Permanent Residence Permit for Immigrants

Everything about the permanent residence permit for individuals entitled to asylum, recognised refugees and those residing in Germany with subsidiary protection or a ban on deportation can be found in our chapter "permanent residence permit for refugees".

A skilled worker is a person with a job requiring vocational training or a degree recognised in Germany. According to the new laws(since March 1, 2024), skilled workers and scientists/researchers can obtain a permanent residence permit after 3 years of residence in Germany by meeting relatively relaxed requirements- You only need to have paid into the pension insurance for 36 months. You also must have a job, speak German at level B1 and meet the following requirements:

• 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 have enough living space for yourself and your family. 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". You can find out more in our chapter "Integration courses".
• You must not have committed any major offences (In principle, minor convictions with fines of up to 90 days of income or suspended sentences of up to three months do not affect your case).

If you have an EU Blue Card, you can obtain a permanent residence permit very quickly– you can apply for a permanent residence permit after 27 months with the EU Blue Card. You only need to have made pension insurance contributions for 27 months, have a suitable job and speak German at A1 level. If you speak German at level B1, you can obtain a permanent residence permit after just 21 months. 

If you have successfully completed vocational training or a university degree in Germany and have a residence permit as a skilled worker or researcher, you need to meet the rest of the requirements mentioned above, but you can benefit from a quicker procedure. 

That means that you can apply for a permanent residence permit after 2 years of having a residence permit as a skilled worker or researcher. Furthermore, you are required to have contributed to the pension insurance for 24 months. You must have a job and speak German at level B1 to apply.

If you run a company in Germany and can secure your livelihood for yourself (and your family) independently, i.e. you do not receive any aid from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office, you can obtain a permanent residence permit after 3 years. You must also have adequate health insurance and have contributed to pension insurance. Furthermore, you must not have been convicted of any criminal offence.

The basic requirements also apply to civil servants, i.e. those who work for public offices in Germany. However, they can obtain a permanent residence permit after just 3 years of residence and don’t need to prove contributions to a pension fund. Furthermore, they do not have to prove contributions to pension insurance. 

If you are a family member of a person with German citizenship, you need to meet simpler requirements when it comes to applying for permanent residence: You can apply after having a residence permit for 3 years. You must also speak German at level B1 and prove that you will continue to live with the person (with German citizenship). Please keep in mind that you should not be at risk of deportation. You can find out more about this topic in our chapters "Marriage", "Divorce" and "Born in Germany". Apart from what’s mentioned above, you must also meet the following requirements:

• You must be able to secure a living for yourself (and your family) independently; you are not allowed to receive money from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. Child benefits (“Kindergeld”) and parental allowance (“Elterngeld”) count as exceptions to this rule. There are also no problems with receiving housing benefits (“Wohngeld”).

If you are or have been married to someone with a permanent residence permit, you can also obtain a permanent residence permit. The prerequisite for this is that your livelihood is secured without the help of the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. In this case, it is sufficient if your spouse fulfils the following requirements:

• They have made pension contributions for 60 months; exceptions apply to pupils, trainees or students who are in a recognised school or vocational training programme or university
• They have a work permit as an employee
• Or they have all the permits required for the respective work (gainful employment).

If your spouse has a permanent residence permit as a skilled worker (in accordance with § 18 c Residence Act), you can apply for a permanent residence permit after just 3 years. In addition to the marriage itself, there are some other prerequisites:

• you need to work at least 20 hours a week, 
• you need a B1 German language certificate, 
• you have a work permit. 
• your livelihood is secured,
• you have sufficient living space,
• you must have completed an orientation course, 
• you must not have committed any major criminal offences.

Children of foreign nationals can obtain a permanent residence permit if they have had a residence permit for at least 5 years based on familial grounds when they turn 16 or later. As soon as the child is of legal age, additional requirements must be met: The adolescents who turn 18 must speak German at level B1. They also need to be able to secure a livelihood without the help of the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office (“Kindergeld”, “Elterngeld” and “Wohngeld” count as exceptions)- unless they are going through vocational training or study. Furthermore, to obtain a permanent residence permit, the child must not have been convicted of a major crime.

You must apply for the permanent residence permit in writing at the Immigration Office responsible for you. You can search for the responsible Immigration Office at bamf.de. You will find the necessary form, i.e. "Application for the Permanent Residence Permit" ("Antrag auf Erteilung der Niederlassungserlaubnis") on the Immigration Office website. You have to send the filled application form, a biometric passport photo and the following documents to the responsible Immigration Office via post:

• a copy of your passport
• a copy of your employment contract, 3 current payslips, and a recent confirmation letter from your employer which verifies that you are still employed there. This confirmation must not be older than 14 days. If you are self-employed: your last tax assessment and an audit report completed by a tax consultant.
• a recent document from your health insurance company verifying that you are insured.
• a copy of your rental agreement
• a copy of your German language and integration test certificates
• your pension information (from the German pension insurance scheme)
• if you receive child benefits, parental allowance or similar benefits: the relevant confirmation letters
• and bank statements of the last 3 months are also often requested (you should at least have them at hand)

If you belong to a group entitled to easier requirements, you will have to submit fewer documents. You can find out the list of needed documents on the application.

Keep in mind that you have to pay in order to obtain a permanent residence permit.

As soon as the Immigration Office has checked your application, they will notify you in writing.

Yes. Under the following circumstances, you may lose your permanent residence permit:

• If you do not reside in Germany for more than 6 months or move to another country, in principle, you will lose your permanent residence permit (§ 51 I Residence Act). There is no such restriction for people with a Blue Passport. However, it is always advisable to obtain the approval of the Immigration Office before staying abroad for a longer period of time to prevent any problems on return.
• Your permanent residence permit may be revoked if you have obtained it due to 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 permanent residence permit.

If you think you may lose your recognition or residence permit, make sure you seek advice from a counselling centre or lawyer. You can find support, for instance, at a Counselling Centre for Adult Migrants or Youth Migration Service.

The Counselling Centre for Adult Migrants (MBE) or the Youth Migration Service (JMD) can provide you with advice regarding permanent residence permit. The counselling centres of the JMD specialise in providing support for youth and young adults (under the age of 27). The staff at the MBE and JMD speak many languages and the service they provide is cost-free.

Usually not. You need a permanent EU residence permit to live and work in other EU countries. With an EU long-term residence permit, you have the option of obtaining a residence permit in another EU country. You can find out more in our chapter "EU Permanent Residence Permit."

It's good to know: If you want to work temporarily in another EU country, you can discuss it in advance with the Immigration Office. Remember that you can only ensure you will not lose your permanent residence permit if the Immigration Office agrees and accepts that your stay abroad is only temporary.