Permanent Residence in Germany: The Settlement Permit

This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to Germany and want to understand how a temporary stay can become permanent. After reading it, you will know the main requirements for the settlement permit, how many years each route takes and how the application works.

• What the settlement permit is
• The standard requirements
• Faster routes for some groups
• How to apply
• Keeping the permit
• FAQ

What the settlement permit is

The Niederlassungserlaubnis (settlement permit) is a residence permit with no time limit. As Handbook Germany explains, a regular residence permit has to be extended at the immigration office again and again. The settlement permit does not. It also allows the holder to work without restrictions.

Applications go to the Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ authority, also called the immigration office) responsible for your place of residence. You can find the right office at bamf.de. Some details vary by federal state (Land), such as how much living space counts as enough, so the local office confirms what applies in each case.

The standard requirements

The general route applies to anyone not covered by one of the faster routes. Applicants need:

• A residence permit held for at least 5 years.
• A secure livelihood for themselves and their family, without money from the Job Centre or the Social Welfare Office. Kindergeld (child benefit) and Elterngeld (parental allowance) are exceptions.
• German at B1 level, with proof.
• 60 months of pension insurance contributions. The amount paid does not matter.
• Enough living space for themselves and their family. The standard size varies from state to state. The immigration office or a local counselling centre can say what applies.
• A work permit.
• A completed orientation course, which is part of the integration course.
• No major criminal offences. In principle, fines of up to 90 days’ income or suspended sentences of up to three months do not affect the case.

Faster routes for some groups

Several groups can apply sooner. Unless stated otherwise, the other standard conditions still apply: a secure livelihood, enough living space, a work permit, the orientation course and no major offences.

Skilled workers and researchers

A skilled worker is someone in a job that requires vocational training or a degree recognised in Germany. Under the current rules, skilled workers and researchers can get a settlement permit after 3 years of residence in Germany. They need 36 months of pension contributions, a job and German at B1 level.

Graduates of German training or universities

People who completed vocational training or a degree in Germany and hold a residence permit as a skilled worker or researcher can apply after 2 years with that permit. They need 24 months of pension contributions, a job and German at B1 level.

EU Blue Card holders

EU Blue Card holders can apply after 27 months. They need 27 months of pension contributions, a suitable job and German at A1 level. With German at B1 level, they can get the permit after 21 months.

Self-employed people and civil servants

People who run a company in Germany can get the permit after 3 years if they support themselves and their family without help from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. They also need adequate health insurance, pension insurance contributions and no criminal convictions. Civil servants can get it after 3 years of residence and do not have to prove pension contributions.

Family members and children

Family members of German citizens can apply after 3 years with a residence permit. They need German at B1 level and must show that they will keep living with the German family member. Receiving Wohngeld (housing benefit) is not a problem in this case.

A person who is or has been married to a settlement permit holder can get the permit if they can support themselves. The spouse can meet the pension and employment conditions on their behalf. If the spouse holds the permit as a skilled worker under § 18c of the Residence Act, the partner can apply after 3 years. They must work at least 20 hours a week, hold a B1 German certificate and meet the other standard conditions.

Children of foreign nationals can get the permit from the age of 16 if they have held a residence permit on family grounds for at least 5 years. From 18, they also need German at B1 level and a secure livelihood, unless they are in vocational training or studying. Parents or a guardian submit the application.

Recognised refugees and people with protection status follow separate rules.

How to apply

The application is made in writing to the responsible Ausländerbehörde. It uses the form Antrag auf Erteilung der Niederlassungserlaubnis (application for the settlement permit), which is on the office’s website. According to Handbook Germany, applicants send the completed form by post with a biometric passport photo and these documents:

• a copy of the passport
• a copy of the employment contract, 3 current payslips and a letter from the employer confirming current employment, no older than 14 days
• for self-employed people: the latest tax assessment and an audit report from a tax consultant
• a recent letter from the health insurance company confirming cover
• a copy of the rental agreement
• copies of the German language and integration test certificates
• pension information from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (German statutory pension insurance)
• for people receiving child benefit, parental allowance or similar benefits: the relevant confirmation letters

Offices also often ask for bank statements from the last 3 months. Groups on the faster routes usually submit fewer documents, and the form lists what is needed. Procedures can differ between offices.

The permit costs a fee. The page does not give the amount or a processing time. The Ausländerbehörde decides both, and it informs the applicant in writing once it has checked the application.

Keeping the permit

A settlement permit has no time limit, but it can be lost. In principle, it ends if the holder stays outside Germany for more than 6 months or moves to another country, under § 51(1) of the Aufenthaltsgesetz (Residence Act). According to Handbook Germany, the only way to be sure of keeping the permit is for the immigration office to agree that a stay abroad is temporary.

The permit can also be withdrawn if it was obtained with false information. A person considered a threat to public safety and order may be deported and lose it.

For questions about a personal situation, two services offer free advice in many languages: the Migrationsberatung für erwachsene Zuwanderer (MBE, migration advice for adults) and the Jugendmigrationsdienst (JMD, youth migration service for people under 27). The responsible Ausländerbehörde makes the final decision.

FAQ

Does a settlement permit allow living in other EU countries?

Usually not. Living and working in other EU countries requires the EU permanent residence permit, which makes it possible to get a residence permit in another EU country. Temporary work elsewhere in the EU can be discussed with the immigration office in advance.

How much does the settlement permit cost?

There is a fee, but the page does not give the amount. The responsible Ausländerbehörde sets the fee and tells applicants what it is.

Does the amount paid into the pension scheme matter?

No. What counts is the number of months of contributions, not the amount. The standard route requires 60 months and the faster routes require fewer. Civil servants do not have to prove contributions.

Can someone receiving child benefit still qualify?

Yes. Kindergeld and Elterngeld are exceptions to the rule that applicants must not receive money from the Job Centre or Social Welfare Office. For family members of German citizens and for children turning 18, Wohngeld is also accepted. Whether any other payment affects an application is for the Ausländerbehörde to decide.

Sources: handbookgermany.de

Last verified: 25 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the foreigners’ authority (Ausländerbehörde) of your city, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (Rechtsanwalt).