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Residence Permit

Foreigners who are not citizens of an EU country and want to stay in Germany for a certain period of time need a permit. This permit is issued by the foreigner’s authority for a certain period of time.

The residence permit determines for what purpose and under what conditions a person from a third country may stay in Germany.

In addition, it states until when the residence title is limited, i.e. until when the person may stay in Germany.

If you are not in Germany yet, please refer to the information on our website in the section Visa Procedure, regarding the entry requirements you may have to fulfill.

Residence Title: The generic term for an authorisation for entry and residence in Germany. A residence title can be issued as a visa or residence permit, among other things.

Visa: A confirmation from Germany allowing entry and residence for a certain period of time (usually marked directly in the passport). A visa is issued by the German authorities (German embassy or consulate) in your current place of residence.

Residence Permit :A temporary residence permit for foreigners. Reasons for a residence permit are, for example, residence due to purposes of study or employment.

Temporary pending-residency document (Fiktionsbescheinigung): This temporary pending-residence document extends a visa or residence permit until all paperwork for the application can be completed and the residence permit can be applied for. This document extends the previous residence title with all its additional provisions.

Border crossing certificate: A certificate that authorises the stay in Germany for a very short period of time. Example: If your residence permit expires and you have to stay in Germany for a few weeks (to complete exams, for example), a border crossing certificate ensures you to legally stay for those few weeks without having to apply for an extension of your current documents.

1.2 Arrival

As soon as you are in Germany, the local foreigners office authorities are your contacts for questions regarding your residence status. First, you have to complete your city registration (Einwohnermeldeamt). After that, you can make an appointment at the Foreigners Office to apply for a residence permit (extension of your study visa).

1.3 ISS Visa & Residence Permit Inquiry Form

If you have any questions specifically pertaining to your individual situation or you have a general inquiry regarding your current visa or residence permit, please fill in this form.

Please note that contacting ISS does not exempt you from contacting the Foreigners Office. In any case, you must submit an application to the Foreigners Office independently before your residence permit/ visa expires.

1.4 Applying for a Residence Permit

Watch our video tutorial on how to fill out your residence permit application
Watch our video tutorial on how to fill out your residence permit application

It is mandatory to contact the Foreigners Office in writing BEFORE the expiration of your current residence status. Ideally, you should contact the Foreigners office four months before the expiration date of your visa or residence permit.

Please note: If the application is not submitted to the Foreigners Office in due time (before the expiration of the validity period), the current residence title will expire and you will be obliged to leave Germany.

You can contact the Foreigners Office in Darmstadt. by or contact form to apply for the conferral or extension of your residence permit. Not sure how to word the request? Take a look at our wording guide. (opens in new tab)

Here you can find a tutorial video on how to fill out the application for a residence permit: Guide to filling-out your residence permit application

Please note: this tutorial video is only valid for those registered with the Foreigners Office in Darmstadt.

1.5 Required Documents

Checklist

In this checklist (opens in new tab) you will find a list of all the documents that are required to apply for a residence permit.

Financial Means

On our information sheet (opens in new tab) we have collected the different options you have to provide proof of your financial means for the application.

Please note: If you are not able to present all the required documents on time for the appointment, cancel the appointment at the Foreigners' Office in a timely manner in order to get a new appointment as soon as possible. Without the required documents, the Foreigners' Office will not be able to process your case.

2 Local Authorities

Once you are in Germany, the local foreigners offices (Ausländerbehörden) are your point of contact for any questions regarding your residency status.

First, you need to register with the City Hall (Einwohnermeldeamt) . After two weeks, you should proactively contact your Ausländerbehörde to apply for or extend your residence permit.

If the Ausländerbehörde in Darmstadt is responsible for your case, you can contact them or their contact form. You will receive an automated response, and it is important to keep a record of the receipt of this email.

Here you can find more information for the Foreigners Office in Darmstadt.

The following districts that belong to the city of Darmstadt are: Arheilgen, Bessungen, Eberstadt, Kranichstein, Wixhausen as well as Darmstadt-Mitte, Darmstadt-North, Darmstadt-East and Darmstadt-West.

Foreigners Office in Darmstadt

Address: Luisenplatz 5 (4th Floor), 64283 Darmstadt

Appointment: An appointment can be made directly with the Foreigners Office by filling out their contact form[German only] or by e-mail.

Please carefully keep the receipt of your e-mail.

Our step-by-step guide (opens in new tab) will help you fill out the contact form of the Foreigners' Office Darmstadt.

Here you can find more information for the Foreigners Office belonging to the Darmstadt-Dieburg district.

The following districts that belong to the city of Darmstadt-Dieburg are: Alsbach-Hähnlein, Babenhausen, Bickenbach, Dieburg, Eppertshausen, Erzhausen, Fischbachtal, Griesheim, Groß-Bieberau, Groß-Umstadt, Groß-Zimmern, Messel, Modautal, Mühltal, Münster, Ober-Ramstadt, Otzberg, Pfungstadt, Reinheim, Roßdorf, Schaafheim, Seeheim-Jugenheim, Weiterstadt

Foreigners Office for the Darmstadt-Dieburg district

Besucheranschrift: Zwischenstandort Resopal, Hans-Böckler-Str. 4, 64823 Groß-Umstadt

Postanschrift: Kreisverwaltung Darmstadt-Dieburg, Ausländerbehörde, 64276 Darmstadt

Appointment: An appointment can be made directly with the Foreigners Office by filling out and emailing the “Formular für Terminvereinbarung”. You can find this form as well as opening hours and further contact information (telephone number and email address) on the Foreigners Office Darmstadt-Dieburg website [German only].

This information is for students who will study abroad for two semesters and plan to return to TU Darmstadt to finish their studies/degree.

If you have a visa but it does not cover your entire study year here in Germany, you will need to apply for a residence permit. If you plan to return to TU Darmstadt after your year abroad, it would be ideal for you to apply for a 2-year residence permit or to renew your residence permit before going abroad. If you decide not to apply for a 2-year residence permit or renew your residence permit in general, you will typically have to reapply for a visa in order to re-enter Germany when you are abroad. This is contingent on your nationality and whether or not you need a visa to enter Germany.

If you choose to apply for a 2-year residence permit or extend your current residence permit to cover the time you are abroad you need to be aware of the following:

  • You will have to remain registered at the city hall as your residence permit is contingent/reliant on your residence here in Darmstadt. This means you will have to continue to pay the GEZ fees every month.
  • You will have to show a valid German health insurance covering the duration of your residence permit.
  • You will have to show proof of financial means via a scholarship or blocked account for the full 2-years (24 months) you wish to apply. Please see the section “residence permit” for more information.
  • You will also be required to send a notice to the foreigner’s office from your programme coordinator upon leaving that you will be out of the country for more than 6-months (An example of this letter can be sent upon request). If you are out of the country for more than 6-months without giving notice, you can run into problems when you return and/or switch your status later.

This information is only for students who plan to study abroad in Germany for one or at most two semesters and already have a residence permit from another EU country.

  • If you enter Germany with a valid residence permit from another EU country, you are only legally allowed to stay in Germany for up to 90-days and under a tourist status. This is not valid to complete your studies.
  • If you have a valid residence permit in an EU country and plan to stay in Germany for only one or two semesters, TU Darmstadt can help you to apply for a limited stay within the EU Mobility “EU-REST Rechtlinie” arrangement. This allows you to stay in Germany for a maximum of 360 days. You will have to prove that your current residence permit is valid for the entire duration of your planned stay in Germany. Your legal status to stay in Germany will only be valid for the time your EU residence permit is valid.
  • If you extend your current residence permit while you are here in Germany, you will have to reapply for an extension of the EU-REST arrangement as soon as your new residence permit comes in, regardless of which EU country you come from.

If you plan to stay in Germany longer than these 360 days OR stay and look for a job here in Germany after your programme, the “EU-REST” clause is not applicable, as you will be forced to leave Germany following these 360 days. However, in this case you can apply for a regular German visa to enter Germany.

If you have any questions about which documents we would need from you to fulfil this application, you can find the information here on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.

Disclaimer

The information on this website is not legally binding.

Certificate for Foreigners' Office

To get a form from the Foreigners' Office or a confirmation, please contact .

You can find more information in the FAQ of International Admission.