Your Stay in Germany 

Once you arrive, we will continue to support you with your residence permit, everyday matters, and cultural integration. When your employment ends, we can guide you through the necessary steps, such as deregistration and changes to your residence status.

The Welcome Centers  at each location are also an important point of contact beyond our services. They can provide guidance on administrative procedures and connect you with local networks and authorities.

Residence Permit

If you are a non-EU citizen and wish to stay longer than 90 days, you must obtain a residence permit. If your visa is valid for the entire duration of your stay, you do not need to apply to the foreigner's office.

To obtain a residence permit, you must first register your German address with Resident Registration Office. Ideally you should do this as soon as possible, but no later than two weeks after your arrival.

These offices require you to submit a Wohnungsgeberbestätigung, which is a document signed by your landlord confirming your address in Germany. If your landlord does not have their own form, you can find templates online.

➜ Registration in Leipzig
➜ Registration in Halle
➜ Registration in Magdeburg
If you need help with the registration, please contact the International Office. 

You can apply for a residence permit online at the city’s Foreigners Office (find the links below). After submitting your application, you will receive an automatic reply confirming your submission. This preserves your existing residence title until the authority makes a decision, which can take months.

Note that if you wish to leave and return to Germany while your previous title has expired and the new one has not yet been granted, you will still need a so-called Fictitious Certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung).

Once your application has been processed, you will receive an invitation to a biometric appointment and a grant notice (Erteilungsbescheid). There, you will provide your fingerprints and pay the fees. It will take another four weeks before you can pick up your residence card.

Apply for


If you need help with the application, please contact the International Office.

Apply for

Currently, not all types of permit forms are offered as online services, and the website lacks an integrated English translation. If you need help with the application, please contact the Welcome Service of the Weinberg Campus Halle or your department´s secretary.

Apply for


Currently, not all types of permit forms are offered as online services. If you need help with the application, please contact the International Office.

After 5 years of having an employment in Germany and paying pension scheme you might be eligible for the permanent permit in Germany. Preconditions are B1 German language certificate, an integration certificate and a job contract of at least one year.

Settlement Permit for Blue Card Holders

If you own the Blue Card for 21 months with B1 German language certificate or 27 months with A1 German language certificate, you can apply for this type of permanent permit. Precondition is furthermore an integration certificate and another contract of at least one year.

Online application link Leipzig


Settlement Permit after Research

After three years of owning the research visa and with B1 German language certificate you could be eligible for the permanent residence permit. Precondition is again the integration certificate and another contract of at least one year.

Online application link Leipzig

➜ More Information about Settlement Permit

If you need help with the application, please contact the International Office.


Social Insurances

Social insurance is usually mandatory for all employees in Germany. Social security covers in Germany health insurance, pension schemes, unemployment benefit.

Therefore, researchers who are employed in Germany via an employment contract take part in the full German social security system. Researchers on a fellowship are generally exempt from the obligation to pay contributions to the German social security system. However, they normally have to be insured in a private health insurance scheme.

On the webpage of the research network EURAXESS  you find detailed explanations concerning all sorts of insurances in Germany.

Welcome Center Support

Welcome Centers provide guidance on administrative procedures, local services, and practical matters of everyday life. They are open contact points that you can visit at any time and offer support to help you settle quickly into your new professional and personal environment. As complementary information and advisory services, you are encouraged to make use of these centers to facilitate your start in the region.

Welcome Center Saxony-Anhalt
Welcome Service of the Weinberg Campus Halle
The Magdeburg Welcome ServiceWelcome Center Saxony-Anhalt