Extend a residence title in Germany 2026: €93 or €96 fee

Costs€93.00 or €96.00§ 45 Nr. 2 AufenthV, nationwide

Processing timeapprox. 4 weeksCard production, plus waiting time for an appointment

MethodIn personOnline application possible depending on the federal state

DeadlineBefore expiry§ 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG

Required documents

What you need to bring

Valid passport or recognised passport substitute

Meeting the passport requirement is a general requirement for issue under § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 4 AufenthG and, via § 8 Abs. 1 AufenthG, also applies to the extension. Your passport should cover the entire extension period applied for: if it expires earlier, the Ausländerbehörde offices regularly limit the new title to the validity of the passport. Therefore, extend or renew your passport first at the diplomatic mission of your country of origin – issuing it there often takes several weeks and would otherwise delay your entire application for an extension.

Previous electronic residence title (eAT)

Bring your previous card in the original, together with the supplementary sheet (Zusatzblatt) if your ancillary provisions (Nebenbestimmungen) are recorded there. The authority needs it to compare the stored data and only invalidates it when the new title is handed over – until then, it remains your proof of residence. If the card has been lost or stolen or the chip is defective, this is not an extension but a case of issuing a new document: for this, § 45c Abs. 1 AufenthV provides for a separate fee of €67.00, which is also charged on expiry of the card’s technical service life. In the case of a chip defect, the fee does not apply if you did not cause the defect through improper handling or improper use (§ 45c Abs. 2 AufenthV).

Digital biometric photograph

Since 1 May 2025, only digital photographs have been processed for the electronic residence title; the transitional period for paper photos brought along ended on 31 July 2025. You have two options: a certified photographer uploads the photo in encrypted form to a cloud and gives you a Data Matrix code with which the authority retrieves it, or you have the photo taken directly at the self-service terminal in the authority – where you usually pay €6.00. A traditional passport photo on paper is no longer accepted at the counter.

Current proof of the purpose of residence

Which proof is required depends on the legal basis of your title: for employment, your employment contract that has not been terminated and the employer’s completed “Erklärung zum Beschäftigungsverhältnis” (declaration on the employment relationship); for studies, your current certificate of enrolment and, depending on your progress, a Leistungsnachweis (proof of academic performance); for family reunification, a marriage certificate or birth certificate (Geburtsurkunde) and the title of the family member you are joining. The documents must reflect the situation at the time of the decision – a contract from the previous year or an expired enrolment is not sufficient. The specific proof your authority wants to see is listed on its information sheet on the application for an extension.

Proof that your subsistence is secured

Under § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG, your subsistence must be secured without recourse to public funds; for this, the authorities usually require the payslips for the last few months, for self-employed persons the current business management evaluation (betriebswirtschaftliche Auswertung) together with the tax assessment notice, and for students the blocked account (Sperrkonto), a declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) or the scholarship award notice. What counts is the amount that remains after deduction of rent and social security contributions. If your income is not sufficient, the authority can refuse the extension or grant the title for a short period only – clarify any doubtful cases before your appointment.

Proof of adequate health insurance coverage

Under § 2 Abs. 3 AufenthG, adequate health insurance coverage is part of secured subsistence and is checked again at every extension. Insured persons with statutory health insurance present the current Mitgliedsbescheinigung (health insurance membership certificate) from their health insurance fund (Krankenkasse), not just the health insurance card; privately insured persons present the policy showing the scope of benefits and the term. Travel insurance and policies with a high deductible or a short term are often not recognised; obtain the certificate shortly before your appointment so that it covers the coming period.

Registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) and proof of residential space

The Ausländerbehörde compares your address with the population register (Melderegister); after a move, presenting the current registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) from the Bürgeramt (citizens’ office) is therefore an obligation, and many authorities also require your tenancy agreement as proof of sufficient residential space. Under the Federal Act on Registration (Bundesmeldegesetz, BMG), the Anmeldung (residence registration) itself must take place within two weeks of moving in (§ 17 BMG) and is free of charge. An outdated address is more than a formality: official notices (Bescheid), appointment notifications and the request to collect the new eAT are sent by post to your registered address.

Certificate of the integration course (if you are obliged to attend)

If you have been obliged to take part in an integration course, you should bring the certificate of attendance or the final certificate. Under § 8 Abs. 3 AufenthG, the decision on the extension must take into account whether the foreigner has duly fulfilled their obligation to take part; in the event of infringements, the Ausländerbehörde can shorten the period of validity or refuse the extension in accordance with the provision. The “Zertifikat Integrationskurs” (integration course certificate) also serves as proof of language skills for later applications for a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or naturalisation.

Step by step

How to proceed

1
Find the competent Ausländerbehörde and book an appointment
Only the Ausländerbehörde for your place of residence is competent – in independent cities (kreisfreie Städte) the municipal office, in a district (Landkreis) the district office (Landratsamt), in Berlin the Landesamt für Einwanderung (State Office for Immigration), in Hamburg the Amt für Migration (Office for Migration). Almost everywhere, appointments are allocated via an online portal; in large cities, waiting times are regularly several weeks to months, in smaller districts often only a few days. Therefore, book as soon as your title has only about three months left to run, and save the confirmation email. If you do not get an appointment before expiry, document your booking attempts with screenshots – and still make the application in writing (step 2).
2
Make your application before the expiry of the title – in a way you can prove
Legally, under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG, the only thing that counts is that the application for an extension reaches the authority before the expiry of your previous title – not that you have already attended in person. For this purpose, many Ausländerbehörde offices provide an online form or an application form to download, which you can submit by post, via the authority’s specialised online procedure or via the federal state portal. Ask for confirmation of receipt and keep the proof of postage or the acknowledgement of receipt: this date later decides whether the deemed continuation applies. In Berlin, online extension has been possible for employment purposes since 2 April 2025, on humanitarian grounds since 26 August 2025 and on family grounds since 23 March 2026.
3
Gather your documents and have a digital photograph taken
Work through your authority’s information sheet point by point and make sure that every proof is recently dated – the Mitgliedsbescheinigung from the Krankenkasse, payslips, enrolment and the employer’s declaration quickly become outdated. Obtain the biometric photograph digitally: either from a certified photographer, who uploads it to the cloud and gives you the Data Matrix code, or at the terminal in the authority, usually for €6.00. Put the originals and one copy of each in separate folders; many authorities keep copies and return the originals immediately.
4
Attend the appointment and have your biometric data recorded
At the appointment, your information is recorded, your documents are checked and the biometric features for the new card are captured: two fingerprints, your signature and the digital photograph. This capture must be done in person even where the application can be made online – for the eAT, there is no purely digital procedure without attending in person. Expect 15 to 30 minutes at the counter and bring all originals with you; if a proof is missing, the case is put on hold and you must submit it later or attend again. Mention at the appointment if you need a Fiktionsbescheinigung (provisional residence document).
5
Pay the fee
The fee is usually payable at the appointment. It amounts to €93.00 if the further stay covers more than three months and €96.00 for an extension of up to three months (§ 45 Nr. 2 AufenthV); for a change of the purpose of residence, it is €98.00 (§ 45 Nr. 3 AufenthV). Under § 50 Abs. 1 AufenthV, minors pay half. Find out in advance which means of payment are accepted – some authorities only accept EC cards, others only cash, and others send a fee notice for payment by bank transfer. Keep the receipt until the new title has been handed over.
6
Have a Fiktionsbescheinigung issued if your title expires
If your previous title expires before the decision, the Fiktionsbescheinigung documents its continued validity under § 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG to your employer, bank, Krankenkasse and border authorities. Under § 47 Abs. 1 AufenthV, it costs a uniform €13.00 nationwide, or €6.50 for minors. Check the endorsement on gainful employment immediately: it is your proof that you may continue working. Whether you can travel abroad and re-enter with the certificate depends on the reason for issue and the respective endorsement – clarify this with your Ausländerbehörde before every booking.
7
Collect and check your new electronic residence title
The card is produced centrally by the Bundesdruckerei (Germany’s federal printing company); the authorities state around four weeks for this – in Bremen, for example, the service portal entry gives approximately four weeks. You collect it in person with your passport, your old card and the collection notice; the old eAT is invalidated at that point. While still at the counter, check the period of validity, the legal basis and the ancillary provisions on the Zusatzblatt – such as the endorsement “Erwerbstätigkeit gestattet” (gainful employment permitted) – because later corrections cost you another appointment. You receive the PIN letter for the online ID function separately by post; keep it separate from the card.

Fee information

Costs and payment

Fees

Extension for more than three months€93.00 (§ 45 Nr. 2 Buchst. b AufenthV)

Extension for up to three months€96.00 (§ 45 Nr. 2 Buchst. a AufenthV)

Amendment due to a change of the purpose of residence€98.00 (§ 45 Nr. 3 AufenthV)

MinorsHalf: €46.50 / €48.00 / €49.00 (§ 50 Abs. 1 AufenthV)

Fiktionsbescheinigung€13.00, minors €6.50 (§ 47 Abs. 1, § 50 AufenthV)

Issuing a new document in the event of loss or a chip defect€67.00 (§ 45c Abs. 1 AufenthV); chip defect not caused by improper use: free of charge (§ 45c Abs. 2 AufenthV)

Means of paymentEC card, cash or bank transfer – depending on the authority

Unlike local authority fees, these amounts are set uniformly nationwide in the Ordinance Governing Residence – your Ausländerbehörde cannot deviate from them. Note the counter-intuitive scale in § 45 Nr. 2 AufenthV: an extension for a further stay of up to three months costs €96.00, whereas an extension for more than three months costs only €93.00. The short extension is therefore more expensive than the long one; anyone who budgets on the basis of “from €93” pays three euros more in the short case. If the purpose of residence changes – for example from studies to employment – neither the extension rate nor the issuing fee of €100.00 applies, but the separate fee item in § 45 Nr. 3 AufenthV of €98.00.

Reductions and exemptions: Under § 50 Abs. 1 AufenthV, minors always pay half the rates, i.e. €46.50 (instead of €93.00), €48.00 (instead of €96.00), €49.00 (instead of €98.00) and €6.50 for the Fiktionsbescheinigung. Turkish nationals entitled to association rights only pay, under § 52a AufenthV, the fee charged for a German identity card (Personalausweis) – since 7 February 2026, this has been €46.00 from the age of 24 and €27.60 below that age (§ 1 PAuswGebV). Under § 52 AufenthV, official acts are free of charge for, among others, recognised refugees and persons entitled to subsidiary protection (Abs. 3) and scholarship holders funded from public funds (Abs. 5). By contrast, § 52 Abs. 1 AufenthV only exempts spouses and minor unmarried children of Germans from the fee for the national visa, not from the extension fee. The authority only checks whether an exemption applies if you actively state the relevant facts – present the corresponding proof without being asked.

Good to know

Important notes

There is no statutory lead time – only the expiry date. § 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG makes continued validity depend solely on the application being made before the expiry of the title. The frequently cited “six to eight weeks” are a recommendation by the authorities, which varies between about four and eight weeks depending on the Ausländerbehörde; in large cities, the availability of appointments determines in practice how much lead time makes sense. So never wait for an appointment – if necessary, submit the application in writing.

The deemed continuation does not apply to Schengen visas. § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 2 AufenthG expressly excludes visas under § 6 Abs. 1 AufenthG. Anyone who is staying in Germany on a Schengen visa and applies for a residence title therefore does not acquire continued lawful residence as a result – and the deemed permission under § 81 Abs. 3 AufenthG does not apply either, because the Schengen visa is itself a residence title (BVerwG, judgment of 19 November 2019 – 1 C 22.18). So check carefully which document you hold before you rely on the legal fiction (Fiktionswirkung).

Applied late? There is a hardship rule. Under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 3 AufenthG, in the case of a late application, the Ausländerbehörde can order the continued validity of your previous title in order to avoid undue hardship. In addition, under § 81 Abs. 3 Satz 2 AufenthG, deportation is suspended from the submission of the application until the decision. So make the application immediately, explain the reasons for the delay in writing – illness, lack of appointments, postal delays – and enclose evidence.

Working during processing is protected, and for titles for education or economic activity even doubly so. Because your previous title is deemed to continue in its entirety under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG, the permission to pursue an economic activity linked to it also continues to apply. In addition, for a future title for education or economic activity (Chapter 2, Divisions 3 and 4 AufenthG), § 81 Abs. 5a AufenthG permits the economic activity described in that title from the time the issuance of the document is initiated until the document is handed out; this must be noted in the certificate. Show this endorsement to your employer – it is their proof of your employment permit.

A change in the purpose of residence is not an ordinary extension. If you switch from studies to employment, from vocational training to employment as a skilled worker or to family reunification, the authority re-examines the requirements of the new legal basis in full. In terms of fees, the case falls under § 45 Nr. 3 AufenthV at €98.00, because that provision expressly covers the amendment of the residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) brought about by a change in the purpose of residence, including its extension. State the change expressly in your application; otherwise the case will be reclassified later and delayed.

The integration course affects the extension. Under § 8 Abs. 3 AufenthG, the decision on the extension must take into account whether you have fulfilled your obligation to take part properly in the integration course. Anyone who drops out of the course without good reason or misses sessions must expect a shorter period of validity; under its requirements, the provision even allows the extension to be refused. So bring the certificate of attendance or final certificate with you without being asked.

Applying online: possible, but not everywhere. There is no uniform nationwide online extension. Berlin’s Landesamt für Einwanderung (State Office for Immigration) has opened up online extension step by step: for employment purposes since 2 April 2025, on humanitarian grounds since 26 August 2025, and on family grounds since 23 March 2026. Other federal states and local authorities at least offer online forms or digital appointment requests. In every case, the biometric capture still requires attending in person.

Processing time: no statutory deadline. Neither the AufenthG nor the AufenthV sets a time limit for the decision; the duration depends solely on the competent authority. As a realistic guide, authorities state around four weeks for producing the card – the Bremen service portal, for example, gives approximately four weeks. In large cities, there is also a waiting time of several weeks to several months for the appointment. So plan your application according to your authority’s appointment situation, not according to an average figure.

Avoid these mistakes

Common mistakes

Application made only after the expiry of the title. This means that the automatic continued validity under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG no longer applies: your stay is initially no longer covered by a title, employers must suspend your employment, and you face the obligation to leave the federal territory. However, the case is not lost – under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 3 AufenthG, the authority can order continued validity in order to avoid undue hardship, and § 81 Abs. 3 Satz 2 AufenthG suspends deportation from the submission of the application until the decision. Make the application immediately and give reasons for the delay in writing.

Budgeting on the basis of “from €93”. If you only receive a short extension of up to three months, you pay €96.00 under § 45 Nr. 2 Buchst. a AufenthV; for a change in the purpose of residence, it is €98.00. So bring enough cash or a card with a sufficient spending limit: if the fee is not paid at the appointment, some authorities put the case on hold, and production of the card only starts once payment has been received.

Bringing a passport photo on paper. Since 1 May 2025, only digital photographs have been accepted for the electronic residence title; the transitional period ended on 31 July 2025. Without the photographer’s Data Matrix code or a photo taken at the authority’s terminal, the card cannot be ordered – the appointment then ends without result, and in large cities the next available appointment is often weeks later, while your title keeps running down.

Renewing your passport too late. If your passport expires before the extension period you want has ended, the Ausländerbehörde regularly limits the new title to the validity of the passport – you pay the full fee for a considerably shorter stay and soon have to attend again. So deal with your passport first at your country’s diplomatic mission, whose processing times can be several weeks.

Submitting outdated proof or concealing a change in the purpose of residence. An enrolment from the previous semester, an expired insurance certificate or payslips from the previous year lead to a request for further documents; until the documents are complete, processing is suspended, and the Fiktionsbescheinigung may have to be extended for a fee. Anyone who only discloses a change in the purpose of residence at the appointment must have the case set up again – with a different legal basis and a different fee.

Not applying for a Fiktionsbescheinigung or not checking the endorsement. Without the certificate, after the expiry of your title you have no document with which you can prove your continued residence to your employer, Krankenkasse, bank or landlord – in practice, employers then suspend your employment as a precaution. Also check the endorsement on gainful employment: if it is missing or incorrect, have it corrected immediately before you leave the authority.

Frequently asked questions

Questions and answers

When do I have to apply for the extension?

There is no statutory lead time: § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG only requires that the application be made before the expiry of your previous title. Depending on the location, the Ausländerbehörde offices recommend about four to eight weeks of lead time, because in large cities the allocation of appointments is the real bottleneck.

How much does the extension of a residence title cost in 2026?

Under § 45 Nr. 2 AufenthV, the extension for a further stay of more than three months costs €93.00, whereas for a further stay of up to three months it costs €96.00. The short extension is therefore more expensive than the long one; under § 50 Abs. 1 AufenthV, minors pay half, i.e. €46.50 or €48.00.

What is the Fiktionswirkung (legal fiction) and when does it not apply?

If you apply for the extension before the expiry of your title, your previous residence title is deemed to continue from its expiry until the decision of the Ausländerbehörde (§ 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG). However, this deemed continuation (Fortgeltungsfiktion) does not apply to visas under § 6 Abs. 1 AufenthG, i.e. not to Schengen visas (§ 81 Abs. 4 Satz 2 AufenthG).

I made the application too late – what happens now?

In the case of a late application, the Ausländerbehörde can, under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 3 AufenthG, order the continued validity of your previous title in order to avoid undue hardship. In addition, under § 81 Abs. 3 Satz 2 AufenthG, deportation is suspended from the submission of the application until the decision. So make the application immediately and explain the reasons for the delay in writing.

Am I allowed to continue working during processing?

Yes, if your previous title permitted economic activity: since it is deemed to continue in its entirety under § 81 Abs. 4 Satz 1 AufenthG, the work permit also continues to apply. In addition, for a future title for education or economic activity (Chapter 2, Divisions 3 and 4 AufenthG), § 81 Abs. 5a AufenthG permits the economic activity described in that title from the time the issuance of the document is initiated until the document is handed out; this must be noted in the certificate.

Do I still need a passport photo on paper?

No. Since 1 May 2025, only digital photographs have been processed for the electronic residence title, either as a cloud upload by a photographer with a Data Matrix code or as a photo taken at the authority’s terminal. The transitional period for paper photos ended on 31 July 2025.

What applies if my purpose of residence changes?

A change of the purpose of residence, for example from studies to employment, is a separate fee item: for the amendment of the residence permit brought about by a change in the purpose of residence, including its extension, § 45 Nr. 3 AufenthV sets €98.00. So neither the extension rate of €93.00 nor the issuing fee of €100.00 applies.

Can I apply for the extension online?

That depends on your Ausländerbehörde. Berlin’s Landesamt für Einwanderung (State Office for Immigration) has enabled online extension for employment purposes since 2 April 2025, on humanitarian grounds since 26 August 2025 and on family grounds since 23 March 2026; the biometric capture still requires attending in person.

Extend a residence title

What you need to bring

How to proceed

Find the competent Ausländerbehörde and book an appointment

Make your application before the expiry of the title – in a way you can prove

Gather your documents and have a digital photograph taken

Attend the appointment and have your biometric data recorded

Pay the fee

Have a Fiktionsbescheinigung issued if your title expires

Collect and check your new electronic residence title

Costs and payment

Fees

Important notes

Common mistakes

Questions and answers

Related official procedures

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