Applying for a residence permit
After you have registered your residence you will be given an appointment at the Foreigners' Registration Office. The invitation and the application form will be sent to you by post. Therefore, please make sure that your name is on your letterbox. Please note that this process can take several weeks.
It is now possible to apply online for the issue/extension of a residence permit. The required documents can be uploaded online. The online application also provides the option of submitting the documents securely. All information on the required documents and the online service itself can be found on the website under the heading "Forms".
The type of residence permit you receive usually depends on the visa you have previously obtained. You should therefore consider which type of residence permit you would like before you apply for a visa.
Please contact us for more information on the differences between the various residence permits, to find out more about when which residence permit is suitable for you and what to do if your residence permit expires in a few months and you do not yet have a new job, and to find out which documents you need for your visa application.
Possible residence permits at a glance
Section 18g of the Residence Act
stipulates that "[q]ualified skilled workers with a university degree receive an EU Blue Card without the approval of the Federal Employment Agency for employment in Germany that corresponds to their qualifications", provided they earn a minimum salary of €48,300 per year or €43,759.80 if they work in a bottleneck occupation, e.g. in STEM fields. In order to obtain the Blue Card under the latter condition, the approval of the Federal Employment Agency is required.
If you have held a Blue Card in another EU country for at least 18 months, you and your family can enter Germany without a visa and apply for a German Blue Card after your arrival
For some, residence permits based on § 18b and § 18d are somewhat interchangeable, so it is important to find out which one best suits your needs. For example, if your employment contract includes an extended research stay in another EU country, you can use this residence permit to live in other EU countries without a visa for six months (please note that you will still normally have to inform the countries of your stay and that some bureaucratic procedures may be necessary).
If you are a scholarship holder:in coming to Germany for research purposes but do not have an employment contract with the University of Siegen, thisresidence permit should be suitable for you.
Please note that you will need a hosting agreement for the visa that is linked to this residence permit. Please contact us for further information.
Section 18b of the Residence Act
stipulates that "skilled workers with a university degree are granted a temporary residence permit to take up qualified employment."
In short, this means that you are usually qualified for this type of residence permit if you take up employment at the University of Siegen as a postdoc or doctoral student. Depending on your field of activity, the number of hours you work and your salary, you could also be eligible for the so-called Blue Card (§ 18g, see above). Depending on your field of research, your annual salary must be €48,300 or €43,759.80 if you work in the natural sciences, mathematics, IT or as an engineer.
This residence permit is sometimes granted to doctoral students who work less than 20 hours a week: They are allowed to work a maximum of 120 days full-time or 240 days half-time with this permit. However, as it is more suitable for "normal" students, we recommend applying for one of the types of residence permits mentioned above.
In order to obtain a permanent residence permit, you must meet certain criteria: Firstly, you must have had a residence permit in Germany for a certain period of time, although the exact duration depends on what type of permit you have. You must also have paid into the pension insurance scheme and generally have an employment contract to cover your living expenses. You also need a German language level of at least B1.
