German residence permit

Specimen of a residence permit for a Turkish citizen.

The German residence permit (German: Aufenthaltstitel) is a document issued to non-EU citizens (so-called third-country nationals) living in Germany.

Prior to 1 September 2010, 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:

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. A foreigner receives a settlement permit if:

Additional provisions

Supplementary sheet
All EU residence permits show Zeus in the guise of a white bull; his appearance in the legend of Europa.

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 (except for the English words residence permit).

Front side

The front side shows the symbol for biometric travel documents, the German Eagle, the European bull, and the words "AUFENTHALTSTITEL" and "RESIDENCE PERMIT". It contains the following information:

Back side

The back side contains the following information:

Machine-readable zone

The three-line machine-readable zone on the back side contains the following information:

First line

positions text meaning
1-2 AR residence permit
3 D issuing country: Germany (Deutschland)
6-14 alphanumeric digits document number
15 decimal digit check digit over 6-14

Second line

positions text meaning
1-6 decimal digits date of birth (YYMMDD)
7 decimal digit check digit over 1-6
8 alphabetic digit sex (M or F)
9-14 decimal digits date of expire of Aufenthaltstitel (YYMMDD)
15 decimal digit check digit over 9-14
16-18 alphabetic digits nationality of holder (three-letter code)
30 decimal digit check digit over 6-30 (first line), 1-7, 9-15, 19-29 (second line)

Third line

positions text meaning
1-30 alphabetic digits<<alphabetic digits<alphabetic digits SURNAME<<GIVEN<NAMES

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 fingerprints. 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, 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 and some other authorities.

To use the online authentification function, the holder needs a six-digit decimal PIN. 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.

Security features

The residence permit contains the following security features:

See also

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/10/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.