• Immigration Law
• - Residence Permit
• - Work Permit
• - Business Immigration
• - Visa
• - Refugee and Asylum Law
• - EU Law
• - Law of Nationality and Citizenship

Residence Permit

As a citizen from a foreign country you will encounter a complex body of laws and regulations when traveling to and living in Germany. Immigration law as been changed profoundly and modernized to a certain degree by the Zuwanderungsgesetz enacted in 2005 and the subsequent modifications. However, one general rule is still valid: The residence and the employment of a foreign national in Germany is forbidden, until it is allowed.

According to the law of residence (das Aufenthaltsgesetz) of 2005 there are three kinds of legal residence (Aufenthaltstitel):

the temporary residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis),

the permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)

and the

the visa for legally entering the country and staying for a short period of time (Visum).

EU-citizens and nationals from certain countries (e.g. the U.S. or Japan) can travel to Germany without a visa for entry.

The foreigner's office (Ausländerbehörde) will hand out a temporary certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung) , when you apply for a renewal of the residence permit from within Germany and the application cannot be processed before the old permit has expired. The old permit then is considered to remain valid until the decision about the application has been made. ter.

Apart from these, there are other permits or certificates for asylum seekers and refugees staying in Germany after their claim for asylum has been rejected.

For more information, please follow the links on the left or those on the "Links"-page

Bleiberechtsregelung