DeutschElectronic Residence Permits (ERP‘s) from 01.09.2011
Starting from 01.09.2011, residence permits will be issued as separate documents in credit card format.
Electronic residence permits (ERPs) will be issued for the following forms of residence status documents:
- General residence permit
- Residence permit for non-EU citizens
- Permit for long-term EC residence
- Residence card for family members of EU citizens who are themselves not EU citizens
- Long-term residence card for family members of EU citizens who are themselves not EU citizens
- Residence permit for citizens of Switzerland
- Blue Card
This card will contain a chip on which
- personal data
- biometric data (facial picture and two fingerprints)
- data for electronic public services (electronic identification (eID)
- qualified electronic signature (QES)
- other stipulations in connection with the holder’s residence status (e.g. permission to work)
will be stored.
- Information of the Federal Printing Office re eID
(external PDF, not barrier-free, 313 KB) - Information regarding the qualified electronic signature
on the site of the Federal Network Agency
As fingerprints are also stored on the Electronic Residence Permit chip, it will in future normally be necessary for all applicants aged 6 years or over to attend at the office in person. The photograph must also be suitable for biometric purposes.
Please note that existing residence permits in sticker form will not be immediately replaced by the new ERPs. All existing residence permits of any kind will remain valid until expiry of their term or renewal of the holder’s passport, with an ERP only ordered when a renewal of the permit is applied for or the holder acquires a new passport.
The maximum period of validity is 10 years for residence permits of unlimited term. It is, however, also tied to the validity of the passport. In the case of residence permits of limited term, the validity date of the permit will apply.
There is as yet no information available on the costs.
ERPs will be issued exclusively by the Federal Printing Office in Berlin and then sent to the responsible aliens registration authority. Therefore, waiting times of around 4-6 weeks must be reckoned with. This means that aliens registration authorities will no longer be able to extend residence permits immediately on application. This also applies in the case of transfer to another passport.
Information sheets of the Federal Office for Migration on ERPs in various languages:
- ERP Information Sheet - Albanian (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 77 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Arabic (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 133 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Chinese (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 259 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - German (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 80 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - English (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 76 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Farsi (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 128 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - French (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 87 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Japanese (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 121 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Korean (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 71 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Portuguese (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 78 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Russian (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 192 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Serbian (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 153 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Spanish (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 76 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Turkish (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 158 KB)
- ERP Information Sheet - Vietnamese (PDF, external PDF, not barrier-free, 179 KB)