Converting your visa to residence permit/ Applying for a residence permit

What to do first?

• Usually (not always!) after you check in with the local authorities, within six months, Ausländerbehörde (Immigration Office) contacts you via snail mail.
• However, we recommend that you be proactive and contact them ASAP after you are done with accommodation and registration.

Zentrale Ausländerbehörde Landesverwaltungsamt (Saarbrücken, St. Ingbert etc.):
Dilinger Str. 67, 66822 Lebach
Phone: +49 681 501 00
Email: zab@lava.saarland.de

• In your email, please mention the following to avoid emailing back and forth, as the reply from the Immigration Office might take some time:
• Your name and date of birth
• The reason you have come to Germany and how long you plan to stay clearly stated
• Proof of registration to the local authority (Meldebescheinigung)
• Your passport and the page of D type visa page (if you have it) attached and the date your visa expires.

What happens after I contact them?

• Afterwards, you will receive an email from a person that's assigned to you, and will be requested to fill a form and bring the documents and the amount of money listed in the reply email. Your appointment details (time, date, place) will also be there along with a four digit number.
• The email reply could be in German, even if you have written in English. In that case, do not hesitate to ask for help!
• The documents requested could be as follows, however always pay attention to your individual email, as documents might differ for each case!
• Click here for a (sample) list of documents

  Nationalpass → Passport
  Aktuelles biometrisches Foto → Most recent biometric photo (usually taken within the last six months)
  Immatrikulationsbescheinigung → Student certificate
  Mietvertrag → Rental contract
  Nachweis über Sicherstellung des Lebensunterhalts → Proof of securing livelihood - could be your contract that shows your salary, or could be your bank statement etc.
  Nachweis Krankenversicherung → Proof of health insurance
  Beigefügten Antrag, vollständig ausgefüllt und unterschreiben → Attached form, filled and signed
  

How do I get there and what do I do once I arrive?

• The Immigration Office is not in Saarbrücken. However, you can take the tram from Saarbrücken, and get off at the station Lebach-Jabach. You can use www.saarfahrplan.de to check out the public transportation.
• When you arrive, there could be a queue in front of the building. It is advised to print out your appointment indicating email. When you enter the building, you will be forwarded to one of the machines in the waiting room. There you can enter the four digit number you have received in the email, and be placed in a queue.
• There is a monitor in the waiting room which displays the four digit number and the number of a room. In case you are not sure where the room could be, the staff there will be able to help you.