Navigating residency processes in Germany can be a confusing process – and permanent residence is no exception.
Information about permanent residence online is sometimes contradictory or outdated. I have often found myself unsure about how visa and residency applications work in Berlin.
I’ve been an EU Blue Card holder for just over two years. I recently successfully applied for permanent residence from the LEA in Berlin.
From what I had read, I was quite daunted by the process. So I wanted to write a bit about what I experienced, plus answer a few questions I didn’t know the answer to.
In my case, applying for PR in Berlin was actually much easier and faster than I had feared.
A good starting point
If you’re new to the topic of permanent residence, this page is not going to help you navigate it. I would wholeheartedly recommend the excellent new All About Berlin guide to German permanent residence (All About Berlin is also my go-to for navigating most topics in Berlin) .
I was toying with the idea of applying for permanent residence for a few months. That guide was what gave me the confidence to actually apply in the first place. It helped me with a few documents I didn’t know I needed, and gave very clear instructions on how to make the application.
You should also check out the official Berlin service page for the required documents – it’s pretty clear and straightforward.
All of the documents were things I already had (Anmeldung, rent contract etc) except for the Arbeitgeberbescheinigung (confirmation from my employer that I work for the company, less than 14 days old).
I also needed the confirmation of pension/social security payments (see the All About Berlin guide on how to get that).
Applying online
With all my documents gathered and scanned, I followed the process for making the application. You can’t actually book an appointment for permanent residence in Berlin.
You send your documents through the website contact form and this magically results in an email, eventually.
I was in two minds about when to apply. As an EU Blue Card holder, you can apply for permanent residence after 27 months if you speak A1 (very basic) German, or 21 months if you speak B1 (intermediate). The permanent residence after 27 months or 21 months is a big bonus of the EU Blue Card!
I decided to apply after about 24 months, despite not having a B1 language certificate, since I had heard that it takes a long time to get an appointment.
I figured I would already have hit 27 months by then and only need A1. I do speak B1 German, but I was worried that I didn’t have an official proof.
But first things first, a few pointers for the online application.
- Apply via the contact form – the department depends on your nationality (I was E6, see below for an example).
- Write a German cover note with application – I just said I wanted to apply for permanent residence and I was a Blue Card holder since a certain date.
- You can only send 4-5 attachments, which is annoying because there are more than 10 documents to send
- I used PDF24 to compile and compress the documents into groups (like passport, Blue Card, Insurance Card, Zusatzblatt). The compression is important as there is a 15MB size limit on file transfers and 10MB max per file
- Check the confirmation when you submit the form. The first time, it lost all my attachments. So I submitted it all again, and it worked
- I chose this option for contact reason for an unlimited residence permit (Unbefristeter Aufenhaltstitel).
After that, I thought it would be a long wait for an appointment. I was wrong.
5 days later, I got an appointment invite by email from the LEA for an appointment in 3 weeks. It was incredibly quick.
In a confusing step, they actually sent me 4 identical meeting invites, with the same code but different titles (eg. for professionals, for EU Blue Card holders, etc).
The appointment
The appointment was at the Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA) in Moabit. The meeting invite was really just a copy of the requirements listed on the Berlin website, so I took all the original documents with me.
This included getting a new Arbeitgeberbescheinigung (less than 14 days old), which nearly caught me out – likewise having the most recent 6 months of salary slips.
Because the appointment came through so quickly, I was still under 27 months and still in the ‘B1 window’, which made me feel a bit nervous.
The whole conversation with the officer was in German, but I was never quizzed about my language skills and I think being able to conduct the meeting in German is enough to satisfy the requirement. I certainly wasn’t having to force um-zu constructions into the conversation (sadly).
I had also recently changed employer and had been worried about Probezeit, but equally this was not a problem.
The officer was very personable and processed all the documents, laughed heartily at my rent costs, and sent me off downstairs with one of their little cards to pay for the application (a scorching 113 Euros).
The machines are on the 1st floor and take any card + contactless which is useful.
After that, I just had to sign that all the information was correct, and the officer gave me a printout confirming my permanent residence, with the actual card to be ready in about 6-8 weeks.
I also asked about my family, since they are linked to my visa. The officer told me that their residence isn’t affected, and their permits are still valid as they were before.
And that was that. Whole thing took around 30 mins.
I actually received the permanent residence card just 3 weeks later. Again, they sent me an email with an appointment. You hand over your old blue card and Zusatzblatt and they give you the new one. Remember to take your passport!
I went into the process fearing that it would take months only to be rejected, but in reality it was far faster and smoother than I had expected.
It felt strange to send all of my documents via a random website contact form – especially in the land of Datenschutz – but evidently the system worked well enough!
Getting permanent residence from my blue card in Berlin was something I had worried about. It turned out to be straightforward. If you’re thinking about applying for permanent residence in Berlin, I hope it is just as straightforward for you!
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