Apply for residence permit for long-term residents from other EU states

How do you obtain a residence permit as a long-term resident from another EU state?

Are you already living legally in another EU country and want to come to Germany for longer than three months? Then you have, in principle, a right to a residence permit in Germany. The authority must grant it to you if you meet all the requirements.

With this residence permit, you are allowed to work in Germany. Whether you stay here as an employee, self-employed person, or student, for example, determines the exact scope. The rules from the Residence Act (§§ 16–21) then apply to you accordingly.

To obtain the permit, you need a specific residence title from the other EU country. This title must bear the designation "Daueraufenthalt-EG" or "Daueraufenthalt-EU" (long-term resident-EC / long-term resident-EU) — in the language of the issuing country. An unlimited residence title without this designation is normally not sufficient. Only in exceptional cases can you instead present a written confirmation from the authorities of the other EU country. In this case the authority decides at its discretion. You then have no guaranteed entitlement. In addition, all general requirements for a German residence title must be met. This includes, for example, that you can support yourself financially.

Caution: you cannot use a title from Denmark or Ireland. These countries do not apply EU Directive 2003/109/EC. A "long-term resident" title issued there is therefore not sufficient.

You also need a main residence in Berlin and must appear in person with an appointment. You request an appointment via the contact form with the responsible department at the State Office for Immigration (Landesamt für Einwanderung) (LEA).