Permanent Residency in Germany
Unlike a regular work visa, obtaining permanent residency in Germany is a much more complex procedure. The first reason is actually the fact that you will have to present more documents to the?Ausl?nderbeh?rde (immigration office) and the second reason is that you will also have to prove employment and financial stability.
?
In this article I will present the whole truth and nothing but the truth regarding the procedure of obtaining permanent residency (niederlassungserlaubnis) in Germany for salaried employees.
So before you read the article I will ask you to forget everything you have read so far regarding permanent residency in Germany. Why? Because most of the information accessible to you was created in most cases by?individuals?who did not actually went through the procedure of obtaining permanent residency themselves, but read it somewhere and decided to make a Youtube video or write an article on the topic based on reading formal information on the website of the Ausl?nderbeh?rde (immigration office) and therefore, it is not 100% accurate.
?
Just a quick reminder, in Berlin there are two different offices of the Ausl?nderbeh?rde. The first office that has always been considered the main one is located on the street Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24. At the moment this office only deals only with permanent residency (before the covid crisis it also handled work visas and other visas). The second office of the Ausl?nderbeh?rde is located on the street Keplerstra?e 2. Currently, this office handles only visas for short residence purposes including work visas and of course student visas.
?
Since the bureaucratic procedure of the PR (Permanent residency) is more complex than the procedure for issuing a work visa, I will divide it into several parts:
?
The first step for you is to check whether you are eligible to apply for permanent residency in Germany. There are two main ways to obtain permanent residency:
?
The first way is for those immigrants who started working in Germany right after receiving their work visa (meaning they did not study at a German academic institution), they may have a degree from a non-German academic institution or they may not have an academic degree at all.
From the moment you start working in Germany, you actually accumulate salaries on a regular basis. In the past, according to German immigration policy, you had to work for at least 5 years in Germany (that is, accumulate 60 paychecks/ payslips) and only then submit an application for permanent residency. Today it is already possible to submit the application after 4 years of work in Germany (after accumulating 48 payslips).
?
The second way is for those immigrants who started their journey as students and completed an academic degree at an academic institution in Germany. For that matter, an immigrant who studied a master's degree in Germany and the duration of his studies lasted two years and an immigrant who studied a bachelor's degree in Germany and the duration of his studies lasted three years. In both of these cases, the immigrants will have to find a job in Germany after their studies and therefore, only after working for two years as salaried employees (after accumulating 24 payslips)?in Germany (after completing their academic studies of course) will they be able to apply for permanent residency in Germany.
There is of course a way to apply earlier for the PR (with the EU Blue Card after 33 months and in case the EU Blue Card holder passed the German language test at the B1 level, he will be able to apply for German permanent residency after 21 months only).
?
Now I will move on to the initial documents that you will need to present at the initial stage for the purpose of scheduling the appointment at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde (immigration office):
?
?
?
I have sent these documents in my first step, in order to schedule a meeting at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde located at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24.
?
There are two ways to send the applications in order to schedule the meeting.
?
1. via post mail to the Ausl?nderbeh?rde located at Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24. You should print all of the documents, go to one of the Deutsche Post offices and just send it in an envelope.
Do not forget to add a letter with the followings:
Name - (your full name)
Adresse - (your current address according to the Meldebescheinigung)
Telefonnummer - (preferable to write your mobile number)
Nationalit?t - (your nationality according to your passport)
?
2. send it via email to the Ausl?nderbeh?rde according to your nationality. check out the next link – Online appointments at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde
For the avoidance of doubt, I personally used both methods (I have sent an email and a post mail via Deutsche Post).
Take under consideration that you cannot arrive at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde without an appointment.
Alright, that was the first part of the application process in order to get an appointment.
In Berlin, once you have sent the documents in order to schedule an appointment, you will have to wait at least 6 month until you'll receive a reply from the Ausl?nderbeh?rde.
But even after six months, you may not receive a response from the Ausl?nderbeh?rde, so you also have to send another email as a reminder. That was also my case, and after I sent the additional email (after six months), I received additional instructions to attach additional documents to the email. And these are the documents:
?
There are two main ways to receive this document. The first one is to go physically to any office of Deutsche Rentenversicherung and take it from the reception (you will have to present your residency card and your health insurance card). The second way is to call a Deutsche Rentenversicherung office or your health insurance company and ask them to send it to you via post mail. In case you will choose the second option you will have to wait approximately a week until you will receive the document to your post mail.
?
you can get both the employment contract and your employer's certificate at your company's HR department.
?
*Extremely crucial point - Pay attention that both your current employment contract and your employer's certificate have a section that states that you have an unlimited work contract with your company.
In case you don't have proof of an unlimited work contract with your current company, your application for the PR will not be approved!
?
Remember an important rule in getting PR. The name of the game is stability. What do I mean? The Ausl?nderbeh?rde does not care how much you earn or how big is your salary amount in your current job per month, but it is interested in making sure that you have a stable job over time, and hence the importance of the permanent employment contract. For more information, read my article Global changes in the job market and build the right strategy for you as an immigrant (that was one of the reasons I have written this article).
?
That's why always remember that once you have applied for the PR, under any circumstances do not switch jobs because then you will receive a new contract from your new company (most likely not unlimited contract) and you will damage dramatically the PR process with your own hands and therefore, you will have to start your PR process all over again.
On top of that, always remember that once you have applied for the PR, in case your current residency permit (based on your work permit/visa) will expire during that time, there is no need for you to apply again for a new work permit because your application for the PR is under process.
领英推荐
And in addition, here is another rule for you - Always remember that as long as you work legitimately in Germany, not only you can stay on German soil but also in case there will be any delays with your PR application process there is no need for you to worry.
?
?
In case you are renting an apartment you will have to bring the followings:
1. Your current rental contract agreement with your landlord including the exact square meters of the apartment and the exact amount of your monthly rent payment (Aktueller Mietvertrag mit qm-Angabe)
2. Nachweis über die aktuellen Mietkosten (Kontoauszug) - This means the actual proof of your monthly rent payment as reflected in your bank statements (so for that you can just go physically to your bank and ask the bank statements of the current month or you can just print in online from the website of your bank after you logged in (in case you do not like to use the online option or you find it to complicated, just go physically to your bank and ask for Kontoauszug (bank account statement for your current month). Remember that the amount of your rent payment should be reflected there).
?
In case you are owning an apartment (property), you will have to bring the followings:
1. Darlehensvertrag von wohneigentum falls gegeben (property loan agreement) - In case you took a mortgage or loan from the bank to pay for the apartment you own and you are still paying for it, you must bring the document with the exact terms of the loan or mortgage that include the monthly amount you are paying. This document is important in order to prove that you indeed meet the payment conditions of the mortgage or loan. This document should come from the same entity that provided you with the conditions for the loan or mortgage (Bank or any other private company).
2. Darlehen (monatsrate)/ Nachweis der anzahlung - Loan (monthly rate)/ proof of deposit. Once again, in case you took a loan the exact monthly amount should appear on the document. In case you own the property, contact your apartment maintenance company and ask them to send you the affirmation of the monthly maintenance payments you pay for the maintenance of the apartment (these payments usually include water, the cleaning of the building, the house council, etc.)
3.Hausgeld Nachweis (Money transfer proof for the property) - The Ausl?nderbeh?rde would like to have a proof that you indeed paid for the property and therefore, you will have to go to your bank and ask for the statement of that transfer/transfers. In case you do not remember when exactly you have purchased the property just check your notary document and see the exact date of the purchase, and in addition, you can also approach your bank clerk and ask him/her to find the bank transfer/transfers for the property.
?
The reason that Ausl?nderbeh?rde simultaneously checks your payslips and monthly rent payments or monthly maintenance payments on an apartment you own, is to make sure that you can indeed finance yourself and also to make sure that you have no financial debts. Therefore proof of financial stability is very important in receiving the PR.
4. Notarvertrag (notary contract) - Once you have purchased the property, you can take it from the Notary office. Notarization procedure has a legal effect on the contract as it converts a private document into a public instrument. Agreements on the contract are enforceable after notarization of the document because it is a strong proof of the authenticity of the document and in addition it proves that the purchase was done legitimately.
5. Grudbuch dritter Abteilung - "The third section" documents notes the liens on property, including land charges or mortgages. If you as the owner took out a loan for the purchase of the property, the land charge for the financing bank is entered there. So basically it's another way for the Ausl?nderbeh?rde to verify that you have stated the truth about your purchase.?Where can you get this document?
In your notary contract there should be a section of the Grundbuch dritter Abteilung including the specific district and the specific amtsgericht (district court) that your property is indeed mentioned there. Just go physically to your amtsgericht (district court) (according to your notary certificate, and also according to your district of living) and take this document from there.
Ok, after you have attached all these documents to the email you will receive your appointment at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde (exact time and date) via email. When you arrive at the meeting, do not forget to carry with you your passport, as well as a passport photo (aktuelle biometrisches passbild size 35 x 45 mm - current biometric passport photo 35 x 45 mm)
?
After I arrived for a personal meeting at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde for the first time, since I did not have all the documents in my possession, I was scheduled for another meeting, so I had to wait another month.
?
At the second meeting, I did bring all the relevant documents with me, but due to the fact that there was no synchronization between the dates of the Arbeitsvertrag and Arbeitgeberbescheinigung, the request was not approved, so another meeting was scheduled for me three weeks later.
It is important to understand that the accuracy in bringing all the documents, including the exact dates, must be 100% correct, otherwise your application will not be approved.
?
At my third meeting at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde there was no escape from approving my application and it was indeed approved.
?
How to deal with a mean official clerk at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde?
Yes, it happens that there are also mean clerks (I had one). What exactly is a mean clerk?
A clerk who is not really willing to assist you even after you asked him how to obtain a certain document. In my case the clerk was very cold and when I asked her how I should obtain a certain document she avoided answering, and even told me that it was not her job to answer - Yes it also happens!
?
*Always remember that in case you already started your application process for the PR ,while you are working in Germany as a salaried employee, they will have to process your application and even if you forgot to bring a certain document in the worst case, they will not approve your application, but will postpone and reschedule another appointment for you to a later date.
?
*Always remember that once you submit an application for permanent residency in Germany and it is processed by Ausl?nderbeh?rde, you do not need to simultaneously submit another application for the extension of your work visa even if it has expired during the PR process. Why? Simply because you are under the PR procedure now, so you can always show your workplace that your request for the PR is still in process and therefore you are still entitled to work in Germany.
?
In exceptional cases where you feel discriminated against by the clerk at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde, you can complain to the Beh?rdenleitung. The Beh?rdenleitung is actually the head of the authority responsible for all decisions relating to civil service matters in Germany including of course the Ausl?nderbeh?rde. The Beh?rdenleitung office can be found in every German city.?They will be able to provide you with the best guidance.
?
It is important to note that the waiting time from the moment I submitted the application to PR until it was approved (including the three meetings at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde) amounted to a total of 9 months.
?
After my third meeting at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde, I was told that I have to wait between 4 - 6 weeks until the PR card will be sent to me by post mail. In fact, I received the PR card via post mail exactly 4 weeks later.
?
?
Here are the main benefits of the PR:
Non EU (Schengen area) citizens salaried employees with temporary residence permits in Germany are also eligible for all types of mortgages, in case they meet the following criteria:
They have been employed by a company in Germany for at least three months (and therefore accumulated at least three salary slips)
They already finished the probation period?(probezeit) at the workplace (the probation period is in most cases no less than six months)
They earn at least 1500€ - 2500€ netto per month.
Pay attention that these conditions may change according to your bank and the mortgage/loan conditions
In case you have children born in Germany they become German citizens.
Nevertheless, the invalidity of your passport due to the passage of time does not affect the validity of your PR. Despite the expired validation date of your passport, the PR remains valid without restriction and does not make your stay in Germany illegal. After the validation date of your PR card expires, you'll be able to renew it at any Bürgeramt (municipality office/city hall) and there is no need to arrive at the Ausl?nderbeh?rde anymore).
?
Important note - In case you will overstay more than six months outside of German soil you will lose the entitlement of possessing the PR (Niederlassungserlaubnis). Always remember that, PR residence title expires if its holder remains abroad for more than six months without interruption (but of course you can live with that, right?)
In conclusion, it is important to remember that the process of obtaining permanent residency in Germany is quite complex, so it is important to be patient. Obtaining German permanent residency (PR) is for you a significant anchor in your immigration process and it provides you additional stability and in fact decisive stability in your immigration process.?
In addition, you must constantly focus on your immigration goals, so in order to receive the?PR in Germany, you will have to submit an orderly application. Obtaining permanent residency will never happen automatically (many immigrants tend to think so but it is not true), you must be proactive and apply!
CRO | GTM-Focused | SaaS Advisor & Practitioner
1 年Erez!! You are a rockstar.. ??
Agency of One | Host: The Germany #Expat Business Show #podcast | #singlesourceofyou #digitalstrategy #squarespace #branding #onlinemarketing
1 年Wow. Interesting to see it's changed to 4 years, I worked at a job I didn't totally love for 5 years (well more than 5 years) because I wanted that Unbefristet Aufenthaltstitel!