How to extend a three-year work permit

Hello,

I came to Germany initially in 2003 on a student visa. On graduation and a subsequent offer from a Germany employer (IT field), I got a three year work permit (affiliated to the same firm) in April 2005. I have been with the same firm and in April 2008, I have to renew my work permit. Any pointers on how this is done? Also, I have heard that one gets a BeschäftigungErlaubt (work permit independent of the firm) after having held a work permit fior three years and paying taxes. I am grateful for any help on how I could go about it.

Thanks!

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Or do a search on Niederlassungserlaubnis on Toytown - there is lots of information there.

The renewal process is usually done for you by your company.

You must have a Unbefristet (Unlimited permit that not locked to one company) Permit to change employers, Buy it requires a min. of 5-7 years.
Things are different for EU nationals, but your profile says "Indian", so none of those rules apply to you.

My original 5 year permit just expired last month. I got a 2 year extension in November. My company did some proof of employment paper work that I took down to the Einwohneramt along with my last 3 paycheck stubs and passport. There was a standard form that I had picked up earlier and filled out before hand. They also required a fresh passport photo. Other than a few clarifications about my first 5 months in Germany without a work permit, and a mysterious 1 month gap in my residence permission, there was not much I had to do. They gave me a 2 year extension on the spot. This was in Nuremberg.

I suggest asking your employer to help as much as possible. Oh - they would not let me apply for the extension until after Nov. 1st which was kind of scary, because if for some reason I couldn't get a new permit I would have only about 6 weeks to figure out what to do next.

Thanks a lot for the fast responses! I went today to the Ausländerbehörde in Bietigheim Bissingen (where I live) with a copy of my contract and salary slips. The lady gave me an Aufhenhaltserlaubnis Formular to fill in and asked me to come back with a biometrical photo - she mentioned she would have to find out from the Ludwigsburg Arbeitsamt (which is the regional Arbeitsamt) how the renewal of the Arbeitserlaubnis worked.

Not always. I did mine myself.

You have to wait until you have paid into the system for 60 months (5 years) before you can apply for an unlimited residence/work permit. I was confused about this too. But, when you apply for the permanent residence permit, it can take up to 3 months to get it back - so be sure you allow yourself enough time to do this and not let your current residence permit expire (or you will have to pay an extra 20€ for a temporary one). Once you have the permanent residence permit, you no longer have to have a separate work permit that is tied to your company, you are free to work wherever you want (in Gemany). This applies for Americans and, I assume, for anyone that is not an EU National.

The work permit issued initially had a three year validity - so now when i apply again, will they have to do all the market search over again or is that exempt?