by Anurag Bhattacharjee
Let’s begin with the obvious. The application to extend your residence permit needs to be submitted before your visa expires. Ideally, the required documents are sent to the Ausländerbehörde (eng. “Foreigner’s Office”) about a month before expiration. Here you can find a list of the documents you will need to send in:
- Existing Visa Stamp Page
- One Biometric Photo (detailed requirements here)
- Blocked Account Confirmation or Declaration Page for one year
- Proof of City Registration (Anmeldung)
- University Enrollment Document
- Course History Certificate (only applicable in some cases)
- Correctly Completed Application for Extension of Residence Permit
- Passport Front & Back Pages Signed Copy
- Rental Contract (needs to show signature of all parties)
- Health Insurance Certificate (needs to show insurance starting date and social security number)
After sending these documents to the respective city’s Ausländerbehörde, one can expect a response within 7-15 working days depending upon the city’s population and whether any documents are still missing. After successful verification of all documents, the Ausländerbehörde will schedule you in for an appointment in their office. There they will record your biometrics, signature and verify your passport. You will also need these following things for the appointment:
- Email with Appointment Confirmation
- Passport
- One Biometric Picture
- Cash or Giro Card
After your appointment, you’ll receive letters from the city’s Ausländerbehörde within a few weeks. These letters will provide details about when to collect your residence permit card and include a virtual residence permit letter with two confidential pin-codes. Be sure to treat the virtual residence permit letter with extreme caution, as it’s highly confidential. In the meantime, your appointment letter for residence permit card collection serves as a temporary permit to stay in Germany if your visa has expired.
On the day of your card collection appointment, visit the Ausländerbehörde at the scheduled time with your passport and the appointment letter. Authorized officials will verify the letter, process your original passport, and request some declarations. Once this is complete, they will issue your new residence permit card, along with declaration letters in case of card loss, and associated work permit letters.
It’s a bit of a lengthy and slightly complicated process but once it’s done, you’re once again set and ready to enjoy your time in Germany!
Anurag Bhattacharjee (he/him) is a Master’s student at Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg. He was the City Chapter president at DEGIS Magdeburg and is a DEGIS alumnus.
