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Chancenkarte expiring Oct 12 – Freelance Visa still pending, urgent advice needed
Hello everyone,
I’m in Berlin on a Chancenkarte that will expire Oct 12, 2025. I applied for a freelance visa (as a Pilates/Barre coach) on June 1, again on Aug 6, and two more with an urgent request on Sep 1 and 22 — but I still haven’t received an appointment.
I now have three intention letters from studios who want to work with me starting September, and I’m worried because my Expatrio bank account will also be blocked after Oct 12 unless I can upload a new residence permit or a Fiktionsbescheinigung.
My questions are:
- How long does it usually take to get a Fiktionsbescheinigung once the application is pending?
- Is there a way to secure one quickly before my Chancenkarte expires?
- Has anyone managed to keep their Expatrio account active with proof of application instead of the new card?
- I spoke with a lawyer who quoted me €2,000 total to handle both (a) pushing for a Fiktionsbescheinigung before Oct 12, possibly through a legal case, and (b) the freelance visa process (3–6 months). 👉 Does that sound reasonable, and does hiring a lawyer really speed things up in practice?
Any advice or personal experiences would mean a lot right now — I feel time is very tight.
Thanks in advance 🙏
Evelyne
1 Comments
Welcome to our forum, and thank you for reaching out to us, @Evelyne
I’m really sorry to hear about your stressful situation. First of all, you did everything correctly by applying for a new type of residence permit before your current Chancenkarte expired. I assume you also submitted all the required documents for the freelance application.
Let me try to answer your questions according to your numbers:
1 Unfortunately, the timeframe depends very much on urgency. Have you tried contacting your caseworker directly or using the contact page? There you can request urgent issuance if you provide proof, for example that your bank account will be closed.
2 Since you submitted your documents on time, you are on the safe side. Even if your residence permit officially expired on the card, your stay remains legal until the foreigners department makes a decision on your application. After the expiration date, however, you should not travel outside Germany.
3 That’s a good idea. Get in touch with your bank and explain that your application is still being processed. At the end of your submission to LEA, you should have received a confirmation of application, which also states that your stay is legal until the process is completed.
4 Honestly, we don’t have much direct experience with lawyer fees, so I can’t say if that amount is reasonable. However, you can contact a migration counseling service in your area. You can type in your zip code and find the clostest one to you. They often have good insights into how the local foreigners departments work and can advise you on how to push for a Fiktionsbescheinigung more quickly.
Lastly, I recommend documenting every attempt you make to contact the foreigners’ department. That way, you always have proof that you tried to get in touch with them.I hope everything will be solved soon! Please let me know if you need help finding a suitable migration counseling center or have further questions.