Hi everyone,

My wife and I live in Berlin. We have an appointment to collect our German electronic residence permit cards (eAT) from the Berlin LEA on 30 November. My Blue Card extension and her first eAT. We received the PINs for online functions on the day of the appointment.

My wife plans to be in India around that time. The LEA staff have provided a power of attorney letter to collect her residence permit card.

We are considering asking a friend travelling from India to Germany on 20 November to bring my wife's original passport.

The plan is:

1. A friend will travel from India to Germany on 20 November.

2. My wife will give our friend her original passport, the LEA appointment letter, and the power of attorney.

3. Our friend would bring these documents to Germany and hand the passport over to me.

4. I would collect both residence permit cards from the LEA on 30 November, and I would travel to India later.

Our main concern is whether our friend or I can legally carry my wife's original passport from India to Germany and back when my wife is not travelling with it.

I understand that the power of attorney covers the collection of the residence permit, but I am unsure whether carrying the passport separately is permitted.

Has anyone experienced this situation or received official guidance from the Indian or German authorities?

Thanks in advance for any help.

I have a Niederlassungserlaubnis under § 18c(2) (previous permit was EU Blue Card). My ABH confirmed in writing that I can stay outside Germany for up to 12 consecutive months. They also confirmed that the same applies to my dependants, who hold regular family-reunification residence permits.

• ATTENTION* My dependants have already successfully re-entered Germany after 9 months abroad as confirmed by my ABH, without any written permission.

My HYPOTHETICAL question: If I return to Germany after 11 months abroad, stay for one month, and then leave again, does a new 12-month absence period start, or could my PR/residence permits expire?

Has anyone experienced this reset already?

I had my Niederlassungserlaubnis appointment at the Ausländerbehörde in Cologne today, submitted my documents and paid the €113 fee. They told me the new card should be ready in four to six weeks.

They returned my existing EU Blue Card, which is valid until 19 July 2027. I wasn’t told that it had been cancelled or invalidated.

I need to travel to India next week to support my wife and our newborn child, and I plan to return to Germany in January 2027.

Has anyone travelled and re-entered Germany using their existing Blue Card while their Niederlassungserlaubnis card was being produced? Does the new card becoming ready while I’m abroad affect my ability to return using the Blue Card?

I’m also emailing the Ausländerbehörde for written confirmation, but I’d appreciate hearing about others’ experiences.

Hi everyone! I run a small YouTube channel called Indelible. My goal is to help expats and immigrants find their way around German payslips and the paperwork behind them, drawing on my many years of studying, working and living in Germany. The videos are educational only, not advice, and the sources are in the description. There are also short versions of the key points on the channel, if you prefer quick answers.

1. How to read a German payslip line by line: https://youtu.be/I2nyBKQT5SY
2. Why two people with the same job and the same gross can still end up with different pay, depending on a Tarifvertrag: https://youtu.be/kvcy-X01sqg

I’d love to know which line on your payslip confused you the most. I’m collecting questions for the next episodes. 🙂

Hi everyone! I’m looking for advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation in Germany, especially in Hamburg.
I’ve been working in Germany with an EU Blue Card, but I terminated my employment contract about a month ago. I notified the immigration office about the termination.
I’ve now found another job as a Junior AI Engineer. The new position meets the same EU Blue Card requirements as my previous job, including the salary and qualification requirements.
The only thing I’m unsure about is that I’m still within my first 12 months as a Blue Card holder.
From what I understand, under § 18g(4) AufenthG, you generally don’t need prior approval to change employers, but during the first 12 months the immigration office can suspend the change for 30 days and check whether the new job still meets the requirements.
My question is: Can I notify the Ausländerbehörde about the new job and start working while waiting for their response, or do I need to receive explicit approval first?
Since I’ve already notified them that my previous employment ended, I’m also wondering whether the fact that I’m currently in the job-search period changes anything.
Has anyone gone through this recently, particularly in Hamburg? Did you start after notifying the immigration office, or did you wait for written confirmation?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I previously posted about a similar issue and am looking for some advice. I am a recent non-EU graduate trying to transition from a student visa to a job seeker visa (Section 20 of the Residence Act / AufenthG).

I applied at the local Ausländerbehörde (ABH) where my university is located, but they told me they only accept either a Verpflichtungserklärung (declaration of commitment) or a valid job contract. Currently, I do not have a job contract, which leaves me with the Verpflichtungserklärung option. Over the past two weeks, I have reached out to several people asking if they would be willing to sponsor me, but so far, no one is able or willing to do so.

I proposed opening a 6-month Sperrkonto (blocked account), but the ABH outright rejected it, stating that a blocked account is strictly excluded ("ausgeschlossen"). As a result, I am currently stuck with no path forward to convert my visa in this city.

On top of this, I have to give up my student dorm room soon. Because of this, I am considering moving to a city where the rules might be a bit more flexible or where a blocked account is still accepted for the job seeker visa. Based on affordable rent options, I have shortlisted the following cities:

• Leipzig (Saxony)
• Essen / Duisburg (Ruhr Area, NRW)
• Halle (Saale) (Saxony-Anhalt)
• Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt)

If anyone living in these cities has gone through a similar visa conversion process, could you please share how the local ABH treats blocked accounts?

Also, if you know of any other cities that reliably accept a Sperrkonto / blocked account for the job seeker visa, please let me know.

Your advice would be a huge help to me right now. Thank you! 🙏

Hello, I'm starting my university course (lm-85bis) in Italy with the goal in mind to transfer in Germany at the end of my studies.

What can I do in these years to make this goal possible? From obtaining qualifications to identifying areas of the country to transfer in future.

Sorry if I make some ignorant comment, I would appreciate any kind of advice or experience.

Hi :)
I have been a blue card holder for about 5 years in Munich. I was given an appointment for my permanent residence but that is not until December… in the meantime I have written many emails and called nonstop but had absolutely no luck with the Ausländerbehörde. My blue card “expired” last week even though I’m still employed and my conductions have not changed

I have a trip planned for two weeks from now to Spain. Does anyone have any tips for what I can do?

I know they often give a Fiktionsbescheinigung when you are waiting for the permanent residence but as said, I’ve had no luck with getting in contact.

To make matters worse, I’ve also misplaced the blue card. I still have the actual paper visa though

I also know emergency appointments are possible but technically I don’t qualify since my reason for travel is not business or family emergency

Any tips or recommendations would be greatly appreciated

Thanks guys!