Reviewed on March 3, 2026
Reissue Settlement Permit or EU Long-Term Residence Permit
Keep your permanent residence title up to date — we'll help you with a hassle-free reissue.
At a glance
When do you need to have your permanent residence title reissued?
You hold a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or an EU long-term residence permit (Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU)? These are permanent residence titles. In certain situations you have to get a new card issued. That's necessary if you've received a new passport and your residence title is still glued as a sticker into your old passport. The same applies if your electronic residence title (eAT) still references your old passport. You also need a new card if your eAT has expired. Important: Your permanent residence title itself remains valid at all times. An eAT card is valid for a maximum of 10 years.
You can only apply for the reissue in person, with an appointment. You can do this at any Berlin Bürgeramt (citizens' office) or at the State Office for Immigration (Landesamt für Einwanderung). Your main residence must be in Berlin.
Special conditions apply for the reissue at the Bürgeramt. Your residence title must have been issued by the Berlin immigration authority or by a Berlin Bürgeramt. If you're coming because of a new passport, you must also bring your old passport. No more than 6 months may have passed between the expiry date of the old passport and the issue of the new one. For the EU long-term residence permit, this is 12 months. In addition, you must not have been continuously abroad for more than 6 months. For the EU long-term residence permit: not more than 12 months outside the EU. If any of these conditions doesn't apply, the State Office for Immigration is responsible.
The new eAT is produced by the Bundesdruckerei. You then pick it up from the authority. Or you choose direct delivery: in that case you'll get an email from Deutsche Post with the delivery date. The shipment will only be handed over to you personally at your main residence. There is only one delivery attempt. You must identify yourself with your valid passport.
Want to travel abroad before your new eAT is ready? In the case of a new passport, take your old passport, your residence title, and your new passport with you. That way you can re-enter Germany. If your eAT has only expired, you can still re-enter. Note: Different rules may apply in the destination country. Check with the embassy or consulate of the destination country in good time.
Requirements
Who qualifies?
- You hold a settlement permit or an EU long-term residence permit and need a reissue because: your permanent residence title is glued as a sticker into your old passport and you have a new passport, your electronic residence title (eAT) still references the old passport, or your eAT card has expired.
- You have your main residence in Berlin.
Additional requirements
- You need an appointment — without one, no reissue takes place, neither at the Bürgeramt nor at the State Office for Immigration.
- At the Bürgeramt you can have the reissue done if your residence title was issued by the Berlin State Office for Immigration or last reissued by a Berlin Bürgeramt, you also bring along your old passport in the case of a new passport, no more than 6 months (for the EU long-term residence permit: 12 months) lie between the expiry date of the old passport and the issue of the new one, and you haven't been abroad continuously for more than 6 months (for the EU long-term residence permit: not longer than 12 months outside the EU).
- If any of these Bürgeramt conditions isn't met, you must go to the State Office for Immigration.
How to apply
Book an appointment at a Berlin Bürgeramt or at the State Office for Immigration — without an appointment, no reissue is possible
Gather all the required documents: current passport, your permanent residence title (eAT with supplementary sheet, or old passport with the residence title glued in), and a biometric passport photo
In the case of a new passport, also have your old passport ready — and if your passport was stolen, the police report of the theft
Attend the appointment in person and bring all the documents with you
At the appointment, choose whether you want to pick up the new eAT from the authority or have it sent to your home by direct delivery — with direct delivery, you'll be informed of the delivery date by email and must identify yourself with your valid passport
Done! Your new eAT is ready — your permanent residence title remains valid the whole time
Since 01.05.2025 only digital photos are accepted. Learn more
Reissue for adults
- Reissue for minors33,50 EUR
- Reissue for Turkish nationals up to age 2427,60 EUR
- Reissue for Turkish nationals from age 2446,00 EUR
- Creation of a digital passport photo at the self-service terminal on site (additional)6,00 EUR
- Direct delivery of the permanent residence title to your home (additional)15,00 EUR
Exemptions
- People who present current proof of receiving benefits under SGB II ("Hartz IV")
- People who present current proof of receiving benefits under SGB XII (social welfare / basic income support)
- People who present current proof of receiving benefits under the Asylum Seekers Benefits Act
- Resettlement refugees (within the meaning of § 23(4) sentence 1 of the Residence Act / AufenthG)
- Persons entitled to asylum
- Foreign nationals who hold the legal status of foreign refugees in Germany
- Foreign nationals who hold the legal status of persons entitled to subsidiary protection in Germany
Good to know
Do you have an EU long-term resident permit from another EU state? Then this title stays with you. A German immigration authority must not stamp it as invalid.
Der Titel des anderen Anwenderstaates ist nicht ungültig zu stempeln, sondern dem Ausländer zu belassen, da er nach der Daueraufenthaltsrichtlinie mit der Wohnsitzverlagerung in das Bundesgebiet nicht unmittelbar erlischt.
VAB C.4a/A.91c/A.9a-9c/A.38a/C.5, S. 100-769
Your residence permit under Section 38a must be transferred to your new passport. This also applies if your foreign EU long-term residence is not documented in the new passport.
Spricht ein Ausländer vor und begehrt einen Übertrag seiner Erlaubnis nach § 38a, so ist diese durch uns auch dann zu übertragen, wenn mit dem neuen Pass weder in Form eines Aufklebers noch eines besonderen Dokuments die Fortgeltung der vom ersten EU-Mitgliedstaat erteilten Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt-EU dokumentiert wird.
VAB C.4a/A.91c/A.9a-9c/A.38a/C.5, S. 100-769
Are you an EU citizen with a permanent right of residence? Then you receive the certificate upon an informal application. The authority must issue it to you without undue delay.
Hat ein Unionsbürger ein Daueraufenthaltsrecht erworben, ist ihm auf formlosen Antrag unverzüglich eine Bescheinigung seines Daueraufenthaltsrechts auszustellen.
VAB C.4a/A.91c/A.9a-9c/A.38a/C.5, S. 100-769
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Reissue Settlement Permit or EU Long-Term Residence Permit
After the appointment, it takes approximately 3–4 weeks until the settlement permit or EU long-term residence permit is issued as an electronic residence title.