How it works in your city
Get your residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel)
Your D visa is temporary — convert it before it expires.
Do it now
The official source for this step
The short version, by path
Which one are you? Pick your path once — the whole site tailors itself to it, and you can change it anytime from the switcher in the header.
- Permit §16b is tied to your studies — keep making progress
- Typically granted 1–2 years at a time, then extended
- Your work allowance is printed on the Zusatzblatt
- Blue Card §18g if your salary qualifies — the fastest track
- Changing employers in the first year needs approval
- Permanent residence after 21 months with B1 German, 27 with A1
Your national visa is only valid for 3–6 months. Before it expires you must convert it into a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at your city's Ausländerbehörde (foreigners office).
Start early — immediately after your Anmeldung. Many offices have backlogs of weeks or months, and the how of contacting them differs completely by city (online forms, email-first, or appointment portals). Select your city above for the exact local route.
The Germany-wide document set:
- Passport + current visa
- Biometric photo
- Anmeldebestätigung (address registration)
- Proof of financing (blocked account statement / employment contract & payslips)
- Proof of health insurance
- Students: enrolment certificate (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung)
- Workers: employment contract, sometimes the job description form (Stellenbeschreibung)
- Fee: ~€100 for first issuance (varies by permit type; a Fiktionsbescheinigung costs €13)
What you get: a credit-card-sized eAT card (electronic residence permit), usually valid for the length of your studies section or contract. Production takes 4–8 weeks after approval — you'll get a letter when it's ready for pickup.
If your visa would expire before your appointment: you're protected once you've applied or provably tried to — the office issues a Fiktionsbescheinigung (bridging certificate) that keeps your stay legal. Keep every email and booking confirmation as evidence, and see our Problems section if you're in this squeeze.
Red flags:
- Letting the visa expire without a filed application. From that day your stay is irregular: work must stop, travel means no re-entry, and the file follows you. The application (or provable attempt) before expiry is what protects you — nothing else does.
- Travelling abroad while the visa is expired and the permit is processing: only a Fiktionsbescheinigung of the right kind (continuation under §81(4)) preserves re-entry — confirm with the office before booking anything.
- Appointment-selling "agents" for the Ausländerbehörde — same scam as at embassies, same result.
- Incomplete files: a non-biometric photo, an expired insurance confirmation or missing payslips restart the queue — and the queue is the whole problem.
Finish first:Register your address (Anmeldung)Activate your health insurance
Unlocks:Extend your residence permit
What to bring
- Passport + visa
- Biometric photo
- Anmeldebestätigung
- Proof of financing — blocked account or contract + payslips
- Health insurance confirmation
- Enrolment certificate — students
- Employment contract — workers
Official sources
General information, not legal advice. Procedures change — verify with the official source before acting.