How I got Permanent Residence in Germany fast in under 24 months of Stay

Exactly half a year ago, I obtained my new Residence Permit to stay permanently in Germany, just after 2 years of moving to this country. Being eligible to live in Germany as a permanent resident is not only a privilege that I am really grateful for, it is also a great benefit and motivation, one that has changed my life since positively.

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What is Niederlassungserlaubnis or German Permanent Residence?

According to Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge (the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees), Niederlassungserlaubnis or Permanent Residence permit allows one to stay:

• indefinitely in Germany and,
• 90 days in another European Union country per period of 180 days.

So needless to say, as a foreigner living in Germany, it is such a privilege and benefit to get this type of residence, in order to stay long-term:

• Without any EU passport requirements (I do not have to become a German citizen for the permanent stay)

• Without any visa sponsorships (I do not have to depend on any individual or organization to vow for me and sponsor my stay)

• Without any constraints, such as financial evidence or enrollment / employment contracts

Plus, you can be eligible for this type of residence after just under 24 months of stay in Germany. So why not?

All in all, this sounds FREEDOM, the kind of feeling that perhaps only foreigners living abroad might fully understand.

For me personally, this freedom means a lot: if I really want to, I can now take time off to find a new job or employer that aligns better with my personal goals and lifestyle, visit my family back in Vietnam for a longer period than a few weeks of vacation per year, etc. all done without the fear of losing my working visa sponsorship.

Yes, this is not only a freedom in employment, but also a freedom of movement and lifestyle.

Also, I was lucky to be eligible for this permanent residence just under 24 months of stay in Germany (which is by the way, not the case in Finland or the Netherlands where I used to live in).

I would like to share with you in today’s post how I prepared for and received my Permanent Residence permit in Germany in less than 24 months, so you can plan ahead for your move to, or your future stay in Germany.

My fast-track Permanent Residence in Germany timeline

Here’s my journey overview from when I planned my move to this great country of Germany to when I got my Niederlassungserlaubnis card:

• April-June 2022: looked for a new job in Germany to move over from the Netherlands

• August 2022: signed the job offer with my new employer in Germany, with the eligibility to obtain the EU-Blue card residence permit (this is extremely critical, more on this later)

• October 01, 2022: officially and physically moved myself and all my stuff from the Netherlands to Germany with the EU-Blue card 90-day entry visa.

• November 01, 2022: started work for the said employer, aka. my visa sponsor

• December 05, 2022: received my EU-Blue card 4-year-long residence permit card

• July 12, 2024 (20 months since moved to Germany): took my B1 German exam

• August 03, 2024: received my B1 German exam result that I passed it

• August 21, 2024 (almost 21 months since moved to Germany): submitted my application with all required documents via email to the Bürgeramt of Augsburg (the city I’ve been living in)

• October 29, 2024 (after 2 months of waiting): received my appointment with the Bürgeramt

• November 11, 2024: attended my appointment with the Bürgeramt, spoke some German with the lady who processed my application and paid 116,50 EUR in cash (only!)

• December 12, 2024: received the Permanent Residence permit card, starting to be a foreign resident with full freedom and control of my life

Bravo Germany!

Reflecting back, this is quite fast and smooth experience. The 2 months of waiting for the appointment can be frustrated a little, so my tips here are:

• Be patient and understanding, as the general workload is high and the waitlist is long
• Send gentle reminders once every month after the application, not to spam the office
• Write in German and explain the situation
• Prepare all documents well, so well no extra questions or corrections are needed. More on this right below!

Overview and Checklist of Requirements for the Application

My document overview and checklist might slightly differ from the standard requirements, and likely vary from city to city where you apply.

As I applied just last year 2024, the requirements are still the same as the requirements I checked at the time of writing this blog post.

Overview of Eligible Requirements

Please refer to Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge to check in general if you are eligible for the Niederlassungserlaubnis and contact the Bürgeramt of your City to check in specifics for their document requirements.

I tried to visualize the different requirements for different cases from the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees below:

As you can see from this comparison, obtaining the EU-Blue Card residence permit early can be a game changer to help you get to the Permanent Residence status earlier. This might change the trajectory of your future life plan in Germany.

👉Furthermore, it is actually even not as hard to be eligible for EU-Blue Card in Germany as in the Netherlands, for example.

To be qualified for EU-Blue Card, your gross annual salary needs to meet a certain threshold requirement: it is currently €48,300 as of 2025 for Germany (according to EU Blue Card), but it can be even lower for new job market entrants, and for IT jobs or professions with labor shortage.

Germany is in need of highly-skilled workers and in my opinion, they are doing great in incentivizing talents to come to work, compared to some other Western and Northern European countries. Just keep this in mind to prepare for the next salary negotiation!

👉 If EU Blue Card is the necessary condition, then the B1 language level is the sufficient condition. Therefore, you also need to start building up your knowledge and vocabulary pool as soon as possible.

💝 Speaking of learning vocabulary, I’d like to gift you this FREE list of the 500 most common, must-know German words that can help to assist you in your day to day life in Germany and perhaps prepare for your Permanent Residence application already.

You could also check your knowledge right away to see how many of these vocabulary you already know and beat the challenge bar in the worksheet.

Document Checklist

Next is the checklist of required documents from my case (in the city of Augsburg, the year 2024).

I stacked it against the case of another blogger Mert Bulan (in the city of Hamburg, the year 2022), just to offer some more helpful information.

👉The advice here is to prepare ALL the necessary documents that you can get your hands on, even if they might not be specified by the Bürgeramt Officer (better safe than sorry, friends!).

Despite the differences in timeframe and geography, the basic document requirement remains the same:

👉you need a job that pays in taxes and pension funds and,

👉you need a language proficiency proof.

HOT TIP: Check out the municipality website and get in touch with the Bürgeramt of your city to find out as soon as possible their local procedures and specific requirements, such as, you may have to book an appointment early in advance before the application process begins.

To summarize, I highlight these take-aways:

• It is a great privilege to obtain Permanent Residence in Germany. Even sweeter, it is such a wonderful and possible opportunity that you can do so half the standard time.
• You need an EU Blue-card permit to fast track this process, and it can be a good incentive to prepare well and early from your school time, job search, and salary negotiation.
• Apply as soon and as well as possible, when you are ready. Do all you can, then be patient.

Finally, enjoy the whole process and your stay in this wonderful country of Germany!

I hope you found this post helpful and that it gives you some motivations for your life plan in Germany and improve your German language skills faster.

If you would love to stay in touch with me to get updated on my tips and sharings of personal development and self-learning language journey, especially German and life in Germany, then sign up for MyA5Corner Newsletter below.

Enjoy and till next time!

Warmly yours,

Suani 😊