What can I do if my residence permit expires?

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Find out in 9 steps what you can do to extend your residence permit if it is about to expire. A quick overview:

Book an appointment 90 days before your residence permit expires.
If you cannot get an appointment, send an application by email, post, or fax.
Prepare all important documents and bring them to the appointment.

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For more information, click on the small numbers.¹

1. Check when your residence permit expires

You can see how long your residence permit is valid by looking at it.
The authorities recommend applying for an extension or a new residence permit about 90 days before it expires.²

2. Book an appointment

Book an appointment online at your responsible immigration office.³ If the appointment is after your residence permit expires, it is not a problem as long as you booked the appointment before it expired.
The booking of the appointment counts as an application for an extension. You must be able to prove that you booked the appointment. Take a screenshot of the appointment confirmation. Save an email confirmation as a PDF and print it out.
If there are no free appointments available, keep checking regularly. It often helps to look for new available appointments in the mornings between 7:30 and 8:30 am. If there are no appointments online, you can also ask for an appointment in person, by email or by phone.

3. Apply for your extension in a written form

You can apply for an extension in a writing.⁴ You have to prove that you sent the application before your residence permit expires. Send the application by fax⁵ or registered mail with proof of delivery.⁶
If you need help writing the application, you can ask a counseling center.⁷

4. Submit the application online

If your immigration office offers it, you can also submit the application online, by email or through a contact form.
If it’s less than 30 days before your residence permit expires, send a message with the subject: URGENT Application for Residence Permit.⁸
You have to prove that you subbmitted the application on time. Take a screenshot of the confirmation that the message was received. If you get a response, save it as a PDF and print it out.

5. If you don’t get an appointment or response, send your application by fax

If there are only a few days left before your residence permit expires and you have not received an appointment or proof that your application was sent,⁹ you have to send an application by fax (see 3.). It is important that you send the fax before your residence permit expires.

6. Prepare for your appointment

Prepare all the documents you need. The required documents depend on your residence permit.¹⁰ You can usually find this information on the website of your immigration office.
If you do not speak German well, find someone who can translate and go with you to the appointment.

7. Wait for your appointment at the immigration office

If you have an appointment, a confirmation, or proof of submission of your application, you can wait. Your residence permit remains valid until a decision is made on your application.¹¹ All permissions also remain valid, such as your work permit.
Sometimes, you will receive a notification or a Fiktionsbescheinigung (fictional certificate) stating that your residence permit continues to be valid.¹²
If your company or the jobcenter asks about your residence permit, show them the documents and explain this regulation.

8. If necessary, send an emergency request

You should not wait in the following cases:
- You need to travel abroad in the next four weeks.
- You are at risk of losing your job without the document.
- The jobcenter or social welfare office will not pay you without the document.
You need a document¹³ as proof of the emergency. Send it with a message through the contact form, by email, or by fax with the subject line: NOTFALL (EMERGENCY). Ask for an emergency appointment or a fictional certificate of temporary stay (Fiktionsbescheinigung)¹⁴ It may also be useful to call or go in person.

9. Get your new residence permit

If you meet all the requirements, you will receive a temporary residence permit at the appointment. You can usually pick up the electronic residence permit (plastic card) after 4-6 weeks.¹⁵
If they tell you that your application is supposed to be rejected, request a written interview¹⁶ and demand a written decision. You can file an appeal within a certain deadline or take legal action in court.¹⁷

This page was realized with the support of the Postcode Lottery and lawyer Nora Ebeling (Last updated October 2024).
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Fußnoten

1
Example
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It is important that you apply for the extension before your residence permit expires.
3
Here are the links for some cities: Hamburg, Munich, Cologne. For Berlin there is a contact form. Here you can find the addresses of all immigration offices in Germany.
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You can always send the application in writing, even if there are online appointments or forms for this.
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Fax is a way to send documents over the phone network. You can ask at your workplace, accommodation or a copy shop if they have a fax machine. You can also send a fax online, for example at fax.pdf24.org (5 pages per month free) or simple-fax.de (7 cents per page, account available from 5 €). Register on a website, upload the document and enter the number of the person/office that you want to send the fax to. If the fax is sent successfully, you will receive a transmission report by email.
6
Registered mail is a letter for which you get proof that it was delivered. Only use this method if your residence permit expires in more than 5 days. It costs 3,10€. Go to a Deutsche Post office. Take a photo of the tracking code and keep it safe.
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Or ask for support from the LIFE Initiative.
8
In the message, write, for example: “Mein aktueller Aufenthaltstitel läuft am [Datum] ab. Ich beantrage hiermit seine Verlängerung [oder folgenden neuen Titel…] und bitte dringend um einen Termin sowie um die Bestätigung des Eingangs dieser Nachricht.” (My current residence permit expires on [date]. I hereby apply for its extension [or the following new permit…] and urgently request an appointment as well as confirmation of receipt of this message.) Include your name, address, date of birth, and the details of your current residence permit in the message.
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For example when you sent the application in a letter without proof of delivery or online, by email or contact form and you didn’t receive a confirmation
10
You usually have to bring your passport, your old residence permit, and a recent biometric photo. You often also need your employment contract and pay slips or certificates from Ausbildung (vocational training), university, or language courses, as well as a registration certificate (Meldebestätigung) or your rental contract.
11
If the appointment takes place after your residence permit has expired, your stay is still legal. This rule is stated under section 81(4) of the residence act (AufenthG). You can refer to this.
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If you do not have this notification, use the appointment confirmation or proof of submission of your application as evidence.
13
Such as a travel booking, a letter from your company, jobcenter, or social welfare office.
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This certificate confirms that your old residence permit is still valid. You have the right to this certificate (§ 81 Abs. 5 AufenthG).
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If any documents are missing, ask if you can send them by email or post in the next few days.
16
This means you justify your application with a letter.
17
In the decision you can find further information in the legal remedy notice (Rechtshilfebelehrung). Find a lawyer for the lawsuit.