Census survey summons
Mikrozensus — Aufforderung zur Auskunft · sent by Statistisches Landesamt
Respond soon — routine but not ignorable
What this letter is
A letter from your state's statistical office saying your household was randomly selected for the Mikrozensus — Germany's ongoing 1%-of-households survey. It reads like spam but is real and, unusually, participation is legally mandatory for most of the questions if your address was selected. It has nothing to do with your immigration status, and answers are protected by statistical secrecy — they are never shared with the Ausländerbehörde or any other authority.
What to do
- Verify it's real: the letter names your Statistisches Landesamt and offers an online questionnaire or interview appointment — check the office's official website (typed, not clicked) if unsure.
- Respond by the stated date — non-response can eventually be fined, and ignoring it just brings more letters.
- Answer online if offered; the questionnaire takes ~20–30 minutes and interviewers can also do it by phone.
- Your residence status is not affected in any direction — it's statistics, not an immigration check.
- Nobody doing the Mikrozensus will ever ask for bank details, card numbers or payments — anyone who does is a fraudster borrowing the name.
General information, not legal advice. Always verify payment details on the sender's official website before transferring money.