Your residence permit or settlement permit expires under the conditions stated in the Residence Act. This may happen, even if your electronic residence permit card is still formally valid. This happens by law and without you receiving any prior warning or information about it.

If you are planning a longer stay abroad that will last longer than 6 months or if you are not yet sure at the time of your departure whether and when you will return to Germany, please contact us. In this case, we can tell you the requirements that apply to your case.

There are exceptions that allow you to stay abroad for a longer period of time, particularly if you have a settlement permit, have been legally resident in Germany for at least 15 years, or are required to stay abroad for professional reasons, for example.

Please also ensure that you always submit an extension application in good time before your current temporary residence permit expires if you would like to extend your stay in Germany. If you fail to do this, your stay will no longer be legal and you may not be able to be granted a new residence permit.