Residence permit

Important: the Foreigner's Office in Lebach currently has very long processing times and waiting times for appointment requests.
The Welcome Center of Saarland University has no influence on the allocation of appointments at the Foreigner`s Office!

Central Foreigner's Office (Ausländerbehörde)
Dillinger Straße 67 / Building 2, 66822 Lebach
+49 (0)681/501-00 or zab@lava.saarland.de

While a visa will allow you to enter Germany and stay for a period of up to 90 days, a temporary residence permit is required if you are planning to stay for longer than three months. If you are not an EU national, you will need to apply to the Foreigners' Registration Office (Ausländerbehörde) for a temporary residence permit. Selected few countries allow students from non-EU countries to enter without a visa and then to apply for a residence permit within 90 days. If you are unsure whether you need a visa, please contact the Welcome Center.

It is best to make an appointment to apply for or to extend your residence title in Saarland six to eight weeks before your visa expires. In the case of visa-free entry, it is best to apply for the title immediately after entry. In both cases, please make an appointment for this at the Foreigners' Office in Saarland. It is not possible to visit the Foreigner`s Office without an appointment.
Together with your appointment, you will receive a list of documents that you must bring with you.

You did not yet receive an appointment?

Please note: The Welcome Center of Saarland Universtiy has no influence on the allocation of appointments at the Foreigner's Office!
However, we are of course happy to help students and employees of the university with any questions they may have. You can also contact us if you do not hear back from the Foreigner's Office for a longer period of time. The Welcome Center can then send a request to the Foreigner's Office on your behalf. To do this, we need the following documents from you as a scan:

  • Passport
  • Current visa or residence permit (in case of visa free entry: entry stamp)
  • Certificate of registration from the city hall (Bürgeramt)
  • Proof of health insurance
  • Proof of financing (e.g. blocked account)
  • for students: certificate of enrolment

Please copy the following sentence into your email so that we have permission to contact the Foreigner's Office on your behalf: "I hereby authorise the Welcome Center of Saarland University to forward my request or appointment request to the Foreigner's Office."

This request by the Welcome Center is an additional service of the University, as an assistance for our international students and staff. However, we cannot guarantee that a request through us will be processed faster by the Foreigner's Office.