If you are a civil servant employed by a German government agency and are residing in Germany to perform your official duties, you generally hold a temporary residence permit. You can apply to extend your residence permit when it is about to expire and you wish to continue your service within Germany.

You should apply for an extension of your residence permit no later than eight weeks before it expires at the Foreigners’ Registration Office responsible for your place of residence.

The same requirements apply to the extension as to the initial issuance. This means that you must still be employed as a civil servant by a German employer and intend to remain in Germany to fulfill your official duties.

If your residence permit is extended, it will again be issued for a limited period. The duration of the extension depends on the planned duration of your service.

The involvement of the Federal Employment Agency is not required for the renewal of your residence permit.

Under certain circumstances, you may have been required to participate in an integration course when your residence permit was first issued. If this is the case, it must be taken into account when extending your residence permit. If you have not yet participated in an integration course, the Foreigners’ Registration Office may reject your application for renewal of the residence permit. If you have not yet completed the integration course, your residence permit will generally be extended for only one year at a time until you successfully complete the course or provide proof that you have otherwise integrated into social and community life.

If you have held a residence permit for the purpose of performing official duties for a German employer for three years, you are entitled to be granted a permanent residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis). In this case, the requirement to have paid contributions to the statutory pension insurance for at least 60 months or to provide proof of eligibility for comparable benefits is waived.