Residence Permit - Change in Conditions

The application to modify the conditions must be submitted to the Immigration Office before the intended change takes effect. The application must be submitted in writing. A decision will be made regarding the modification of the conditions. The residence permit will not be extended.

Changes to Your Course of Study

If, during the course of your studies, you plan to change your current field of study or wish to be permitted to engage in self-employment on a fee-for-service basis (related to your studies), you must submit an application to the Office of Foreigners in advance.

Changes Due to a Change of Employment

Whether gainful employment is permitted is already specified in the residence permit. If the entry in the residence permit reads “Gainful employment permitted,” any form of gainful employment is allowed. This includes both employment as a salaried worker and self-employment. No further application is necessary in this case. If the entry reads “Employment permitted,” any form of salaried employment is permitted. Again, no further application is necessary.

If the entry states, for example, “Employment permitted only with the approval of the Immigration Office,” or if your current conditions specify approval for a particular job that you now wish to change, you must submit an application to the Immigration Office for approval of salaried employment. To process the application, the specific job offer must be available, and the “Declaration of Employment Relationship” completed by the employer must be submitted.

Before making a decision on this application, the Foreigners’ Registration Office must, as a rule, involve the responsible Federal Employment Agency. This process can take up to six weeks.

Change to the Residence Requirement

Whether a residence requirement applies is indicated on the supplementary sheet attached to the residence permit. If, for example, the entry on the supplementary sheet reads, “Residence is restricted to the Free State of Thuringia,” an application to change the residence requirement may be submitted to the Foreigners’ Registration Office with an individualized justification.

Before making a decision on this application, the Foreigners’ Registration Office must, as a general rule, involve the competent Foreigners’ Registration Office at the requested place of residence.

All incoming applications will be reviewed without the need for an in-person visit.

Please send us the appropriate application forms and all necessary documents either by mail or electronically via email to: antrag-abh@jena.de(link sends email). Please do not send us any original documents.

If we have any questions, we will contact you directly. Therefore, please ensure that you can be reached by mail or, if necessary, by email or phone in case we need to follow up.

If, following a final review of your application, an in-person visit is necessary, we will contact you shortly to schedule an appointment.

Documents Required When Changing Majors During Your Studies

• Written request (informal)
• Passport
• Scan of existing electronic residence permit with supplementary sheet
• Current certificate stating the expected duration of your studies, taking prior coursework into account (available from the International Office at Friedrich Schiller University Jena or from the Head of the Student Affairs Office at Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences Jena), signed by the university
• If applicable, a consent form for the storage and use of your email address and phone number

Documents required for approval of self-employment on a fee basis during your studies

• Written application (informal)
• Passport
• Scan of existing electronic residence permit with supplementary sheet
• Written proof of for whom, for what time period, for how long, and at what rate the fee-based work is to be performed

Documents Required When Changing Jobs

• Written application (informal)
• Passport
• Scan of existing electronic residence permit with supplementary sheet
• Proof of termination of the previous employment relationship (e.g., termination letter, most recent pay stub)
• Specific job offer (declaration of employment completed by the employer)
• If applicable, a consent form authorizing the storage and use of your email address and phone number

Documents required when changing the residence requirement

• Completed application form (see Downloads)
• Evidence of the reason for the change in the residence requirement, e.g.: 

  • Employment contract, apprenticeship contract, college admission letter

  • Evidence of family ties (e.g., birth certificate, marriage certificate, acknowledgment of paternity, family register extract)

  • Medical documentation for any pre-existing medical conditions (e.g., medical certificates or reports, reports from the medical service, proof of care level)

• Act on the Residence, Employment, and Integration of Foreign Nationals in the Federal Territory (Residence Act—AufenthG)
• Regulation on the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Employment Regulation—BeschV)
• Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)