Permanent residence in Germany - settlement permit and EU long-term residence

Under section 9 of the Residence Act you can usually get a settlement permit if you:

• have held a residence permit for five years;
• can support yourself (and your family) without Bürgergeld or social assistance;
• have paid at least 60 months of compulsory or voluntary contributions to the statutory pension insurance, or have comparable provision through an insurance or professional pension scheme;
• have sufficient German, which the law defines as level B1;
• have basic knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in Germany;
• are allowed to work, and hold any licences your job requires;
• have adequate living space for yourself and your household;
• raise no concerns of public safety or order (criminal convictions can be an obstacle).

For married couples living together, it is enough if one spouse meets the pension, work permission and licence conditions. Language and civic-knowledge requirements can be waived if you cannot meet them because of illness, disability or age.

Several groups can apply earlier. In 2026 the main routes are:

• EU Blue Card holders (section 18c(2)): after 27 months of employment on a Blue Card with matching pension contributions and German at level A1, or after only 21 months with German at level B1. You must still be working in a Blue Card job and meet the other conditions of section 9 (income, civic knowledge, housing).
• Skilled workers with a permit for qualified employment (section 18c(1)): after three years with the permit, 36 months of pension contributions and B1 German, provided you still work in a job matching your qualification.
• Graduates of a German university or German vocational training: the period shortens to two years with 24 months of contributions.
• Highly qualified people such as researchers or senior academic staff (section 18c(3)): in special cases a settlement permit can be issued straight away, at the authority's discretion.
• Self-employed people with a permit for self-employment (section 21(4)): after three years if the business is successful and secures your livelihood.
• Family members of German citizens (section 28(2)): after three years with a residence permit, as long as the family relationship continues in Germany, with B1 German.
• Recognised refugees and people entitled to asylum (section 26(3)): usually after five years (the asylum procedure counts), with German at level A2 and income that is mostly secured; after three years with German at level C1 and income that is largely secured.

Other humanitarian permits and children have their own rules. Check the LEA service page for your route.

Under section 9a you can usually get the EU long-term residence permit after five years of residence with a residence title, if your livelihood is secured (including adequate provision for old age, which the authorities usually assess like the 60 months of pension contributions), you have B1 German and basic civic knowledge, adequate housing, and there are no public-security concerns.

Differences from the settlement permit:

• How time counts: periods spent in Germany for studies or vocational training count half. Time spent in another EU country as an EU Blue Card holder can count if you have held a German Blue Card for at least two years immediately before applying.
• Excluded stays: some permits do not lead to this title, for example permits for temporary purposes and certain humanitarian permits.
• Mobility: the title is recognised across the EU and can make it easier to obtain residence in another EU country.
• Absences: it is lost only after 12 consecutive months outside the EU or six years outside Germany.

If you meet the requirements for both, ask the LEA which title fits your plans - for example if you may later move to another EU country or spend longer periods abroad.

German law uses fixed levels from the Common European Framework of Reference: einfache = A1, hinreichende = A2, ausreichende = B1, gute = B2, and beherrscht = C1.

• Language: a recognised certificate (for example the Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer, telc, Goethe-Institut or ÖSD) showing the required level, successful completion of an integration course, at least four years of schooling in German with satisfactory results, or a German school-leaving, vocational or university qualification.
• Civic knowledge: the Leben in Deutschland test at the end of the integration course, the naturalisation test (Einbürgerungstest), an orientation course, or a German school or university qualification. You can practise the official question catalogue free of charge in the BAMF online test centre.

Request your insurance record (Versicherungsverlauf) from the Deutsche Rentenversicherung - for example through its online customer portal or the free service line 0800 1000 4800 - and check it before you apply. It shows every month in which contributions were paid. Gaps (for example after a job change or periods abroad) and missing records from a previous employer are easier to fix before you submit. Whether contributions or other provision for old age made abroad can count depends on the title and on any social security agreement with that country, so ask the LEA. For the EU long-term title, the law expressly allows provision made in Germany or abroad.

In Berlin all permanent titles are applied for online through the Service-Portal. Each route (general settlement permit, skilled workers, Blue Card holders, family members of Germans, refugees, EU long-term residence and others) has its own form with a free Quick-Check that tells you whether your application is likely to succeed.

1. Run the Quick-Check for your route.
2. Complete the application and upload your documents (PDF, JPG or PNG; at most 7 MB per file, 100 MB in total). The form can be saved and continued later.
3. Pay the fee online by credit card or PayPal. In Berlin the settlement permit fee is split into a processing fee and an issuing fee of €56.50 each (€113 in total in 2026); for the EU long-term title it is €54.50 each (€109).
4. Save and print the PDF confirmation. It certifies that your current permit continues to be valid while the application is pending, as long as it was valid when you applied.
5. The LEA reviews your file, asks for anything missing and invites you to an appointment. Bring all originals.
6. The card is usually ready at least four weeks after the appointment.

The processing fee is not refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn after the review has started.

A settlement permit normally lapses if you leave Germany for a reason that is not temporary, or stay abroad for more than six months without returning, unless the LEA has agreed a longer period in advance. People who have lived lawfully in Germany for 15 years and whose livelihood is secured keep it even after a longer absence; EU Blue Card holders and their family members have a 12-month limit instead of six. The EU long-term title is lost after 12 consecutive months outside the EU or six years outside Germany. If you plan a long stay abroad, talk to the LEA before you go.