Our employees only speak German in the office and on the phone.

Apply for settlement permit

If you already live in Germany and have a residence permit, you can apply for a permanent residence title, the settlement permit, under certain conditions.

You can find important information here:

  • Basic information

    As a rule, the settlement permit is to be issued if you:

    • have held a residence permit for five years,
    • you have secured your own livelihood,
    • you have made contributions to pension insurance for a total of five years,
    • you have sufficient knowledge of the German language and basic knowledge of the legal and social order and living conditions in the Federal Republic.

    Under certain legal conditions, the granting of a settlement permit is also possible earlier. This must be examined individually.

  • Procedure

    If you believe that you meet the requirements for a settlement permit, you can apply for one at the Migration Office.

    You can send us a written request by email to office@migrationsamt.bremen.de

    The staff at the Migration Office will then check whether you meet the requirements for a settlement permit and will send you an appointment. The settlement permit cannot be checked during an appointment to extend the residence permit!

    If you are an employee of a Bremen university or its academic institutions, please book an appointment to apply for a settlement permit at "bsu - bremen_service universität": bsu@migrationsamt.bremen.de

  • Necessary Documents

    • Health insurance certificate
    • valid passport
    • completed application form
    • 1 digital biometric passport photo

      Further information on this can be found in the "Information sheet on the biometric passport photo from 01.05.2025" in the "eAT / electronic residence permit" service.

    • Employment contract and payroll

      of the last 3 months

    • Proof of pension insurance contributions paid to date
    • Rental agreement

      Current rent and ancillary costs

  • Competent Department

  • Fees / Costs

    We will inform you about the costs when we check whether the granting of a settlement permit can be considered for you.

  • Deadlines & processing time

    What deadlines must be paid attention to?

    The application is not bound to any deadlines. If the requirements for issuance are met, the settlement permit can be issued immediately.

  • Legal Bases

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This page has been automatically translated by DeepL. We cannot guarantee that the translation is correct.

The official information in German is complete and correct. 12.08.2025

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