Applying for an extension of a residence permit for family reunification with a person entitled to subsidiary protection

You can apply to renew your residence permit in person or online at the Foreigners’ Registration Office responsible for your place of residence. You should therefore first check whether your Foreigners’ Registration Office allows online applications or whether a different procedure applies.

If you would like to submit the application online:

• The online service provides further details on the eligibility criteria, the supporting documents required and the procedure.
• Once your online application has been received, the Immigration Office will contact you to arrange an appointment at the Immigration Office.

If you would like to submit the application in person:

• If applications can only be made in person, please book an appointment at the Foreigners’ Registration Office.

If you are under 18, you may not submit the application yourself; you will need a representative who is of legal age (the application is usually submitted by the parents with parental responsibility).

During the appointment, your identity and your documents will be checked (please bring the originals of your documents with you to the appointment).

If your application is approved, your fingerprints and signature will be taken for the production of your residence permit in the form of a new electronic residence permit (eAT card). The Foreigners’ Registration Office will commission the Bundesdruckerei to produce the eAT card. Once it is ready, you will be notified and can collect the eAT card from the relevant office. As a general rule, the eAT card must be collected in person. Please check with your Foreigners’ Registration Office to see whether, in your case, the eAT can be sent to your address.

If your request is not granted, you will usually receive a letter of refusal.

Immigration office

Please contact the immigration office responsible for your place of residence.

In principle, the same requirements must be met for the extension of the residence permit as for the initial issue of the residence permit. This means

• The person you have joined is still recognised as a beneficiary of subsidiary protection and holds a corresponding residence permit (Section 25(2), first sentence, second alternative, of the Residence Act).
• You are still a member of the immediate family of the person entitled to subsidiary protection (spouse or partner, parent or unmarried minor child) and wish to continue living in Germany.
• The humanitarian grounds relevant to family reunification continue to apply, for example:
  • where a minor child who is not married is involved,
  • Your life, physical integrity or freedom would be seriously at risk in your country of origin, or
  • You or a member of your family is seriously ill, in need of a high level of care, or severely disabled.
• It is not expected that the person granted subsidiary protection will leave Germany (for example, due to the revocation or withdrawal of their protection status).
• There are no grounds for deportation against you or your family members entitled to subsidiary protection (for example, on the grounds of serious criminal offences or a threat to the security of the Federal Republic of Germany).
• Their stay does not jeopardise or impair the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.

In principle, the same documents must be submitted for the extension of the residence permit as for the initial issue:

• Recognised and valid identity document (e.g. passport or passport substitute)
• A recent biometric passport-sized photograph (45 x 35 mm) – Please note: Since 1 May 2025, biometric passport photos may, as a general rule, only be taken digitally at government offices or in certified photo studios and sent to the Foreigners’ Registration Office via a secure electronic channel. Paper-based passport photos are no longer permitted.
• Evidence of the circumstances of the person entitled to protection living in Germany (for example, an employment or training contract, a certificate of enrolment, a tenancy agreement, or a certificate of completion of an integration course)
• When applying on behalf of children under the age of 18:
  • A declaration of consent from all persons with parental responsibility regarding the continuation of the stay in Germany,
  • School certificate
  • written authorisation from the absent parent, if the parents are unable to submit the application for the child jointly
• In the case of serious illness, a need for care or a severe disability: a valid medical certificate, a decision on the care level or proof of severe disability
• Certificates confirming attendance at the integration course, if you were required to attend as part of the initial grant of a residence permit.
• In the event of different spellings of a name: evidence of the name used
• Further supporting documents if there have been any significant changes since the last residence permit was issued (for example, marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, a change of address, or changes to your employment).

Documents must generally be submitted in German. An official translation may be required for documents not in German. In individual cases, the Foreigners’ Registration Office may require fewer or additional documents. Please submit your documents to the authorities in full and on time. Documents submitted late may result in longer processing times.

• Section 45(1) of the Residence Regulation – Fees for the residence permit, the EU Blue Card, the ICT Card and the Mobile ICT Card
• Section 50(1) of the Residence Regulation (AufenthV)

• Section 36a of the Residence Act (AufenthG)
• Act on the Residence, Employment and Integration of Foreign Nationals in the Federal Territory (Residence Act – AufenthG) Section 8: Extension of the residence permit

• Appeal against the decision of the immigration authority within one month of notification.
• Action before the court named in the notice of objection if the objection is not upheld.

• There is no entitlement to be granted a residence permit for family reunification with persons entitled to subsidiary protection. However, the law does confer an entitlement to a decision by the competent immigration authority that is free from any error of discretion.
• The extension of the residence permit can now be applied for online and in various languages at many immigration authorities. The procedure at the foreigners authority is carried out in German.
• All information provided to the Immigration Office should be correct and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief so that your request can be processed without major delays.
• Incorrect or incomplete information can slow down the procedure and be to your disadvantage. In serious cases, incorrect or incomplete information that is not completed or corrected in good time vis-à-vis the immigration authority can result in the cancellation of residence rights that have already been granted, a fine, a prison sentence of up to three years or expulsion from the federal territory.
• Due to the complexity of residence law, this description is for information purposes only and is not legally binding.

Ministry of the Interior and Municipal Affairs of the State of Brandenburg, Department 21

• Applying for an extension of a residence permit for family reunification with a person entitled to subsidiary protection in Saxony-Anhalt

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