Residence permit

A visa and a residence permit are two different documents that serve similar purposes. A visa is issued by an embassy or consulate abroad and allows you to enter Germany and stay for the period of its validity. A residence permit, on the other hand, is issued in Germany by your local immigration office after you have taken up residence in Germany. Both documents allow you to reside in Germany for the duration of their validity.

You can find more information about visa on the Entry Visa page.

When to apply: If you already have a visa, we strongly recommend that you apply for a residence permit around three months before it expires. If you are allowed to enter Germany without a visa, you will need to apply for a residence permit within 90 days after your arrival.

How to apply: If you live in Tübingen, you can apply for a residence permit online at Tübingen immigration office’s website.

Choose the language you prefer and start the process under

1. Residence permit for training (if you plan to study) or

2. Residence permit for employment (work, research, Blue Card).

On the second page you can choose if you apply for the first time or for an extension of your residence permit. Then, follow the instructions.

In case you need your residence permit urgently, you can choose ‘Expressverfahren’ and pay a fee of approximately 35 EUR.

You can find a detailed list of required documents for each residence permit under the respective entry listed at the bottom of this site. 

If you have applied for your residence permit and

- need to travel outside Germany before your residence permit is issued, and
- want to reenter Germany after your current residence permit or visa expires,

you will need a provisional residence document (Fiktionsbescheinigung).

If you live in Tübingen, please follow the steps described below to apply for this document.

Make a note of the ticket number you received after your residence permit application, go to the immigration office in Tübingen and locate the appointment machine ("Markendrucker"):

• Choose “English”.
• Select "I have not yet booked an online appointment"
• Select "Other issues"
• Select "Fiktionsbescheinigung" using the ‚+‘ button.

If there are appointments available, the machine will show you a time slot when you can pick up your provisional residence document. 

If there are no appointments available, the machine will display: "Unfortunately there are no more appointments available today. You can book a binding appointment now, or cancel here and come back on the next working day." 

• Click "binding" to check for open appointment slots. 
• Otherwise return on another business day. Slots open up daily, but they are usually booked out very quickly. Thus, it is always advisable to come at the beginning of the immigration office’s opening hours.

Address of Ausländeramt (Immigration Office): Bei der Fruchtschranne 5, 72070 Tübingen
Phone: +49 7071 204-2550 (Mon – Thurs 2-4 p.m.)
E-mail: auslaenderamt@tuebingen.de

After you have submitted your application, you will receive a PIN letter from the Bundesdruckerei, the federal printing office. 

Please note: The Bundesdruckerei is a separate entity from the immigration office and your PIN letter will almost always arrive before your residence permit has been sent to the immigration office.

For all researchers applying at the immigration office in Tübingen:
After applying for your residence permit, you will receive a ‘ticket number’ by email. After having reviewed your application, the immigration office will email you a link so that you can book an appointment for the submission of your fingerprints and a biometric passport photo. At this appointment, a next appointment for the collection of your residence permit will be determined. Only in rare cases might your residence permit not be ready for collection on this date and unfortunately you will not be notified beforehand.

Please note: If your visa or residence permit is about to expire, you should print the email mentioned above and keep it with you. This will serve as proof that you've applied for a residence permit within the required time frame, that your application has been reviewed and, therefore, that your stay in Germany is regular.