Topic
Residence permits in Germany
Getting, holding, renewing and replacing a residence title once you are in Germany.
9 pages · last verified 19 September 2026
Guides
- Residence Permit After Arrival
What to do in your first weeks: registration, insurance, the foreigners' authority, documents and the eAT card.
First weeks
- Fiktionsbescheinigung
What the provisional certificate documents under § 81 AufenthG, and what it does not prove about work or travel.
First weeks
- Renewal
When to start, which documents to update, and how to protect yourself if the renewal is not decided before expiry.
Settling in
- Delayed Application
How to follow up in writing, protect your legal position near expiry, and know when to seek legal advice.
Settling in
Answers
- Working while waiting
The interim certificate decides it. What the Fiktionsbescheinigung says, and what to do if it says nothing.
First weeks
- Travelling with a pending permit
Leaving is not the problem — re-entry is. What to confirm before you book.
First weeks
- When to renew a permit
Three months ahead is a safe target. The legal difference between applying before and after expiry.
Settling in
- Long absences from Germany
Six months is the general limit, with exceptions and prior approval. What to request before you go.
Long term
Situations
- Permit expiring soon
File before the expiry date, appointment or not. How to cover the gap until the decision.
Settling in
From answer to workflow
These pages explain how the process works. Burokrat turns it into your ordered path, with a document checklist, progress, reminders and source-cited steps for your own situation. Burokrat does not provide legal advice or submit applications on your behalf.
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