Residence permit
The Foreigners’ Registration Offices are responsible for decisions under the
(Residence Act) for third-country nationals who are already residing in Germany. Foreigners’ Registration Offices are not subordinate offices of the Federal Foreign Office. The Federal Foreign Office has no influence on their decisions. Rather, they are subject to the technical supervision of the interior ministries and senators of the federal states.
The residence permit is one of the seven types of German residence permits provided for by the Residence Act, which are issued for a limited period for a purpose specified in the Residence Act, such as:
- Residence permit for the purpose of training (§§ 16-17 Residence Act)
- Residence permit for the purpose of gainful employment (§§ 18-21 Residence Act)
- Residence permit for international law, humanitarian, or political reasons (§§ 22-26 of the Residence Act)
- Residence permit for family reasons (§§ 27-36 Residence Act)
The issuance of a residence permit for each of these purposes is subject to its own requirements. A residence permit can be extended. The extension is subject to the same requirements as the initial issuance. The Foreigners’ Registration Office takes or your social integration in other way. However, the competent authority may exclude an extension of the residence permit if your stay is only temporary according to its intended purpose.
Die Erteilung der Aufenthaltserlaubnis zu jedem dieser Zwecke ist jeweils an eigene Voraussetzungen gebunden. Eine Verlängerung der Aufenthaltserlaubnis ist an dieselben Voraussetzungen geknüpft wie die erstmalige Erteilung. Allerdings kann die zuständige Behörde eine Verlängerung der Aufenthaltserlaubnis ausschließen, wenn der Aufenthalt nach seiner Zweckbestimmung nur vorübergehend sein sollte. Bei der Verlängerung der Aufenthaltserlaubnis wird auch berücksichtigt, ob die Verpflichtung zur ordnungsgemäßen Teilnahme an einem Integrationskurs erfüllt ist oder die Integration in das gesellschaftliche und soziale Leben anderweitig erfolgt ist.
In the Free State of Bavaria, the Foreigners’ Registration Offices are part of the district government administrations as well as of the urban municipalities.
Since September 1st 2011, the residence permit of citizens from countries outside the EU has generally been issued as an electronic residence permit or as an electronic residence card or as an electronic permanent residence card. These documents are issued as a plastic card in the size of a credit card format equipped with a chip. In most cases, this chip has been already activated and thus enables online identification. In order to identify yourself in everyday life, for example at the citizens’ registration office, in the bank or to authorities, use your electronic residence permit together with your passport. For identification with online services, you can use the online ID of your electronic residence permit, your electronic residence card or your electronic permanent residence card.
As a skilled worker, you can obtain a residence permit for employment if:
- Your foreign qualification (university degree) has been recognised
- You have an employment contract, or a specific job offer for a skilled employment. This means that, in order to exercise this employment, usually a university degree or a qualified vocational training is required
- You have a licence to practise your profession if you work in a regulated profession (e.g. in a health profession)
- You meet all general requirements under the German foreigner law, such as: e.g. valid passport, secure livelihood, etc.
If you have completed a German or a foreign university degree that is comparable to a German university degree, you can benefit from the attractive opportunities of the EU Blue Card (§18g Residence Act) for skilled workers in order to obtain a residence permit and take up a qualified employment in Germany.
The period of employment must be at least six months. The job must be appropriate to your qualification. With this employment, you must earn at least a gross annual salary of 45,300 euros per year in 2024. A lower salary threshold (in 2024: 41,041.80 EUR)
applies to a bottleneck profession, a new entrant to the labor market (obtained qualification within the last three years) as well as IT specialists. The Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community publishes the salary thresholds for each year. In addition, the approval of the Federal Employment Agency is required.
Don’t have a traditional university degree? In order to obtain the EU Blue Card, you must provide proof of a tertiary education qualification with a training period of at least three years. In Germany, this must correspond to at least Level 6 of the International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) or Level 6 of the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). These include, for example, further training qualifications as “master craftsmen” as well as vocational qualifications in the educator professions.
The most important websites for the online ID function
- www.ausweisapp.bund.de: Download the free AusweisApp2 and support by phone and e-mail
- www.bsi-fuer-buerger.de: Helpful information to keep you safe online
Blocking hotline 24/7 – available by phone around the clock
- 116 116 free of charge in Germany
- 0049-116 116 oder 0049-30 4050 4050 from abroad (subject to charges)
Helpful Links:
https://stadt.muenchen.de/service/info/hauptabteilung-ii- buergerangelegenheiten/1087852/