Non-EU migrants advised to apply early as Germany rolls out biometric permits

16-08-2011

From September 1^st 2011, Germany will update its residents’ permits in line with current practice across the rest of the European Community (EC).

The new electronic residence title (eAT) will be in ‘credit card’ format and will contain a data chip with the finger prints and the biometric photo of the bearer. This will replace the passport ‘sticker’ currently used.

The new document will be valid for periods in excess of 1 month and covers the following residence titles:

/ Residence permits

/ Settlement permits

/ Permanent right of residence in the EC

/ Residence card for 3rd country family members of an EC citizen or European Economic Area country citizen

/ Permanent residence card for 3rd country family members of an EC citizen or European Economic Area country citizen

/ Residence permit for Swiss citizens and their 3rd country family members, if they go for an eAT

The new electronic residence title in credit card form will be produced in the Bundesdruckerei (Federal printing bureau). This will result in a wait of between 4-6 weeks between the application and handover of the document.

This means the citizens of the privileged countries who can normally enter Germany without a visa, will not be allowed to work in Germany until they have received the new electronic residence title.

These countries are listed below:

/ Australia

/ Israel

/ Japan

/ Canada

/ New Zealand

/ South Korea

/ USA

Citizens of the nations listed above now face a 4-6 week wait where previously they could work straightaway. We therefore recommend that citizens of these countries apply for a work visa in their home country to ensure they will be able to resume work as soon as they enter Germany.

Please note that this applies to new applications only, old residence permits in the sticker format will remain valid until 31.08.2021.