Residence permit

To apply for or extend your residence permit, different documents are needed depending on your position at your institute. You will need to fill in the application form on the following website:

https://formulare.tuebingen.de/frontend-server/form/provide/155/  

The immigration office requests that you apply for your residence permit no earlier than 3 months before your visa or old residence permit expires.

How to choose the correct purpose of stay on your application / extension request 

On the second page of the online application, you will be asked to choose a "purpose of stay". This step decides which residence permit you are applying for. You can find an overview of the most frequently chosen residence permits here. 

• §16b (student applicants): Choose "Aufenthalt zwecks Studium"
• §18b (qualified employment), §18c (top personnel), §18g (blue card EU): Choose "Aufenthalt zwecks Beschäftigung /Ausbildung /Freiwilligendienst
• §18d (researcher): Choose "Aufenthalt zwecks Forschung"

You will need the following documents for your residence permit application:

• Proof of health insurance
• Employment contract / employment certificate or scholarship/sabbatical confirmation or bank statement depending on your status
• University degree
• (§18d "researcher residence permit") Hosting agreement
• (§16b "student residence permit") Enrollment documents
• (§18g "Blue Card residence permit") Employment relationship declaration

After submitting your application / extension request

After reviewing your application / extension request the immigration office will send you an email with an appointment suggestion for a short in-person meeting. In this meeting, you will complete your submission at the immigration office in Tübingen.

Please note: Within your confirmation email, you will find an individual case number for your application. Please write this number down or print your email. It serves as proof that you have successfully tried to apply for or extend your residence permit. 

After applying for your residence permit online, the immigration office will send you a confirmation email together with an individual case number. They will then give you an appointment for a short in-person meeting to complete your application after reviewing your documents. 

However, if your visa or residence permit is expiring soon, you should print your confirmation email and keep it with you to prove that you have already tried to obtain an appointment. 

If you are in need of a fictional certificate or if your visa/residence permit expires within 14 days, please proceed as described:

• After printing your email, go to the immigration office in Tübingen and locate the appointment machine ("Wartemarkendrucker"). 
• Select "Ich habe keinen Termin gemacht" (I do not have an appointment)
• Select "Weitere Anliegen" (Other issues)
• Select "Fiktionsbescheinigung beantragen bzw. verlängern" (Request or extend fictional certificate)

If there are appointments available, the machine will tell you a time slot where you can pick up your fictional certificate. 

If there are no appointments available, the machine will display the following: 

"Leider sind heute keine Termine mehr frei. Sie können jetzt einen verbindlichen Termin buchen, oder hier abbrechen und am nächsten Werktag wieder kommen" ("Unfortunately there are no appointments available today. You can book a binding appointment now, or cancel the process here and come back on the next business day"). 

• To book a binding appointment, click "verbindlich" and check for open appointment slots. 
• Alternatively: You can try again for an appointment by returning on the next business day. Slots open up every day at the immigration office, but they are usually booked out very quickly. 

After you have submitted your application or request for extension of your residence permit, you will receive a pin letter from the Bundesdruckerei. Once you have received your letter, please write to the immigration office and ask for an appointment to pick up your residence permit. 

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. Do not worry if you don't hear back from them immediately - the immigration office will get back to you once your residence permit is ready for pick-up.