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Permanent Residence in Germany
For people from outside the European Union, the Niederlassungserlaubnis is the main permanent residence permit in Germany. Unlike most residence permits, it has no time limit, it allows any kind of work, and it is not tied to a particular employer. It is issued by the local immigration authority, which in Berlin is the Landesamt für Einwanderung. The conditions depend on the permit a person already holds and have been changed several times in recent years, so the details below are only a sketch. In general, applicants need to have lived legally in Germany for a certain number of years, to have paid into the statutory pension scheme for a corresponding period, to support themselves without public benefits, to have adequate housing, and to show German at least at level B1 and basic knowledge of the legal and social order, often through the Leben in Deutschland test. Skilled workers and EU Blue Card holders can usually qualify sooner than others. In large cities, the hardest part is often getting an appointment: slots are released online and booked quickly. While an application is pending and an old permit expires, the office issues a Fiktionsbescheinigung, which confirms that the applicant may stay. The permit itself is printed by the Bundesdruckerei as a card with a chip, the elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel.