Applying for an extension of a residence permit to seek a training place in order to undertake a recognised vocational training programme

• Find out whether your foreigners authority allows you to apply online or has a special application form.
• If you are under 18, you are not permitted to submit the application yourself; you will need a representative (the application is usually submitted by the parents who have parental responsibility).
• If the application can only be submitted in person, make an appointment at the Foreigners' Registration Office. If you apply online, the Foreigners' Registration Office will contact you after receiving your application to arrange an appointment.
• If you are under 18, you must be accompanied by at least one legal representative (usually a parent) when attending in person. In cases of joint custody, the parents must, as a rule, appear together at the relevant authority and submit the application on your behalf jointly. If one parent is unable to attend in person, they must issue the other parent with a written power of attorney authorising them to submit the application.
• During the appointment, your identity and documents will be checked (please bring your documents to the appointment, preferably in the original).
• If your application is approved, your fingerprints will be taken to produce the residence permit in the form of a new electronic residence permit (eAT card).
• The foreigners authority orders the production of the eAT card from Bundesdruckerei. After completion, you will receive information and can collect the eAT card from the relevant office. The eAT card must always be collected in person.
• If your application is rejected, you will receive a rejection notice.

the immigration authority responsible for the applicant’s 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

• You must still be looking for a training place to undertake a recognised vocational training programme (vocational training in a state-recognised or similarly regulated occupation for which a training period of at least two years is stipulated).
• The total validity period of six months for your residence permit has not yet expired. Alternatively, following your departure, you have spent at least as long abroad as you had previously spent in Germany under the terms of your residence permit.
• You have not yet reached the age of 25 at the time of applying.
• You have a good command of German at level B2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
• You hold one of the following school-leaving qualifications:
  • Qualification from a German school abroad: The qualification obtained at a German school abroad must be a secondary school leaving certificate (such as a Hauptschulabschluss, Realschulabschluss, eligibility to progress to the upper secondary level of a Gymnasium, Fachhochschulreife examination, Hochschulreife examination or a foreign school leaving certificate which entitles the holder to study in Germany or, in any event, to study in the country in which the German school abroad is based).
  • A school-leaving qualification entitling the holder to university entry in the Federal Republic of Germany: this may be a German school-leaving qualification obtained within Germany or a foreign school-leaving qualification. The key requirement is that the school-leaving qualification entitles the holder to enter higher education (universities and universities of applied sciences) in Germany.
  • A school-leaving qualification that entitles the holder to enter higher education in the country in which it was obtained: this must be verified using the anabin database. If the qualification is listed in the anabin database, a formal assessment of the certificate is not required. Only if the qualification is not listed in the anabin database may it be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the relevant qualification recognition bodies in the federal states.
• You are able to support yourself and maintain your health insurance cover from your own resources without having to rely on state benefits.
• There is no interest in deporting you.

In principle, renewing your residence permit requires you to submit the same documents as when it was first issued:

• Recognised and valid identity document (e.g. passport or passport substitute)
• Current biometric photo in passport format (45 x 35 mm)
• Proof of means of support (for example, from personal assets, a security deposit paid into a blocked account, a bank guarantee, a declaration of commitment, a scholarship, or financial contributions from third parties)
• Proof of health insurance cover (for example, a confirmation of cover from your health insurance provider or an insurance policy).
• Evidence of actively seeking a training place.
• In the case of minors: Consent from all persons with parental responsibility for the planned stay (declaration of consent); if the parents with parental responsibility are unable to submit the application jointly on behalf of their child, a written power of attorney from the absent parent is required; if parental responsibility rests with only one parent, that parent’s signature is sufficient
• Proof of German language proficiency at B2 level (e.g. language certificate)
• Proof of a school-leaving qualification entitling the holder to enter higher education.
• Proof of departure and the duration of the stay abroad

The documents and information must always be submitted in German. In individual cases, the foreigners authority may require less or further evidence.

• Section 45(2) of the Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)
• Section 50(1) of the Residence Regulation (AufenthV)

• Section 17 of the Residence Act (AufenthG)
• § Section 8 (1) Residence Act (AufenthG)
• § Section 5 Residence Act (AufenthG)

• 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

Informal application possible: Yes

Personal appearance required: Yes

• The extension of a residence permit is at the discretion of the relevant immigration authority. Applicants are therefore only entitled to a decision that is free from errors of discretion.
• Whilst holding a residence permit, you are not permitted to work.

• If the search for a training place is discontinued, a change to the purpose of residence is generally only possible for employment as a skilled worker in accordance with Sections 18a (skilled workers with vocational training) or Section 18b (skilled workers with academic training) of the Residence Act, and in cases where there is a statutory entitlement (for example, for the purpose of studying). This does not affect the possibility, following the successful completion of the search, of changing to a residence permit for the purpose of qualified vocational training (Section 16a of the Residence Act).
• The proceedings are usually conducted in German.
• All information provided to the Immigration Office should be correct and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief so that the request can be processed without major delays.
• Incorrect or incomplete information can slow down the procedure and be detrimental to the person concerned. 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.