Residence titles

In order to enter and reside in Germany, foreigners must have permission in the form of a residence permit. The Immigration Act has reduced the types of residence permits when compared to the regulations of the former Foreigners Act: residence permit, EC longterm residence permit, settlement permit and the visa. The residence permit is always granted for a limited period of time, while the settlement permit is granted for an unlimited time and without any geographical restrictions and allows the bearer to pursue paid employment or self-employment. The EC long-term residence permit which is based on EU law, is an unlimited residence permit which is granted to foreigners who have been lawfully resident in Germany or another member state of the European Union for five years. This permit allows foreigners to move to another EU member state; like the settlement permit, it gives third-country nationals largely the same status as nationals, for example with regard to labour market access and social insurance benefits.

A visa is a residence permit issued by German diplomatic missions outside Germany. Basically, foreigners must obtain a visa before entering the country. The conditions for the issuing of a visa depend on the conditions for the residence permit which the foreigner may wish to obtain subsequently (cf. Section 6 para. 4 second sentence of the Residence Act).