Notes

How do Germans make friends? Well... First you must visit with the Bundesamt für Bekannte und Freundschaft and fill out form 'Freundschaftsraumvoraussetzungerklärung', in which you inform them of the number of friends you require, and the number for which you have room (which must be at least two more than the number you require). In four to six weeks you will be issued by the government with a number of friends and acquaintances up to your maximum and not less than your requirements. Every so often you may be issued with a new friend, up to your current maximum. Every six months you may submit form 'Freundschaftsänderunganforderung' to your local office of the Bundesamt and they will consider you for exchanging up to two of your friends for one state-issued friend, so long as this would not take you below your current minimum. This can take two months or more to process. But you might only get an acquaintance back in return for your friend so you must be very careful to try and 'trade up', exchanging acquaintances for friends where possible. If you have a good record with the BBF and you want more friends, you can after three years apply for 'Freundschaftsraumetaterweiterung', in which you can extend your number of friends to up to double your previous allocation, depending on local supply and demand.