Course description

If you live here continuously and are authorised to move freely, you acquire the right to stay in Germany permanently by law after five years. The permanent residence certificate is proof of this.

The provisions on freedom of movement apply to these countries:

European Union (EU)

• Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Cyprus, and

European Economic Area (EEA)

• Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway

The right to freedom of movement applies in particular to

• Employees and trainees,
• Jobseekers (for up to six months),
• established, self-employed persons,
• self-employed providers of services without establishment,
• Recipients of services,
• non-working persons with adequate health insurance cover and sufficient resources,
• Family members if they accompany or join the EU citizen,
• EU citizens and their family members with a permanent right of residence.

If you have not been in Germany for 5 years, you can apply for a permanent residence certificate in the following exceptional cases:

1. You have resided permanently in Germany for at least three years and have been gainfully employed in Germany for at least the last twelve months anda) have reached the age of 65 at the time of leaving the labour force orb) have ended your employment as part of an early retirement scheme.
2. You have given up gainful employment as a result of a full reduction in earning capacity,a) which occurred as a result of an accident at work or an occupational disease and entitles you to a pension from a benefit provider in Germany orb) after you had previously resided permanently in Germany for at least two years.
3. You were continuously gainfully employed in Germany for three years and then became gainfully employed in another EU member state, maintain your residence in Germany and return there at least once a week.
4. You are married/partnered to a German person.

Expiry of the right of permanent residence You lose the right to stay here permanently if you leave Germany for more than two years. Please contact the Foreigners Office for more information.

Prerequisites

• You are a registered resident of the city of Munich.
• You are a citizen of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway.
• You have been resident in Germany for at least five years without interruption and are authorised to move freely, or you meet one of the above exceptions.

Required documents

• Identity documentIf you are acting on behalf of a third person: Authorisation (not required for parents submitting an application for their child)
• Proof of periods of residence and exercised right to freedom of movement:If you are gainfully employed:Waiting period information from the German pension insurance scheme with insurance history, confirmation of employment and your last three salary statements.If you are self-employed:Income tax assessment notices, if possible for a consecutive period of five years or if no tax assessment notice is yet available: In the case of a pension: pension certificateIn the case of sufficient resources without employment: proof of health insurance (insurance card or membership certificate) and sufficient resources (e.g. through assets or other income)

Please note

• The documents submitted (such as proof of identity and language certificates) will be checked for authenticity. Forgeries will be reported to the police.
• Further documents may be required in individual cases.

Legal basis

§ Section 4a Freedom of Movement Act/EU
§ Section 2 (2) of the Freedom of Movement Act/EU
§ Section 5 (5) of the Freedom of Movement Act/EU