Settlement permit

The general requirements are regulated in § 9 of the Residence Act.(link is external) They are fulfilled if:

• the foreigner has been in possession of a residence permit for 5 years,
• his or her livelihood is secured (no receipt of public benefits),
• they can provide evidence of at least 60 months of contributions to the statutory pension insurance scheme or comparable insurance benefits,
• there are no grounds for deportation (e.g. due to criminal offenses),
• the foreigner is permitted to work, provided he/she is an employee,
• he/she has a permit to pursue his/her gainful employment on a permanent basis, if this is required (e.g. professional license),
• they have sufficient knowledge of the German language ("German test for immigrants" at level B1),
• they have basic knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany ("Living in Germany" test with at least 15 questions answered correctly),
• they have sufficient living space for themselves and their family members.

Special regulations apply, for example, for family members of Germans(link is external), for foreigners who receive a residence permit for humanitarian reasons(link is external) or for highly qualified persons(link is external).

The Immigration Office of the City of Jena has changed its processing procedures. In order to shorten waiting times for appointments and residence permits, all applications will in future be checked without a personal appointment. It is therefore no longer necessary to book a personal appointment.

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

We will contact you directly if we have any queries. Therefore, please make sure that you can be contacted by post or, if necessary, by e-mail or telephone if you have any queries.

If a personal appointment is necessary after final examination of your application, you will receive an appointment from us at short notice.

• completed application form
• passport
• Proof of residence (e.g. rental agreement, in the case of a subletting agreement also a declaration of consent from the owner)
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of pension insurance (usually in the form of a pension insurance history)
• Suitable proof of income (e.g. pay slip for the last three months, for self-employed persons the last two income tax assessments and a current BWA/GUV, employment contract)
• Integration course certificate, if applicable
• Signed instruction sheet
• If applicable, declaration of consent to the storage and use of your e-mail address and telephone number

• Law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (Residence Act - AufenthG)
• Ordinance on the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Employment Ordinance - BeschV)
• Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)
• Ordinance on the implementation of integration courses for foreigners and late repatriates (Integration Course Ordinance - IntV)