. When it comes to applying for dog licence fees, 18 out of 20 cities achieve the highest score. By contrast, services where personal identification, original documents or physical delivery play a greater role perform significantly worse. At the bottom of the ranking is the certification of copies: 15 out of 20 cities achieve the lowest score here. Matters relating to identity cards and passports also remain only partially digital in many places. None of the cities surveyed achieves the highest score in this area.
‘Available online’ does not automatically mean ‘fully digital’
An online service does not automatically mean that an administrative process is fully digital. Whilst many services can be initiated online – for example, through downloadable forms, digital application preparation or online appointment booking – analogue steps are often still necessary, such as in-person visits, submitting additional documents by post, signatures or collecting documents in person.
“When people talk about citizens’ offices, the conversation often centres on bureaucracy, waiting times and the need to visit government offices in person. Our analysis shows that many cities are already working to reduce these barriers through digitalisation. However, in-person appointments, signatures and document collection remain part of many administrative procedures. The challenge is to make public services simpler and faster while maintaining privacy and security. This can be achieved by reducing unnecessary paperwork, integrating services across departments, and expanding the use of secure digital identities and electronic signatures. Ultimately, public services should be user-friendly, accessible and responsive to citizens’ needs”, says Ramon O’Callaghan, President of Gisma University of Applied Sciences.