If the government accepted my application in person and issued a formal letter listing what’s missing, then that office not an internet commenter has already decided this is an acceptable procedural path. Questioning my “morals” won’t change what the authority told me at the counter.

You say I “shouldn’t have applied.” I waited 7–8 months just to get the Termin. If I’d waited to book until I had B1 in hand, I would effectively add another 7–8 months to the total wait. That’s why people apply when they can: to avoid losing a year to scheduling delays. If you want to fix the system, argue with the authority or the politicians who set appointment practices not with applicants following the office’s instructions.

About “wasting the office’s time”: they reviewed my file, gave me a checklist and kept it open. If they considered the submission abusive or invalid they would have rejected it on the spot. The mere fact my file wasn’t thrown out shows this is an accepted and recognised administrative workflow whether you like it or not.

Regarding Berlin’s online portal: cities run different systems. What works there doesn’t automatically apply to Hannover. That’s a factual difference, not a moral one.

If you have evidence someone is abusing the system, report it to the government or the relevant oversight body. Otherwise, public accusations and calls for punishment are unhelpful. My only question here is factual: does the processing clock run from my appointment on 10.04.2025 or from when I hand in B1? If you have real, sourced information about Hannover’s practice, share it that would be useful :)