Act on the Residence, Economic Activity and Integration of Foreigners in the Federal Territory
Residence Act

Übersetzung durch den Sprachendienst des Bundesministeriums des Innern

Laufende Aktualisierung der Übersetzung durch Daniel C Smith

Translation provided by the Language Service of the Federal Ministry of the Interior

Translation updated by Daniel C Smith

Stand: Die Übersetzung berücksichtigt die Änderung(en) des Gesetzes durch Artikel 2 (25) des Gesetzes vom 22.12.2011 (BGBl. I S. 3044)

Version information: The translation includes the amendment(s) to the Act by Article 2 (25) of the Act of 22.12.2011 (Federal Law Gazette I p. 3044)

© 2012 juris GmbH, Saarbrücken

Chapter 1 General provisions
Section 1Purpose of the Act; scope
Section 2Definitions
Chapter 2 Entry into and residence in the Federal territory
Part 1 General
Section 3Passport obligation
Section 4Requirement for a residence title
Section 5General preconditions for the granting of a residence title
Section 6Visa
Section 7Residence permit
Section 8Extension of the residence permit
Section 9Settlement permit
Section 9aEC long-term residence permit
Section 9bCrediting of residence periods
Section 9cSubsistence
Section 10Mutual effects of residence titles and applications for asylum
Section 11Ban on entry and residence
Section 12Area of application; subsidiary provisions
Part 2 Entry
Section 13Border crossing
Section 14Unlawful entry; exceptional visa
Section 15Refusal of entry
Section 15aAllocation to the Länder of foreigners who have entered the Federal territory unlawfully
Part 3 Residence for educational purposes
Section 16Further education; language courses; school education
Section 17Other educational purposes
Part 4 Residence for the purpose of economic activity
Section 18Employment
Section 18aResidence permit for the purpose of employment for qualified foreigners whose deportation has been suspended
Section 19Settlement permit for highly qualified foreigners
Section 20Research
Section 21Self-employment
Part 5 Residence under international law or on humanitarian or political grounds
Section 22Admission from abroad
Section 23Granting of residence by the supreme Land authorities; admission when special political interests apply
Section 23aGranting of residence in cases of hardship
Section 24Granting of residence for temporary protection
Section 25Residence on humanitarian grounds
Section 25aGranting of residence in the case of well integrated young people and adolescents
Section 26Duration of residence
Part 6 Residence for family reasons
Section 27Principles pertaining to the subsequent immigration of dependents
Section 28Subsequent immigration of dependents to join a German national
Section 29Subsequent immigration of dependents to join a foreigner
Section 30Subsequent immigration of spouses
Section 31Independent right of residence of spouses
Section 32Subsequent immigration of children
Section 33 Birth of a child in the Federal territory
Section 34Children's right of residence
Section 35Children's independent, unlimited right of residence
Section 36Subsequent immigration of parents and other dependents
Part 7 Special rights of residence
Section 37Right of return
Section 38Residence title for former Germans
Section 38aResidence permit for persons who possess the status of long-term residents in other Member States of the European Union
Part 8 Involvement of the Federal Employment Agency
Section 39Approval of employment for a foreigner
Section 40Grounds for refusal
Section 41Revocation of approval
Section 42Authorisation to issue regulations and instructions
Chapter 3 Integration
Section 43Integration course
Section 44Entitlement to attend an integration course
Section 44aObligation to attend an integration course
Section 45Integration programme
Chapter 4 Administrative provisions
Section 46Administrative orders
Section 47Prohibition and restriction of political activities
Section 48Obligations relating to identification papers
Section 49Verification, establishment and documentation of identity
Section 49aDatabase for found documents
Section 49bContents of the database for found documents
Chapter 5 Termination of stay
Part 1 Grounds establishing the obligation to leave the Federal territory
Section 50Requirement to leave the Federal territory
Section 51Termination of the lawfulness of residence; continued validity of restrictions
Section 52Revocation
Section 53Mandatory expulsion
Section 54Regular expulsion
Section 54aSurveillance of expelled foreigners for reasons of internal security
Section 55Discretionary expulsion
Section 56Special protection from expulsion
Part 2 Enforcement of the obligation to leave the Federal territory
Section 57Removal
Section 58Deportation
Section 58aDeportation order
Section 59Deportation warning
Section 60Prohibition of deportation
Section 60aTemporary suspension of deportation
Section 61Geographic restrictions; departure facilities
Section 62Custody awaiting deportation
Section 62aEnforcement of custody awaiting deportation
Chapter 6 Liability and fees
Section 63Obligations of transport contractors
Section 64Return transport obligation on the part of transport contractors
Section 65Obligations of airport operators
Section 66Parties liable for costs; furnishing of security
Section 67Scope of liability for costs
Section 68Liability for living expenses
Section 69Charges
Section 70Limitation of actions in respect of claims
Chapter 7 Procedural provisions
Part 1 Areas of competence
Section 71Competence
Section 71aJurisdiction and notification
Section 72Requirements for the involvement of authorities
Section 73Other requirements for the involvement of authorities in visa procedures and in the issuance of residence titles
Section 73aNotification of the issuance of visas
Section 74Involvement of the Federation; authority to issue instructions
Part 1a Transit
Section 74aTransit of foreigners
Part 2 Federal Office for Migration and Refugees
Section 75Duties
Section 76(revoked)
Part 3 Administrative procedures
Section 77Written form; exemption from formal requirements
Section 78Documents with an electronic storage and processing medium
Section 78aForms for residence titles in exceptional cases, identification card substitute and certificates
Section 79Decision on residence
Section 80Legal capacity of minors
Section 81Application for the residence title
Section 82Cooperation by the foreigner
Section 83Restriction of right of appeal
Section 84Effects of an objection and a legal action
Section 85Calculation of residence periods
Part 4 Data protection
Section 86Collection of personal data
Section 87Transfer of data and information to foreigners authorities
Section 88Transfer of data and information in the case of special statutory regulations on the use of data
Section 88aProcessing of data in connection with integration measures
Section 89Procedures applying to measures to investigate, establish and document a foreigner’s identity
Section 89aProcedural provisions for the database for found documents
Section 90Transfer of information by foreigners authorities
Section 90aNotifications by the foreigners authorities to the registration authorities
Section 90bData matching between foreigners authorities and registration authorities
Section 90cData transfer in visa procedures via the Federal Foreign Office
Section 91Storage and erasure of personal data
Section 91aTemporary protection register
Section 91 bTransfer of data by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees as the National Contact Point
Section 91cIntra-Community information in implementation of directive 2003/109/EC
Section 91dIntra-Community information in implementation of directive 2004/114/EC
Section 91eCommon provisions for the register for the purposes of temporary protection and intra-Community data transfer
Chapter 8 Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration
Section 92Office of the Commissioner
Section 93Duties
Section 94Scope of authority
Chapter 9 Provisions as to punishments for criminal offences and fines
Section 95Penal provisions
Section 96Smuggling of foreigners into the Federal territory
Section 97Smuggling of foreigners into the Federal territory resulting in death; smuggling for gain and as organised gangs
Section 98Provisions as to fines
Chapter 9a Legal consequences of unlawful employment
Section 98aRemuneration
Section 98bExclusion from subsidies
Section 98cExclusion from the award of public contracts
Chapter 10 Authorisation to issue statutory instruments; transitional and final provisions
Section 99Authorisation to issue statutory instruments
Section 100Linguistic adaptation
Section 101Continued validity of previous rights of residence
Section 102Continued validity of other measures under the law relating to foreigners and consideration of prior periods
Section 103Application of previous law
Section 104Transitional provisions
Section 104aRegulations governing old cases
Section 104bRight of residence for integrated children of foreigners whose deportation has been suspended
Section 105Continued validity of work authorisations
Section 105aProvisions as to the administrative procedure
Section 105bTransitional provision for residence titles issued according to a standard form
Section 106Curtailment of fundamental rights
Section 107City-state clause