How to renew your residence permit for students in Germany

The residence permit in Germany for students usually has a validity of one to two years. Therefore, you will probably need to renew your residence permit at least once during your studies in Germany. In this article we tell you how to renew your residence permit in Germany - and we promise, it gets easier with every time! 

The extension of your residence permit is possible as long as you are on track with your studies and will likely finish them in the standard timeframe (Regelstudienzeit). Therefore, the Ausländerbehörde (Foreign Office) sometimes requires a letter from your university stating that you are progressing regularly with your studies and are not delayed. 

We recommend that you apply for the renewal of your residence permit long before it expires. In the worst case, it can take up to 3 months before it is issued or you might not get an appointment immediately. 

Required Documents for the renewal of your residence permit 

• a valid passport 
• your existing current residence permit 
• the enrolment certificate of the university or educational institution you’re attending
• transcripts of record and a letter from your university stating that you are on track and on time with your studies 
• certificate of Matriculation 
• bank statements of the last 6 months 
• if applicable, your contract of employment in a student job
• health insurance card/ certificate 
• current biometric photo 
• proof of residence with the registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung)
  

Fees 

Usually the fees for the renewal of your residence permit in Germany are 100 EUR. Depending on where you live and which respective Ausländerbehörde is in charge of your application it can be more or less. 

Average time to process

To ensure the timely renewal of your residence permit in Germany you should make an appointment 4-6 weeks prior to the expiry date. Be aware that in some German cities it can be difficult to obtain an appointment right away. So try to get it a bit earlier. 

In most cities you can book the appointment online. 

Good to know 

Some universities provide the service of helping you with the renewal of your residence permit in Germany. If you have difficulties navigating through the process you can most likely approach the International Office for students and get some help there. But as we said, every time you have to do it, it will get easier. 

If you graduate from a university or a comparable educational institution in Germany, you can change your residence permit to a job seeker permit to stay in Germany and find a job. Once you have found one, you have to change your residence permit again to a work residence permit. 

We hope you found this article useful. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions or want to tell us about your experience with the procedure of renewing your residence permit in Germany. 

Written by: Yuva Germany and Tanja Holbe

Cover Photo Credit: Mitul Patel

YUVA Germany is a student’s association which helps Indian Students with matters concerning studying, living and integrating in Germany. At the same time YUVA Germany provides these students with the opportunity to showcase their culture and to connect with others from India. New2 thanks YUVA Germany for their guest article.