Apply for a settlement permit

• You must apply for a settlement permit before your current residence permit expires.
• Find out whether your foreigners authority allows you to apply online or has a special application form.
• If you can only submit your application in person, please book an appointment at the Immigration Office. If you submit your application online, the Immigration Office will contact you once your application has been received to arrange an appointment.
• 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 for the purpose of issuing the settlement permit in the form of a new electronic residence permit (eAT card).
• The Foreigners’ Registration Office commissions the Bundesdruckerei to produce the eAT card. Once it has been produced, 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.
• If your application is rejected, you will receive a rejection notice.

The Foreigners’ Registration Office in the applicant’s place of residence is responsible.

• You have held a valid residence permit for at least five years (periods of residence for the purposes of study or vocational training count as half when calculating the total duration of residence).
• You and your spouse or registered partner are able to provide for your own living expenses (including health insurance) for yourselves (and your family) independently – that is, without relying on state benefits. Your livelihood may also be provided by third parties (for example, spouses, registered partners or parents).
• It is not necessary to be able to support oneself financially if one has an illness or disability that prevents one from doing so.
• You have made compulsory or voluntary contributions to the statutory pension scheme for at least 60 months, or have paid premiums to be entitled to comparable benefits from an insurance company. In the case of a marriage or registered civil partnership, it is sufficient for the partner to meet this requirement. This requirement does not need to be met if the applicant is undertaking training leading to a recognised school-leaving certificate, vocational qualification or a university degree. Nor does proof of this requirement need to be provided if the applicant has an illness or disability that prevents them from supporting themselves independently.
• You hold a permanent work permit and, if you work in a regulated profession, the necessary professional licence (for example, a medical licence or professional authorisation). If you are married or in a registered civil partnership, it is sufficient for your partner to hold these licences.
• You have a sufficient command of German (level B1). If you were not entitled to attend an integration course or were not obliged to do so, a basic knowledge of German at A1 level is sufficient. You are not required to have these language skills if you have an illness, a disability or other reasons that make learning the language permanently impossible or unreasonable.
• You have a basic understanding of the German legal and social system. You are not required to provide evidence of this knowledge if you have an illness, a disability or other reasons that make it permanently impossible or unreasonable for you to acquire such knowledge.
• You have sufficient living space (for yourself and your family).
• You do not hold a residence permit for which a settlement permit cannot be granted. These are residence permits under
  • Section 24 of the Residence Act (Granting of residence for temporary protection),
  • Section 25(4), first sentence, of the Residence Act (residence permit on urgent personal or humanitarian grounds),
  • Section 25(4a), first sentence, or Section 25(4b), first sentence, of the Residence Act (residence permit for certain victims of criminal offences) or
  • Section 104a(1), first sentence, of the Residence Act (Residence permit subject to a probationary period)
• They have no previous convictions.
• There is no interest in deporting you.

• Recognised and valid identity document (e.g. passport or passport substitute)
• Current biometric photo in passport format (45 x 35 mm)
• Evidence of a means of support (for example, proof of income, an employment contract, a pension notice, proof of receipt of benefits such as parental allowance or child benefit, maintenance payments) or evidence of an illness or disability that prevents the individual from supporting themselves (for example, through a specialist medical report or proof of residential care).
• Proof of health insurance cover (for example, a confirmation of cover from your health insurance provider or an insurance policy)
• Proof of contributions made towards a pension scheme (for example, a pension statement from the German Pension Insurance Scheme or proof of entitlement to comparable benefits from another insurance or pension provider) or proof of education (for example, a school certificate or academic transcripts) or proof of an illness or disability that prevents the individual from making independent pension provisions (for example, by means of a specialist medical report or proof of residential care).
• Professional authorisation (e.g. licence to practise, professional licence) for the pursuit of a regulated profession
• Proof of knowledge of the German language at level A1 or B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (for example, a language certificate, German school, vocational training or higher education qualifications, or proof of successful completion of an integration course) or proof of a medical condition, disability or other reasons that make learning the language permanently impossible or unreasonable (for example, through a specialist medical report or proof of residential care).
• Evidence of a basic understanding of the legal and social system in Germany (for example, a certificate or confirmation of successful completion of an integration course) or evidence of an illness, disability or other reasons that make learning the language permanently impossible or unreasonable (for example, by means of a specialist medical report or proof of residential care).
• Proof of adequate living space (tenancy or purchase agreement stating the floor area)
• If there was an obligation to attend the integration course: a certificate confirming successful completion of the integration course

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

• Section 44(3) of the Residence Regulation (AufenthV)
• Section 50(1) of the Residence Regulation (AufenthV)

• Section 9(2), first sentence, points 2 and 4 to 6, 8 and 9, and sentences 2 to 4 and 6 of the Residence Act (AufenthG)
• § Section 5 Residence Act (AufenthG)

• Appeal against the decision of the Immigration Authority
• Action before the court named in the notice of objection if the objection is not upheld

The following information is available:

• The granting of a settlement 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.
• The proceedings are usually conducted in German.
• A settlement permit may lapse if you stay outside Germany for more than six months, unless this stay abroad has been agreed in advance with the Immigration Authority.
• 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.

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

• Applying for a settlement permit in Saxony-Anhalt

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