Where do you have to register if you are not from an EU country?
If you are a citizen of a country outside the EU and are entering Germany to live here permanently, you must register with the local Ausländerbehörde (Immigration Office Karlsruhe). They will issue you with an Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit).
TIP
AniKA recommends that you apply at least two months before your residence permit expires.
The issuance or extension of a residence permit is no longer done in person. The Immigration Office offers you the following possibilities for submitting the application:
Step 1
- Application by e‑mail (please do not send original files, only scanned copy)
Please send the completed and signed application and the required documents in good time before expiry — as a PDF file by e‑mail to: abh@oa.karlsruhe.de - Submitting an application by mail or by dropping it in the mailbox
Address: Immigration Office, Kaiserallee 8, 76133 Karlsruhe.
Please note:
You will receive the decision by e‑mail or by mail. After receiving this letter, you can make an appointment yourself to submit the biometric data (fingerprints and photo).
Step 2
Please make an appointment to submit the biometric data in advance either by phone – Tel. 115 – or online at:
Ausländerbehörde
City Karlsruhe
Kaiserallee 8
76133 Karlsruhe
Stop: Mühlburger Tor
Lines: S1, S11. S12, S2, S5, S51
Tram 1, 2, 3, 4
What do I take with me?
What do I receive?
Here you can ask!
Do you have specific questions or need help filling out the form?
Forms
Forms must be filled out and signed
Frequent questions
My residence permit has expired. What do I need to do?
Please send the signed application and your documents as soon as possible.
Send documents as a PDF file by e‑mail to: abh@oa.karlsruhe.de
My Fictional Certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung) has expired. What should I bear in mind?
The fiction effect continues to apply by law.
In case of need (e.g. for an urgent trip), a certificate of continued validity of the fiction can be issued and sent to you.
Send an e‑mail with the travel certificate (e.g. tickets copy) to: abh@oa.karlsruhe.de
I submitted an application in time, but my residence permit expires. What do you need to consider?
By submitting the application, you are in a legal fictitious status and your residence title continues to apply without restriction.
In case of need (e.g. for an urgent trip) a fictitious certificate can be issued and sent to you.
To do so, send us an e‑mail with the travel certificate to abh@oa.karlsruhe.de
Information for employers
Holders of a temporary residence permit that entitles them to pursue employment may continue to do so even after the residence permit has expired, provided that the application for extension was submitted before the expiration date of the residence permit. In these cases, the so-called fiction effect pursuant to Section 81 (4) of the Residence Act (AufenthG) applies. The continued residence as well as the associated previous permit for employment continues to apply until the foreigners authority has made a final decision on the application for extension.
This regulation applies by law, even if the foreigner is not yet in possession of the certificate of fiction or the validity of the certificate of fiction has expired and a decision on the application has not yet been made.
Other services
e.g. work permit, au pair, declaration of commitment you can find here
Good to know: EU citizens enjoy freedom of movement within the European Union. This means they can move freely in other member states, enter or stay there. They do not have to register at the Immigration Office or apply for a work permit.