The EU permanent residence permit is a specific form of permanent residence permit. With an EU permanent residence permit, you have the option of obtaining a residence permit in other EU countries; that is, under certain conditions, you can live and work in another EU country. The EU permanent residence permit has unlimited validity. You can also apply for it in addition to a permanent residence permit. With a permanent residence permit, you may stay in another EU country for up to 90 days but are not allowed to live or work there. You can find out more about permanent residence permit in our chapter "permanent residence permit".
You need to meet the following requirements to obtain a permanent residence permit:
- You may not receive benefits from the jobcentre or social welfare office currently or in the future; which means you have to be able to cover all your expenses with your wages.
- You have to speak German at level B1 and provide relevant evidence.
- You must have enough living space for yourself and your family. The standard size varies from state to state- ask the staff responsible for you at the Immigration Office or a counselling centre for more information.
- You must have completed the orientation course. The orientation course is part of the integration course, where participants learn about the society and history of Germany.
- You must not have committed any major crime.
- You must have had your residence permit for at least five years.
- If you are entitled to asylum, recognised refugee or beneficiary of subsidiary protection, the duration of your asylum procedure is also included.
Important: If you have been issued a residence permit as a result of being entitled to a national ban on deportation, you cannot apply for an EU permanent residence permit.
You can apply for an EU permanent residence permit at the appropriate Immigration Office. To do so, you need to take the same steps described in the section "Where can I apply for a permanent residence permit?". You then can go ahead and apply for a residence permit from the EU country of your choice. You can find out how in the next sections.
When you have an EU permanent residence permit and would like to live in another EU country, you need to apply at the Immigration Office of the country in question. For other EU state to issue you a residence permit, you need to meet the following conditions:
- You need to have an EU permanent residence permit
- You may not depend on any financial support from the state for your living.
- In principle, you need to introduce a contract (or alike) signed by your expected employer or an enrolment certificate (or alike) from the university you are planning to attend in the relevant country
- You need to have health insurance
When the Immigration Office in the other country accepts your application, in principle, you also need to apply at the relevant Employment Agency for a work permit which allows you to work there.
Please keep in mind: Denmark and Ireland have not implemented the corresponding EU Directive. In these countries, you cannot apply for a residence permit based on your EU permanent residence permit.
Yes. Under the following conditions, you may lose your EU permanent residence permit:
- Your EU permanent residence permit may be revoked if you have obtained it as a result of providing false information to the authorities.
- If you are considered to be a threat to public safety and order, you may be deported. In this case, you will also lose your EU permanent residence permit permit.
- If you reside outside the European Union (or in Denmark or Ireland) for more than 12 months, in principle, you will lose your EU permanent residence permit.
- If you do not reside in Germany for more than 6 years, in principle, you will lose your EU permanent residence permit.
- If you obtain a long-term residence permit from another EU country, you will lose your EU permanent residence permit.
- If you have been granted an EU permanent residence permit-based on your recognition as a refugee or your entitlement to asylum, subsidiary protection or national ban on deportation- travelling to your home country may lead to revocation of your protection status and consequently, your residence permit. When your recognition is invalidated, the immigration office has two options: 1. They may also revoke your EU permanent residence permit. 2. They may uphold your EU permanent residence permit. The latter usually happens when you have been in Germany/European Union for a long time, are linguistically well-integrated and have a job with no need for state benefits (from the Jobcentre or Social Welfare Office). The Immigration Office is the sole authority who decides between the two options mentioned above (§52 I Residence Act).
The EU permanent residence permitis not the only way to obtain rights of residence in other EU countries. Qualified workers can often obtain other types of residence permits. Seek advice from counselling services and authorities in the relevant country. You can also find more information in our chapter “Immigration to Germany”.
Naturalisation
Many people who come to Germany think about applying for German citizenship eventually. With German citizenship, you can vote and also run for political office in Germany. Furthermore, you will be able to benefit from freedom of movement within the EU and can live and work in other countries in the European Union without a residence permit. With a German passport, you can also travel to many countries without a visa. Inside Germany, having German citizenship saves you from some administrative obligations, as you no longer have to go to the Immigration Office.
If your parents are German citizens or if you were born in Germany (provided your parents meet specific requirements), you will be automatically granted German citizenship. You will learn more in our chapter "Born in Germany". You can also obtain German citizenship without being born here or having parents who are German citizens. To do so, you need to go through a process called naturalisation ("Einbürgerung").
The new Naturalisation Act has been passed and came into force on 27 June 2024. These are the most significant changes, in brief:
Shortening of the residence period
- The required period of residence in Germany for entitlement to naturalisation has been reduced from 8 to 5 years.
- Those who are considered “particularly well-integrated” („besonderer Integrationsleistung“) can apply after 3 years of residence instead of 6.
Multiple nationality
Dual nationality and multiple citizenship are now permitted for ALL. This was previously only possible for people with certain nationalities.
Relief for certain groups of people
Former guest workers and contract workers do not have to provide written proof of B1 German language skills and do not need to take the naturalisation test. It is sufficient if they can communicate well verbally.
Extension of the commitment to the free democratic basic order
A new addition is the acknowledgement of Germany's responsibility for the Holocaust, in particular for the protection of Jewish life.
Fewer exceptions to securing livelihood
Only a few people are now exempt from the requirement for securing a livelihood. Learn more in the section "What requirements must I meet for naturalisation?"
Permanent Residence Permit for Immigrants
A permanent residence permit (also known as "settlement permit") is, in fact, an unlimited permit to reside in Germany, i.e. contrary to a regular residence permit, you do not have to have your permanent residence permit extended frequently at the immigration authorities. A permanent residence permit also allows you to work without restrictions.
In order to get a permanent residence permit, some requirements apply:
- You must have had a residence permit for at least 5 years.
- You must be able to secure a living for yourself (and your family) independently, i.e. you are not allowed to receive any money from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. Child benefits (“Kindergeld”) and parental allowance (“Elterngeld”) count as exceptions to this rule.
- You must be able to speak German at level B1 and provide relevant evidence.
- You must have made pension insurance contributions for at least 60 months. The amount of contributions does not matter. Learn more in our chapter "Retiring in Germany".
- You must have enough living space for yourself and your family. Note: The standard size varies from state to state - ask the staff at the Immigration Office or a counselling centre nearby for more information.
- You must have a work permit.
- You must have successfully completed the orientation course. Find out more in our chapter "Integration course".
- You must not have committed any major offences (Minor convictions with fines of up to 90 days of income or suspended sentences of up to three months do not, in principle, affect your case)
If you meet all the prerequisites mentioned above, you can receive a permanent residence permit and settle in Germany.
For some groups of people, however, the requirements for obtaining a permanent residence permit are somewhat more straightforward.
* The information on this page has been reviewed and verified by our consulting lawyer, Astrid Meyerhöfer.
Permanent Residence Permit for Refugees
If you came to Germany as a refugee and have been issued a residence permit for political or humanitarian reasons, upon fulfilment of certain pre-conditions, you can apply for a permanent residence permit (“Niederlassungerlaubnis”) after at least 5 or (in special cases) 3 years.
A permanent residence permit allows you to reside in Germany without having to extend your residence permit regularly. With a permanent residence permit, you may also choose to live anywhere within Germany, as residence restrictions will no longer apply.
In addition to the German permanent residence permit, there is also an EU permanent residence permit. With an EU permanent residence permit, you have the possibility of obtaining additional residence permits from other EU-countries. You can learn more in our chapter "EU permanent residence permit ".
If you are in Germany as a skilled worker or hold an EU Blue Card, you may be able to obtain a permanent residence permit under simplified conditions. You can find out more in our chapter on "Permanent Residence Permits".
EU Blue Card
The EU Blue Card is similar to the American Green Card. It is a special form of residence permit for those who want to work as qualified professionals in Germany. You can apply for an EU Blue Card whether you are already in Germany or still abroad in another EU country or a so-called "third country". You can find out how to apply in section "Where can I apply for an EU Blue Card?" below.
The new EU Blue Card: From November 18, 2023, the immigration options with EU Blue Card are partially expanded. The requirements are regulated in Sections 18, 18b, 18c, 18g and 19g of the Residence Act, which are based on the EU Directive 2021/1883.
The EU Blue Card offers the opportunity to apply for a national residence permit in accordance with Section 18g Residence Act. It can be a great option for academic professionals, experienced IT specialists without a university degree and graduates of so-called "tertiary education programmes".
Advantages of the new EU Blue Card: More occupational groups are taken into account and the minimum salary thresholds have been lowered. German language skills no longer need to be proven in order to apply for an EU Blue Card. This also applies to the reunification of spouses. Easier access to permanent residence (Settlement Permit according to § 18c para. 2 Residence Act) is also significant: residence periods are much shorter and employment is subject to social security contributions. In addition, the language requirements for applying for permanent residence have been significantly lowered (A1 is sufficient).
Important: The new EU Blue Card regulations require quite an adjustment within German bureaucracy. Therefore, the process may be slightly delayed.
Please note: An EU Blue Card can be applied for in all EU Member States except Denmark, and Ireland. However, the preconditions, such as the amount of the minimum annual salary, differ from country to country.
*The information on this page has been reviewed and verified by our consulting lawyer Astrid Meyerhöfer.
The Adult Migration counselling Service (MBE) offers support to adults (+27) on the topic of vocational training in many different languages.
The counselling centres of the Youth Migration Service (JMD) offer support and advice to refugees and migrants under the age of 27 on various topics in many different languages.
In the BAMF online test centre, you can prepare yourself for the naturalisation test.