Have you been living and working in Germany for some time and would like to secure your residence status permanently? Then a settlement permit may be the next important step.
A settlement permit is a permanent residence title. Unlike a temporary residence permit, it does not need to be renewed regularly and generally allows you to pursue any lawful form of employment or self-employment.
What many people do not realise is that not every applicant has to wait five years. Skilled workers and people whose employment meets the requirements for an EU Blue Card may benefit from significantly shorter qualifying periods.
One particularly important point is that, under the administrative practice, you do not necessarily need to have actually held an EU Blue Card. Under certain circumstances, employment carried out while holding another residence permit can also count, provided that the employment itself already met the requirements for an EU Blue Card.
Written By:
Hanna Holmberg
Legal Expert
Expertly reviewed by:
Daniel Dirmeier
Attorney at Law / Lawyer
Table of contents
When can I apply for a settlement permit?
- The required residence period depends on your residence permit and type of employment
- General rule (§ 9 AufenthG): After 5 years with a residence permit, provided you have a secure livelihood, pension contributions, German language skills at B1 level, and sufficient living space.
- Skilled workers: Permanent residence may be possible after just 3 years
- Graduates in Germany (university degree or vocational training): Permanent residence may be possible after just 2 years
- EU Blue Card holders: After 27 months, or as little as 21 months with B1-level German
Settlement permit for skilled workers under § 18c Par. 1 AufenthG
§ 18c Par. 1 AufenthG provides a faster route to permanent residence for skilled workers.
Anyone who has held a residence permit under § 18a, 18b, 18d or 18g AufenthG for at least three years and continues to work in qualifying employment may obtain a settlement permit if the other statutory requirements are met.
As a general rule, applicants must also demonstrate 36 months of contributions to the statutory pension insurance scheme or comparable pension provision, a secure livelihood, adequate living space, basic knowledge of the legal and social system, and German language skills at B1 level.
The rules are particularly favourable for people who have successfully completed a degree or qualified vocational training in Germany. In these cases, the required period as a skilled worker may be reduced to two years. At the same time, 24 months of compulsory or voluntary pension contributions, or comparable pension provision, are generally sufficient.
Graduates of German universities and vocational training programmes should therefore check their eligibility at an early stage. The assumption that everyone must live in Germany for at least five years before applying for a settlement permit is incorrect.
Settlement permit based on employment that qualifies for an EU Blue Card
A settlement permit may be available even sooner if your employment meets the requirements for an EU Blue Card under § 18g AufenthG
Under § 18c Par. 2 AufenthG, a settlement permit may generally be granted after 27 months of qualifying employment. For this route, basic German language skills at A1 level are sufficient.
If you can demonstrate German language skills at B1 level, the required period of employment may be reduced to 21 months.
For the relevant period, applicants must generally also have paid contributions to the statutory pension insurance scheme or demonstrate comparable pension provision.
This makes § 18c Par. 2 AufenthG one of the fastest regular routes to permanent residence in Germany.
No EU Blue Card? You should still check your eligibility
One particularly important point is often overlooked.
Under the administrative practice, it is not always decisive whether you actually held an EU Blue Card throughout the entire 21 or 27 month period.
What may instead be decisive is whether, during that period, you were carrying out employment that already met the requirements of § 18g AufenthG for an EU Blue Card.
The Berlin Immigration Office expressly states that the required period of employment may also have been completed while holding another residence permit. The important point is that the employment itself met the requirements for an EU Blue Card during that time.
This can be particularly relevant for people who hold a residence permit based on family reunification, have worked under a residence permit pursuant to § 18b AufenthG, or simply never applied for an EU Blue Card for another reason.
The title written on your current or previous residence permit therefore does not always determine whether you can benefit from the shorter qualifying period.
For example, if you have already been working for at least 27 months in a position for which you would, based on your qualifications, role and salary, have been eligible for an EU Blue Card, it may be worth checking whether this employment period can be counted towards a settlement permit under § 18c Par. 2 AufenthG.
This point can make a substantial difference and may allow you to apply for permanent residence much earlier than expected.
When does my employment meet the requirements for an EU Blue Card?
Whether employment can be treated as qualifying employment under § 18g AufenthG depends on several factors.
Relevant factors include your professional or academic qualifications, the specific work you perform and the applicable minimum salary threshold for the EU Blue Card.
It is important not to look only at your current salary. If you want earlier periods of employment to count towards the reduced qualifying period for a settlement permit, it must be checked whether the requirements were also met during those earlier periods.
This may mean that different minimum salary thresholds need to be considered for different calendar years.
Employment contracts, employer confirmations and salary slips covering the relevant period may therefore be particularly important for the assessment.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
What level of German do I need?
The required level of German depends on the legal basis under which you apply for the settlement permit.
For the general settlement permit under § 9 AufenthG and, as a general rule, for the settlement permit for skilled workers under § 18c Par. 1, German language skills at B1 level are required.
For the faster route under § 18c Par. 2, however, A1 German may already be sufficient if the qualifying employment has been carried out for at least 27 months.
If you can demonstrate B1 German, you may be eligible after only 21 months of qualifying employment.
You should therefore not automatically assume that a settlement permit is unavailable simply because you do not yet have a B1 certificate. If your employment meets the requirements for an EU Blue Card, A1 may already be sufficient.
Which documents do I need for a settlement permit?
The documents required depend on your individual circumstances, the legal basis of your application and the competent immigration authority.
As a general rule, you will need your current passport and residence permit, evidence of your previous and current employment, your employment contract, an employer confirmation, recent salary slips, your pension insurance record, proof of health insurance, evidence of your housing situation and the required proof of German language skills.
Additional documents may be required depending on the case.
If you want previous periods of employment under another residence permit to be taken into account, you should in particular be able to document which work you carried out during that period and what salary you received.
How does the application process work?
The settlement permit must be applied for with the immigration authority responsible for your place of residence.
In many cities, the application can now be submitted digitally. Once the application has been filed, the authority checks whether the statutory requirements are met and whether all required documents have been provided.
Missing documents may be requested later. If the application is assessed positively, a personal appointment is usually scheduled. At this appointment, the authority will verify your identity and collect the biometric data required for the electronic residence card.
The electronic residence card is then produced and issued.
Processing times vary considerably between immigration authorities.
Do I have to wait for my current residence permit to expire?
No.
A settlement permit can generally be applied for as soon as the statutory requirements are met.
You therefore do not need to wait until your current residence permit is close to expiry.
For skilled workers in particular, it can be worthwhile to review your periods of residence, employment history and pension contributions regularly. You may qualify for permanent residence significantly earlier than expected.
Settlement permit or EU long term residence permit?
In addition to the settlement permit, Germany also offers the EU long-term residence permit as another form of permanent residence status.
Both residence titles generally allow long-term residence in Germany. However, they differ in their requirements and legal effects.
The EU long-term residence permit can be particularly interesting for people who may later wish to move to another EU Member State under facilitated conditions.
Which option is more suitable depends on your individual circumstances and long-term plans.