The German residence permit (German: ''Aufenthaltstitel'') is a document issued to non-
EU citizens (so-called ''third-country nationals'') living in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
.
Prior to 1 September 2011, residence permits and additional provisions were affixed to pages inside the passport (in sticker form). Today, residence permits are issued as
ID-1 (credit card size)
plastic cards and the additional provisions are printed on a separate sheet of paper, so that residents have to possess (but not carry around) up to three different documents: a passport from their country of citizenship, their residence permit, and the supplementary sheet (if applicable). Carrying passports and residence cards is only compulsory when crossing borders. Within Germany, it is sufficient to know where they are and to show them to the police within a reasonable amount of time, when requested.
Legal aspects
Types of residence permits
Limited residence permit
A limited residence permit (a so-called Aufenthaltserlaubnis, literally ''residence permit'') is valid for a certain period of time and is issued for a certain purpose:
*residence for educational purposes
*residence for the purpose of economic activity
*residence under international law or on humanitarian or political grounds
*residence for family reasons
The ''Aufenthaltserlaubnis'' does not automatically grant the right to work; instead the permission to work must be explicitly mentioned in the document.
Unlimited residence permit
An unlimited residence permit (a so-called Niederlassungserlaubnis, literally ''settlement permit'') is a permanent residence permit. It grants the right to live and work in Germany under EU law. A foreigner receives a settlement permit if:
*he or she has held a residence permit for five years
*his or her livelihood is secure
*he or she is permitted to work
*he or she possesses sufficient living space for himself or herself and the members of his or her family forming part of his or her household
Additional provisions
Additional provisions (e.g. whether the resident is allowed to work) are stored on the chip and are printed on a supplementary sheet which must be kept together with the residence permit.
Physical appearance
Since 1 September 2011, the residence permit is issued as
ID-1 (credit card size)
plastic cards with an embedded
RFID chip. It is covered with multi-colour
guillochés and appears pink-blue from the distance. All information on it is given only in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(except for the English words ''residence permit'').
Front side
The front side shows the symbol for
biometric travel documents, the
German Eagle
The coat of arms of Germany displays a black eagle with a red beak, a red tongue and red feet on a golden field, which is blazoned: ''Or, an eagle displayed sable beaked langued and membered gules''. This is the (German for "Federal Eagle"), for ...
, the
European bull, and the words "AUFENTHALTSTITEL" and "RESIDENCE PERMIT". It contains the following information:
*Photo of ID card holder
biometric photo
*Document number (9
alphanumeric
Alphanumericals or alphanumeric characters are a combination of alphabetical and numerical characters. More specifically, they are the collection of Latin letters and Arabic digits. An alphanumeric code is an identifier made of alphanumeric c ...
digits)
*Access number for RFID chip (6
decimal digits)
*
Surname
*
Given name(s)
*Validity of residence permit: date of expire or "UNBEFRISTET" ''(unlimited)''
*Place of issue
*First day of validity (dd-mm-yyyy)
*type of document ("AUFENTHALTSERLAUBNIS" or "NIEDERLASSUNGSERLAUBNIS")
*Notes:
**Document number of corresponding
passport
**Date of expire of corresponding passport (dd-mm-yyyy)
**If holder is permitted to work: "ERWERBSTÄTIGKEIT GESTATTET" ''(employment permitted)''
**If additional provisions exist: "SIEHE ZUSATZBLATT" ''(see supplementary sheet)''
*
Signature
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. The writer of a ...
of holder
Back side
The back side contains the following information:
*
Place of birth
The place of birth (POB) or birthplace is the place where a person was born. This place is often used in legal documents, together with name and date of birth, to uniquely identify a person. Practice regarding whether this place should be a co ...
*Date of birth (dd-mm-yyyy)
*
Nationality
Nationality is a legal identification of a person in international law, establishing the person as a subject, a ''national'', of a sovereign state. It affords the state jurisdiction over the person and affords the person the protection of the ...
(
three-letter code)
*Sex (M or F)
*Height in
cm
*Colour of eyes
*
Residence
A residence is a place (normally a building) used as a home or dwelling, where people reside.
Residence may more specifically refer to:
* Domicile (law), a legal term for residence
* Habitual residence, a civil law term dealing with the status ...
(
postal code
A postal code (also known locally in various English-speaking countries throughout the world as a postcode, post code, PIN or ZIP Code) is a series of letters or digits or both, sometimes including spaces or punctuation, included in a postal a ...
,
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
, street,
house number
House numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building. The house number is often part of a postal address. The term describes the numb ...
)
*Issuing authority
*
Machine-readable zone
Machine-readable zone
The three-line machine-readable zone on the back side contains the following information:
First line
Second line
Third line
{, class="wikitable"
! positions !! text !! meaning
, -
, 1-30 , , ''alphabetic digits''<<''alphabetic digits
SURNAME<< GIVEN
Empty spaces are represented by "<".
Chip
The residence permit contains a RFID chip. The chip stores the information given on the document (like name or date of birth), the holder's picture and, if the holder is at least six years old, also his/her fingerprint
A fingerprint is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. The recovery of partial fingerprints from a crime scene is an important method of forensic science. Moisture and grease on a finger result in fingerprints on surfac ...
s. The additional provisions are also stored on the chip. In addition, the new ID card can be used for online authentification (e.g. for age verification or for e-government applications). An electronic signature
An electronic signature, or e-signature, is data that is logically associated with other data and which is used by the signatory to sign the associated data. This type of signature has the same legal standing as a handwritten signature as long as i ...
, provided by a private company, can also be stored on the chip.
The document number, the photo and the fingerprints can be read only by law enforcement agencies
A law enforcement agency (LEA) is any government agency responsible for the enforcement of the laws.
Jurisdiction
LEAs which have their ability to apply their powers restricted in some way are said to operate within a jurisdiction.
LEA ...
and some other authorities.
To use the online authentification function, the holder needs a six-digit decimal PIN
A pin is a device used for fastening objects or material together.
Pin or PIN may also refer to:
Computers and technology
* Personal identification number (PIN), to access a secured system
** PIN pad, a PIN entry device
* PIN, a former Dutch ...
. If the holder types in the wrong PIN, he has to type in the six-digit decimal access code given on the document to prove he/she really possesses the document. If the wrong PIN is used three times, a PUK must be used to unlock the chip.
The data on the chip are protected by Basic Access Control and Extended Access Control Extended Access Control (EAC) is a set of advanced security features for electronic passports that protects and restricts access to sensitive personal data contained in the RFID chip. In contrast to common personal data (like the bearer's photograp ...
.
Security features
The residence permit contains the following security features:
*multicoloured guillochés
*microprinting: ''EU'' and ''DEUTSCHLAND''
*fluorescent
Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, the emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore a lower photon energy, ...
elements:
**UV overprint: stars, lines, and ''EU'' luminesce in various colors under UV light
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...
**randomly distributed fluorescent fibres which luminesce under UV light
*tactile features:
**access number for RFID chip is tactile
**surface embossing: map of Germany and microlettering
*security thread
A security thread is a security feature of many banknotes to protect against counterfeiting, consisting of a thin ribbon that is threaded through the note's paper.
Usually, the ribbon runs vertically, and is "woven" into the paper, so that it a ...
: colour changes when viewed under different angles; is personalized: ''NNNNNNNNNN<changeable laser image: shows either the date of expire or the holder's portrait depending on angle
* color-changing ink: the colour of the '' biometric travel documents symbol'' changes from green to gold to red
*2D and 3D holographic security elements:
**colour-changing holograms colour changes depending on angle (violet-blue-turquoise-green-yellow-orange-red)
***holographic portrait: holographic reproduction of the holder's picture
***four eagles at the left side of the holographic portrait: change their colour under a different angle than the portrait itself
***document number: ''NNNNNNNNN'', 9 digits
***holder's name: ''SURNAME<
See also
*German passport
German passport (, ) are issued to nationals(for example, G01E) of Germany for the purpose of international travel. A German passport is, besides the German ID card and the German Emergency Travel Document (called " Reiseausweis als Passersatz" ...
*German identity card
The German Identity Card (, ) is issued to German citizens by local registration offices in Germany and diplomatic missions abroad, while they are produced at the Bundesdruckerei in Berlin.
Obligation of identification
According to the G ...
* Visa policy in the European Union
*Permanent residency
Permanent residency is a person's legal resident status in a country or territory of which such person is not a citizen but where they have the right to reside on a permanent basis. This is usually for a permanent period; a person with suc ...
External links
General information about the new ID-1 residence permit
on the homepage of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
on bundesdruckerei.de
Security features of the new ID-1 card residence permit
on bundesdruckerei.de
on PRADO
The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It is widely considered to house one of the world's finest collections of European art, dating from the ...
Old ID-2 sticker ''Niederlassungserlaubnis
on PRADO
REGULATION (EC) No 1030/2002 of 13 June 2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals
REGULATION (EC) No 380/2008 of 18 April 2008 amending Regulation (EC) No 1030/2002 laying down a uniform format for residence permits for third-country nationals
Immigration to Germany
Privacy in Germany
Immigration documents
Residence permit