Apply for a Settlement Permit (General)
Find out how to apply for your unlimited settlement permit after 5 years of residence.
At a glance
How do you get an unlimited settlement permit?
You have been living in Germany with a residence permit for at least 5 years? Then you have a statutory right to the settlement permit. The authority must grant it to you if you meet all the requirements.
The settlement permit is an unlimited residence title. This means: it does not expire. With it you may take up any kind of gainful employment.
For certain groups of persons, different requirements apply. These include skilled workers with a residence permit, skilled workers with an EU Blue Card, asylum beneficiaries and recognised refugees, persons with subsidiary protection, family members of German nationals, and children from 16 years of age.
You can only submit the application online. Use the Quick Check beforehand. This allows you to verify whether your application is likely to be successful.
Requirements
Who qualifies?
- You are at least 18 years old and have held a residence permit for at least 5 years for family reunification, employment, self-employment, or humanitarian reasons (not merely temporary)
- Spouses or registered life partners of holders of a settlement permit for skilled workers (Section 18c AufenthG) only need 3 years of residence permit if they have been living in a marital community for 3 years and work at least 20 hours per week
Additional requirements
- Your livelihood must be secured — you must not receive or be entitled to Bürgergeld (citizens' benefit) or social welfare. In cases of permanent illness, this may be waived (specialist medical certificate required).
- You need German health insurance (statutory or comparable private), at least 60 months of pension insurance contributions, German language skills at level B1, and basic knowledge of the legal and social system.
- You need sufficient living space and a primary residence in Berlin. There must be no indications of a threat to public safety.
- Periods with a national visa, EU Blue Card, or Fiktionsbescheinigung are counted towards the 5 years. Studies and training are counted at half. With a residence permit solely for studies or training, a settlement permit generally cannot be granted.
How to apply
Use the Quick Check to verify whether you meet the requirements for the settlement permit
Gather all necessary documents: colour passport copies, copy of your residence title, proof of livelihood, health insurance, retirement provision, living space, German language skills at B1, and basic knowledge of the legal and social system
Submit the online application and pay the processing fee
Save the confirmation of your application as a PDF — this keeps your current residence title valid beyond its previous expiry date
Wait for the review by the State Office for Immigration and submit further documents if requested
Attend the appointment in person and bring all documents in original
Done! The authority must grant you the settlement permit if you meet all the requirements
Processing fee (in the online application)
- Issuance fee (at the in-person appointment)56,50 EUR
- Turkish nationals up to 24 years: processing fee11,40 EUR
- Turkish nationals up to 24 years: issuance fee11,40 EUR
- Turkish nationals from 24 years: processing fee18,50 EUR
- Turkish nationals from 24 years: issuance fee18,50 EUR
Good to know
Your settlement permit may contain almost no conditions. The only permitted ancillary provision is a residence restriction under Section 23 paragraph 2. Other restrictions are not permissible.
Die Niederlassungserlaubnis kann nur in den durch das AufenthG zugelassenen Fällen mit einer Nebenbestimmung versehen werden. Der einzige Fall, in dem dies zugelassen ist, ist die Wohnsitzbeschränkung gemäß § 23 Abs. 2.
VAB A.9, S. 90-99
Your spouse can fulfill the pension insurance requirement for both of you. It is sufficient if one of you has made 60 mandatory contributions. This also applies to the employment requirement.
§ 9 Abs. 3 S. 1 enthält das sogenannte Ehegattenprivileg. Dies beinhaltet eine Besserstellung des Ehegatten für die eigenständige Altersabsicherung und die beschäftigungsrechtlichen Voraussetzungen.
VAB A.9, S. 90-99
You do not need unrestricted access to employment. It is sufficient if your residence title permits the work you are doing. Even a temporary or restricted access meets the requirement.
Die Voraussetzungen des § 9 Abs. 2 S. 1 Nr. 5 liegen auch vor, wenn der Zugang zur Beschäftigung befristet oder sonst wie beschränkt ist.
VAB A.9, S. 90-99
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Apply for a Settlement Permit (General)
If your application is approved, you will receive an appointment. At the appointment, you will receive a written confirmation of your lawful residence until the ordered residence title is handed over. After the appointment, it takes at least 4 weeks until the settlement permit is issued as an electronic residence title and can be collected.