Residence permit: validity and purpose
Residence permit: validity and purpose
Purpose
The purpose of your stay: This refers explicitly to the subject and the university where you are studying. This means that if you change your
program or change from a preparatory German course to a degree program, change universities or end your studies, your residence permit will usually automatically become invalid, regardless of the date on it! You must therefore go to the Foreigners' Registration Office in good time before changing or ending your studies and have it changed.
Period of validity
The (electronic) residence permit issued by the Foreigners' Registration Office of the City of Regensburg is valid for at least one year. Applicants
must therefore be able to provide proof of financing for this period (in the form of a declaration of commitment or a sufficient credit balance in a German bank account).
Extension
If you only go to the Foreigners' Registration Office after your residence permit has expired, you are generally considered to be in Germany illegally
until the new (electronic) residence permit has been issued. So that you can wait stress-free for your new residence permit, we recommend that you submit your application at least 6 weeks before it expires.
Extension not submitted?
Late submission of an application to the Foreigners' Registration Office may result in serious consequences under immigration and criminal law.
Consequences follow. It is possible that you will be sentenced to a fine or imprisonment for illegal residence. It is also possible that you will no longer receive a residence permit and will have to leave Germany.
Applying for a residence permit
The Foreigners' Registration Office of the City of Regensburg generally requires the following documents to issue a residence permit:
- "Application for the issue of a temporary residence permit" (extension: "Application for the extension of a temporary residence permit"; forms available from the Foreigners' Registration Office)
- Valid passport
- Biometric passport photo
- Letter of admission or certificate of enrolment from the university
- Proof of health insurance
- Proof of living expenses (� 992 per month)
- "Wohnungsgeberbest?tigung" (landlord's confirmation of residence) (form from the FRO)
Fee
- International students with German scholarships: free of charge
- Participants in the exchange programs of the UR: 100 �
- First issue: 100 �
- Extension: 80 �
Proof of livelihood for the application
In order for a residence permit to be issued to non-EU citizens, it is generally necessary to provide proof of sufficient means of subsistence.
As a guide, you can assume that you have sufficient means if you can prove that you have �992 per month at your disposal.
You can prove that you have sufficient means of subsistence by, for example
- Submission of a declaration of commitment in accordance with § 68 Residence Act* or
- Proof of corresponding scholarships from German public funds or scholarships from a funding organisation recognised in Germany or
- Scholarships from public funds in the country of origin if the Federal Foreign Office, the German Academic Exchange Service or German scholarship organisations were involved in arranging the scholarship.
- Proof of funding by submitting bank statements or payment of a security deposit into a blocked account. At least EUR 11,904.00 must be provided for one year (EUR 992.00 per month).
*Your parents or siblings, for example, but also other third parties can submit a declaration of commitment in accordance with Section 68 of the Residence Act to a German diplomatic mission abroad or to the foreigners authority at their place of residence in Germany. The person thus assumes a guarantee for your livelihood and must generally prove his or her financial capacity when submitting the declaration of commitment.
Residence permit for change of subject/university
If you change your subject or university, this will affect your residence permit!
Change of subject
If you change your field of study during your studies, this generally constitutes a change of purpose of residence. A change of degree program (e.g. German Language and Literature instead of Romance Studies) or subject (e.g. major or minor subject Italian instead of French) in the first 18 months after the start of your studies is generally possible.
In the event of a later change of degree program or subject, the applicable higher education law must first be taken into account. If the change is permitted under university law, a change can also be authorised under immigration law if the previous academic achievements are credited to the extent that the total duration of studies is not extended by more than 18 months (confirmation from the university). In any case, however, you must apply for the change at Foreigners' Registration Office and have it entered in your residence permit. If these requirements are not met or if a further change of degree programm or subject is intended, this can only be permitted if the degree program can be completed within a total period of stay of ten years.
The above regulations also apply to a change between different types of higher education institutions (e.g. change from a university degree program to a degree program at a university of applied sciences in the same subject area).
Further studies after the first degree
Enroling in a second degree program or continuing professional development after completing the first degree program in Germany (e.g., specialist medical training after studying medicine) constitutes a change in the purpose of residence. In general, this change is not permitted if the total duration of residence would exceed ten years.