Changing Residence Title and Purpose of Stay

In order to obtain a residence permit in Germany, you must generally enter the country with the correct visa. This means that the purpose of your visa must match the purpose of your stay. For example, if you are travelling with a student visa, you should apply for a residence permit for students at the immigration office after entering the country.

If your situation changes and you wish to change to a different residence title, you can apply for a ‘change of purpose’ (Zweckwechsel) at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde). This could be the case, for example, if you have married or found a job while studying in Germany.

Please note: In some cases, you may have to travel back to your country of origin to apply for the new visa. Whether or not this is necessary depends on the original purpose of entry and residence, the individual case and the procedure of the relevant immigration office. Some purposes of residence allow for an easier change, such as a change to a residence permit for skilled workers, while for others a change may be more difficult or even impossible.

The GGUA Refugee Aid has compiled a table on the change of purpose. The table shows which changes should be possible without having to undergo a visa procedure again. 

Please note that the overview does not provide a guarantee and the decision of the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) always depends on the individual case at hand. You can seek advice from a counselling centre or a lawyer.

• Red: A change is legally not possible.
• Yellow: A change is normally not possible, but can be made possible in exceptional cases. 
• Green: A change is possible, but in many cases is at the discretion of the Immigration Office

Good to know: If you have to repeat the visa procedure, it is a good idea to obtain a written confirmation from the immigration authority beforehand (pre-approval). This way you know that you are certain to be granted the desired residence permit after the visa procedure. You can also get help from advice centres or lawyers. Prior approval can also be useful if you do not have to repeat the visa procedure but, for example, want to end your enrolment or quit your job because you want to change your residence permit.

Since 18 November 2023, it has been easier to obtain a residence permit for skilled workers with recognised vocational training certificates (Section 18a of the Residence Act) or for skilled workers with a university degree (Section 18b of the Residence Act). If your qualifications are recognised in Germany and you meet the requirements, you are entitled to a residence permit. Changing to these residence permits has also been less complicated since 1 March 2024. This also applies to people who have a recognised qualification and are in Germany without a visa - for example, because they have a residence permit in another Schengen state. You can find out which requirements apply to residence permits in accordance with Sections 18a and 18b of the Residence Act on our page ‘Visa and residence as a skilled worker’. You can see which residence permits you should be able to switch from in the GGUA table.

Good to know: Under the new regulations, residence permits apply to any qualified employment. Qualified means that a minimum of two years of vocational training is required. Additionally, this training must be recognised in Germany. The salary must also be sufficiently high. This means that you must be able to support yourself. Your income must therefore be high enough that you are not entitled to social benefits under the German Social Code Book II (SGBII). In addition, there no longer needs to be a formal connection between the training and the employment, meaning you can also pursue qualified work which does not correspond to your degree.

The purpose of your visa should match the purpose of your stay in Germany. For a longer-term stay, you should have entered Germany with a national visa, e.g. for the purpose of work, study, training or recognition of your professional qualifications. You will then receive a corresponding residence permit from the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde).

However, if you have entered the country on a Schengen visa, which is only issued for short stays, there are hardly any options for changing to a longer-term national visa.

Changing from a Schengen visa to a national visa is generally only possible in a few exceptional cases. There are very strict prerequisites for this.

This can be the case if leaving the country is not possible for humanitarian reasons (e.g. illness) or force majeure conditions (lack of travel connections, armed conflicts)  according to Section 6 Paragraph 2 Sentence 2 of the Residence Act. But the Schengen visa can also be extended as a national visa for major personal reasons or to protect political interests.

Please note that these exceptions are only made very rarely and, in practice, it’s advisable not to expect them.

Here are a few examples of this, but they are almost impossible in practice:

Change to a study permit (Section 16b AufenthG)

If you come to Germany with a Schengen visa or without a visa for a short stay and want to study here, you can theoretically change your residence title (Section 16b of the Residence Act). In practice, however, this is almost impossible. Processing often takes longer than your authorised stay. You will therefore have to leave the country and you will no longer be issued a residence permit. You will also have to prove that you had not planned to change your Schengen visa to a student visa before you entered the country.

You can find more information on student visas and residence on our topic page ‘Visa and residence for the purpose of studying’.

Change to a visa as a skilled worker ( Section 18a or Section 18b (1) of the Residence Act)

If you come to Germany with a Schengen visa (visitor visa) and find a job as a skilled worker after entering the country, you can try to apply for a residence permit at the immigration office. But here too, processing often takes longer than your authorised stay. In most cases, you will have to leave the country and you will no longer be issued a residence permit. As with the student visa, you must also prove that you had not planned to change your visa before entering the country.

Please also note: If you have already been in contact with an employer for the position before you arrive in Germany, you will probably be told that you should have applied for a visa before your arrival.

Good to know: In the case of a visa-free short stay, you can receive a ‘fictitious certificate’ from the immigration office under certain conditions. This means that you will receive a temporary residence permit until a decision has been made on your application. However, this only applies if you are a citizen of Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom or the USA - and if you are therefore not obliged to complete the visa procedure. 

You can also find additional information on residence as a skilled worker in our topic pages ‘National visa type D’ or ‘Visa and residence as a skilled worker’.

Yes, that is possible– and it is known as the “simplified change of purpose”. This means that you can change your training place if you inform the relevant Immigration Office and they agree. Please note, however, that special regulations may apply to certain specific training courses, e.g. training to become a speciality chef (Section 19 c Paragraph 1 of the Residence Act). You can find more information about training in our chapter “Visa for Vocational training”.

Yes, you can now switch from a student residence permit to almost all other employment residence permits.

There is one restriction (according to Section 16 b Paragraph 4 of the Residence Act): if you want to switch residence permit before completing your studies, you cannot switch to certain temporary jobs, for instance, au pair, voluntary service, speciality chef, or language teacher, according to Sections 10-15 of the Employment Ordinance. However, you can switch to other skilled workers residence permits if you and the job you are seeking meet the respective requirements. The same also applies, for example, if you quit your studies.

Information and requirements for obtaining a residence permit for skilled workers can be found on our special page for skilled workers.

Please note: For all changes in the purpose of residence and especially in the event of discontinuing your studies, you should apply for a residence permit for work purposes while you are still studying (and hold a valid residence permit) and meet the requirements. You should, therefore, already have an employment contract before applying. Otherwise, you risk a gap in your legal residence and may be obliged by the Immigration Office to leave the country. 

Since November 2023, If you are a "recognised refugee" or have subsidiary protection status, you can obtain an EU Blue Card– a residence permit issued for skilled workers with a recognised university degree. To apply for an EU Blue Card, you need a job offer that corresponds to your qualifications. And the expected salary must be high enough. You can find out more in the chapter "EU Blue Card".

Please note: Before you give up your protected status, you have the opportunity to seek good advice. It is always a risk if your stay is ‘only’ linked to your job, studies or training.

Good to know: In 2013, the Federal Administrative Court confirmed that it is permitted to hold several residence permits at the same time. However, the Residence Act and the regulations of the immigration offices do not clearly state how exactly this should be implemented. This should not be an obstacle, however. Even though the court has made it clear that multiple residence titles are possible, the relevant authorities do not always implement this. Recent court judgements from cities such as Hamburg, Bayreuth and Hanover confirm this decision and refer to the 2013 ruling. Discuss this with the immigration authority (Ausländerbehörde) and, if necessary, seek advice from a lawyer for your individual case.

Yes. If you have a residence permit in accordance with Section 24 of the Residence Act, you can apply for a different residence permit. . In order to do so, you must meet the requirements. You may, for example, apply for a residence permit as a skilled worker (according to §§ 18a, 18b Para. 1 Residence Act) or as a trainee (according to § 16a Residence Act).

Please note: There is a ban on switching residence permits for those who hold a stay permit for the purpose of studying (§ 16b), study-related internships within the EU (§ 16e), applying for higher education (§ 17 Para. 2), research (§ 18d), European Voluntary Service (§ 19e) and EU Blue Card (§ 18g). You are therefore not allowed to switch from Section 24 of the Residence Act to this residence title.

You can, however, still study with a residence permit according to § 24, but it is not possible to change to a residence permit for the purposes of studying. You could also obtain the EU Blue Card if you, as a skilled worker, obtain a residence permit under §18 a or b and give up your residence permit under §24. This way, your path to the EU Blue Card will be open again.

In general, whether it makes sense to give up your residence permit under §24 to perhaps switch to other residence permits that can enable you to obtain permanent residence always depends on the options available in your individual case.

Important: You have the opportunity to seek specialised advice. It is always risky to have your residence permit "only" tied to your job or training programme.

Good to know: . In 2013, the Federal Administrative Court confirmed that it is permitted to hold several residence permits at the same time. However, the Residence Act and the regulations of the immigration offices do not clearly state how exactly this should be implemented. But this should not be an obstacle. Even though the court has made it clear that multiple residence titles are possible, authorities do not always implement this. Recent court rulings from cities such as Hamburg, Bayreuth and Hanover confirm this decision and refer to the 2013 decision. Discuss this with the Immigration Office and, if necessary, seek advice from a lawyer.