Settlement permit: when you can get it
Choose your route and enter your months on a permit and of pension contributions: the calculator shows what is left until permanent residence.
Settlement permit
20 months to go
Counted from today: June 2028
| Time holding a permit: required | 60 months |
| Pension contributions: required | 60 months |
| Language level: required | B1 · met |
| Fee (s. 44 AufenthV) | €113 |
The periods are set by the Residence Act; the foreigners authority decides. For protected persons the time of the asylum procedure counts.
Prepared by Radif Partners · Method · BAMF question catalogue of 7 May 2025 · laws checked on 22 October 2026
The settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) is Germany’s permanent residence title. On the general route under section 9 of the Residence Act it requires 5 years on a residence permit, 60 months of compulsory pension contributions, German at B1, basic knowledge of the legal and social order and a secure livelihood. Skilled workers get there faster under section 18c: 3 years and 36 contribution months, or 2 years and 24 months with a German qualification. EU Blue Card holders need 27 months with A1 German or 21 months with B1. Recognised refugees receive it under section 26(3) after 5 years with A2 or 3 years with C1, spouses of Germans under section 28 after 3 years. The fee under section 44 of the Residence Ordinance is between €113 and €147. You do not need it to naturalise: after 5 years a temporary permit is usually enough.
Periods by route
The table shows what the calculator applies for each route. Further conditions apply everywhere, such as a secure livelihood, adequate housing and no grounds for expulsion; the details are in section 9 of the Residence Act and the specific provisions.
| Route | Months on permit | Pension months | German | Provision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General route | 60 | 60 | B1 | § 9 |
| Skilled worker | 36 | 36 | B1 | § 18c Abs. 1 |
| Skilled worker with a German qualification | 24 | 24 | B1 | § 18c Abs. 1 |
| EU Blue Card, with B1 | 21 | 21 | B1 | § 18c Abs. 2 |
| Asylum or refugee status | 60 | no fixed number | A2 | § 26 Abs. 3 |
| Spouse of a German | 36 | no fixed number | B1 | § 28 Abs. 2 |
For skilled workers under section 18c, time on a skilled-worker title counts; with a German degree or vocational qualification you get there after two years. For protected persons under section 26(3), time in the asylum procedure is credited, and the livelihood only has to be mostly secured on the five-year route and very largely secured on the three-year route. For spouses of Germans under section 28(2), the family unit must continue.
An example
An employee without a specific skilled-worker title has held a residence permit for 50 months and has 44 contribution months. On the general route she is 10 months of residence and 16 contribution months short, so she can apply in 16 months at the earliest if she keeps working. By then she will also have the 5 years for citizenship; whether the settlement permit is still worth it depends on whether she wants to become German.
Your months to a settlement permit
Settlement permit
30 months to go
| Time holding a permit: required | 60 months |
| Pension contributions: required | 60 months |
| Language level: required | B1 · met |
| Fee (s. 44 AufenthV) | €113 |
Settlement permit or straight to citizenship?
Both are permanent, but only citizenship brings the vote, a German passport and protection from expulsion. A settlement permit lapses if you leave Germany for more than six months unless the authority has allowed longer. Its advantage is timing: for skilled workers and Blue Card holders it often comes years before citizenship. If you need certainty sooner, for a loan or a change of employer, take it; if you will soon reach 5 years, check the citizenship requirements directly.
Fees under section 44 of the Residence Ordinance: €147 for highly qualified people, €124 for the self-employed, €113 otherwise. Naturalisation costs €255 by comparison.
What it means, applying and renewing the card
Section 9(1) of the Residence Act defines it in one sentence: the settlement permit is a permanent residence title, and conditions may only be attached where the Act expressly allows them. You can take any job and change employer without asking the foreigners’ authority.
You apply to the foreigners’ authority where you live, using a form, an online service or an appointment depending on the city. There is no single national application form. Almost everywhere you need your passport, a biometric photo, your pension insurance record, proof of income and housing, the language certificate and proof of basic knowledge. For the last point, section 9(2) says a successfully completed integration course is enough, meaning a passed language exam and a passed Leben in Deutschland test.
You never renew the settlement permit itself. Only the card it is printed on is renewed: under section 78 of the Residence Act the electronic residence card shows a period of validity, for permanent titles the technical life of the card. When it expires, or when you get a new passport, ask the authority for a new card; your right to stay does not change.