Settlement Permit: Document Checklist

The following table assigns the typical supporting document to each requirement for the settlement permit. It reflects the standard route under § 9 AufenthG (five years of residence permit). For special routes — skilled workers, spouses of German nationals, beneficiaries of protection — partly different evidence applies; see further below.

Status: July 2026. The list reflects the standard case; the binding list of documents is provided by the competent immigration office.

An important simplification appears in § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 3 AufenthG: the requirements under no. 7 (language) and no. 8 (legal and social order) are deemed evidenced where an integration course has been successfully completed. In this case the integration course certificate — consisting of the "Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer" (DTZ) language test at B1 level and the "Leben in Deutschland" test — replaces both individual pieces of evidence.

At the start of every application are the formal documents, which are independent of the specific requirement:

The passport requirement under § 3 AufenthG is a general condition for the granting of a permit: without a valid passport document, a residence permit is generally not granted (§ 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 AufenthG). The biometric photograph is required for the electronic residence permit (eAT), which is issued as a chip card (§ 78 AufenthG).

Two items of evidence form the quantitative backbone of an application under § 9; both are based on fixed numbers of months set out in the law:

For no. 3, the law requires "at least 60 months of compulsory contributions or voluntary contributions" to the statutory pension insurance. The voluntary contribution option is expressly set out in the statutory text. It is relevant, for example, for self-employed persons who are not subject to compulsory insurance. This is evidenced by the insurance record, which the Deutsche Rentenversicherung issues upon request. Anyone wishing to rely instead on periods of comparable provision should clarify their recognition with the competent immigration office in advance.

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§ 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 2 AufenthG requires secured subsistence. The concept is given concrete form by § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 and the legal definition in § 2 Abs. 3 AufenthG: subsistence is secured where it can be met without recourse to public funds, including adequate health insurance cover. The following typically serve as evidence:

Which level of income counts as "secured" in an individual case, and which maintenance obligations are taken into account, is examined by the immigration office. The article Securing subsistence explains in more depth what goes into the calculation.

For the integration requirements of § 9 Abs. 2 there are clearly defined forms of evidence:

The B1 level is anchored in law: § 2 Abs. 11 AufenthG provides that "adequate German language skills" correspond to level B1 of the Common European Framework of Reference. (For classification: A1 is "basic" knowledge under § 2 Abs. 9, A2 "sufficient" knowledge under § 2 Abs. 10.)

The practical advantage of the integration course: anyone who completes it successfully evidences both the language (no. 7) and basic knowledge of the legal and social order (no. 8) with a single certificate. This follows directly from § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 3 AufenthG. The certificate is made up of the passed "Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer" (DTZ, B1) and the "Leben in Deutschland" test.

§ 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 9 AufenthG requires adequate housing for the applicant and the family members living with them in a domestic community. The following may serve as evidence:

What "adequate" means depends on the occupancy standards applied by the competent authority; § 9 AufenthG does not state fixed nationwide square-metre figures. Whether the available housing suffices in an individual case is examined by the immigration office.

Not every application follows the standard route under § 9. Separate legal bases apply to some groups of cases, and with them partly different or reduced evidence. The following overview classifies the most important special routes:

With these routes it is above all the evidence relating to prior residence and to pension contributions that shifts; the evidence relating to language, housing and subsistence remains relevant in principle. Which route comes into consideration in a specific case depends on the existing residence permit and on personal circumstances. This is examined by the competent immigration office. An overview of the faster routes for skilled workers is provided in the article Residence vs. settlement permit.

The documents for the settlement permit are frequently confused with two other checklists:

• Not the extension of a residence permit. With a mere extension of a temporary permit, the point is to continue the existing purpose of residence. There, the continuation of that purpose (employment, family, study) is at the forefront, not the 60-month pension record or the B1 certificate. The settlement permit, by contrast, is the consolidation into a permanent permit with its own catalogue of requirements.
• Not the naturalisation checklist. Naturalisation is governed by the Nationality Act (StAG), not by the AufenthG. It requires different evidence (including the naturalisation test and questions on giving up or retaining the previous nationality) and leads to a change of status, the German passport. The settlement permit remains a residence permit; the person retains their previous nationality.

How the two permits relate to one another and what counts towards the five-year period for naturalisation is the subject of the comparison article Residence vs. settlement permit.

The administrative fee is not a document, but it forms part of the application. It is governed by § 44 AufenthV:

You pay this authority fee directly to the immigration office; it is separate from any service costs for assistance with completing the application. A detailed cost overview is provided in the article Costs & fees; the prices charged by civitas. are set out transparently at /en/niederlassung/preise.

Because the authority wants to see each point of § 9 Abs. 2 evidenced by a separate document, it is worth collecting the evidence early, in particular the DRV insurance record (allow for processing time) and a current B1 certificate. We help with completing the application and with compiling the evidence on the basis of the statutory requirements; the final examination and the decision are made by the competent immigration office. Whether the requirements are met in an individual case is examined exclusively by that office.

Which documents do I need for the settlement permit?

In the standard case under § 9 AufenthG: a valid passport, the application form with a biometric photograph, evidence of five years of residence permit, evidence of secured subsistence (employment contract, payslips, bank statements), an insurance record covering 60 months of pension contributions, a B1 language certificate, evidence of basic knowledge of the legal and social order, evidence of housing and evidence of health insurance. The binding list is provided by the competent immigration office.

How do I evidence the 60 months of pension contributions?

Through the insurance record of the Deutsche Rentenversicherung (DRV). § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 3 AufenthG requires at least 60 months of compulsory or voluntary contributions. The DRV issues the insurance record upon request; allow for the processing time.

Which language certificate is required for the settlement permit?

Evidence of German language skills at B1, for example the "Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer" (DTZ), telc Deutsch B1 or the Goethe-Zertifikat B1. § 2 Abs. 11 AufenthG defines "adequate German language skills" as level B1. A successfully completed integration course also covers this evidence.

Does the integration course replace individual pieces of evidence?

Yes. Under § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 3 AufenthG, the requirements relating to language (no. 7) and to basic knowledge of the legal and social order (no. 8) are deemed evidenced where an integration course has been successfully completed. The integration course certificate then replaces both individual pieces of evidence.

How do I evidence adequate housing?

Typically through the tenancy agreement and a landlord confirmation, sometimes supplemented by a statement of the living space. § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 9 AufenthG requires adequate housing for the applicant and the family members living with them in a domestic community. The law does not state fixed nationwide square-metre figures; the standard is applied by the authority.

Do I need evidence of health insurance?

Yes. Secured subsistence under § 9 Abs. 2 Satz 1 Nr. 2 i.V.m. § 2 Abs. 3 AufenthG includes adequate health insurance cover. The certificate of membership from the health insurance fund generally serves as evidence.

Are the documents the same as for the extension of my permit?

No. The extension of a temporary residence permit continues the existing purpose of residence; the continuation of that purpose is at the forefront. The settlement permit is the consolidation into a permanent permit and additionally requires the 60-month pension record, the B1 certificate and evidence of housing under § 9 AufenthG.

Do different documents apply to spouses of German nationals or to skilled workers?

In part. For skilled workers (§ 18c AufenthG), spouses of German nationals (§ 28 Abs. 2 AufenthG) and recognised beneficiaries of protection (§ 26 Abs. 3 AufenthG), it is above all the evidence relating to prior residence and to pension contributions that shifts. Which route applies is examined by the competent immigration office.

What does the settlement permit cost?

Under § 44 AufenthV, 113 € in the standard case, 124 € for self-employed persons and 147 € for highly qualified persons. This authority fee is separate from any service costs.