Your German residence permit: appointments, extensions, and the Fiktionsbescheinigung

Start before your permit expires, two to three months ahead. You complete the online form at your local Ausländerbehörde and the office sends you an appointment, which can be weeks or months away. Submitting your application before the permit expires protects you, because your current permit then stays valid until they decide. Bring your passport, current permit, a biometric photo, proof of health insurance, your Anmeldung (address registration), and proof of your purpose of stay.

The core documents are usually:

• The completed application form, filled in online in most cities.
• Passport and your current residence permit (the eAT card).
• A recent biometric photo and proof of health insurance.
• Your registration (Meldebescheinigung) and often your rental contract.
• Proof of purpose: a job contract and recent payslips, university enrolment, or proof of income.
• The fee, usually around 100 euro, paid at the office or online depending on your city.

In most cities you cannot book a slot yourself. You submit a request through the Ausländerbehörde's online form and the office sends you a date, often weeks or months later.

• How you get one depends on the city: in Berlin and Hamburg you submit a request form and the office sends you a date, while in Munich you can book a slot online directly.
• Expect a wait of weeks to months, and check back for newly released or cancelled slots.
• In some cities the responsible office depends on the district where you are registered, so use the one for your address.
• If your date falls after your permit expires, a Fiktionsbescheinigung covers the gap, as long as you applied in time.

Each city runs its own Ausländerbehörde and portal, so check the office for your city. In Berlin, for example, you can browse every case and see which ones have an online application on the LEA's list of services.

A Fiktionsbescheinigung is a provisional certificate the Ausländerbehörde issues when your permit has expired or is about to, and your application is still being decided. It is a paper document that stands in for your residence permit and keeps your stay legal in the meantime. You normally get one because you applied to extend before your permit expired.

What matters most is the box it ticks, because that sets your rights:

• It continues your legal residence under the continuation rule (Fortgeltungswirkung, § 81 AufenthG).
• Work is only allowed if the certificate says so: look for whether "Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet" (employment permitted) is ticked. It usually matches what your previous permit allowed.
• Travel outside the Schengen area can be restricted while you only hold a Fiktionsbescheinigung, so check before booking trips abroad.
• It is temporary, often valid for a few months, and can be renewed if the decision is not ready.
• You can show it to an employer, landlord, or bank as proof that your stay and rights continue.

Yes, as long as you submit your extension application before your current permit expires. That triggers the continuation rule (Fortgeltungswirkung, § 81 AufenthG): your previous permit keeps running until the Ausländerbehörde decides, so you can keep working, keep renting, and keep living exactly as before.

Applying after the permit has already expired is treated differently. You lose the automatic continuation, so there is a gap where you may not have legal status or the right to work, and the Ausländerbehörde only lets the certificate apply at its discretion, to avoid hardship. That gap can also count against later applications such as permanent residence or citizenship, which look at continuous lawful residence, so contact the office at once, explain the delay, and consider legal advice.

Requirements vary by city, so always check your own office's list, but most appointments need your passport, current permit, a recent biometric photo, proof of health insurance, your registration, and proof of your purpose of stay. Bring originals and a copy of each.

• Passport, current residence permit, biometric photo.
• Health insurance proof and your Anmeldung or Meldebescheinigung.
• Job contract and payslips, enrolment, or proof of income.

A Verpflichtungserklärung is a formal declaration in which a sponsor who lives in Germany commits to cover your living costs. It is used for some visas, the Opportunity Card, and family visits. The sponsor signs it at the Ausländerbehörde or Bürgeramt (citizens' office) and proves they earn enough to support you.

Choose the Blue Card if you already have a job offer that meets the salary threshold and you have a recognised degree. Choose the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) if you do not have an offer yet, because it is a points-based permit that lets you come to Germany to look for work.

• Blue Card: qualifying job offer plus a recognised degree, leads faster to permanent residence.
• Opportunity Card: no job offer needed, points based on qualifications, age, language, and experience.

For the situations that qualify for an EU Blue Card and how to apply, check your local Ausländerbehörde. In Berlin, for example, the LEA lists the cases at berlin.de/einwanderung (EU Blue Card cases).

The eAT (elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel) is a credit-card-sized permit with a chip. You apply at the Ausländerbehörde, give your fingerprints and photo, and collect the card a few weeks later. A separate letter with your PIN arrives by post, and you need it for the card's online functions.

Register your new address (Anmeldung) first. The Ausländerbehörde for your new city then becomes responsible, and your file is transferred between offices, which can be slow. You usually need a new appointment at the new office, so start that as soon as you have moved.

A residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) is temporary and tied to a purpose such as work or study. A settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) is permanent and usually possible after about five years, and sooner for skilled workers and Blue Card holders. The Daueraufenthalt-EU is a permanent status recognised across the EU. The right one depends on how long you have been here and your situation.

• Aufenthaltserlaubnis: temporary, purpose-bound, must be renewed.
• Niederlassungserlaubnis: permanent, often after five years, sometimes sooner with a Blue Card and language skills.
• Daueraufenthalt-EU: permanent status you can carry to other EU countries. If you later want to live in another EU country (for work, study, family, and similar reasons), that country must treat you as an EU long-term resident and give you a simplified path to a residence permit.

It varies a lot by city, from a few weeks to several months. Permanent residence often takes longer than a simple extension. Apply early, keep your Fiktionsbescheinigung if your permit expires while you wait, and follow up in writing if you hear nothing after the time the office quoted.

Often yes. Many people switch, for example from a student permit to a work permit, or from a job-seeker permit to a work permit, by applying at the Ausländerbehörde with the documents for the new purpose. Whether you can do it from inside Germany depends on your current permit, so confirm with the office first.