Guidance

Residence documentation for UK nationals in Germany

Updated 31 December 2020

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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/germany-residency/residence-documentation-for-uk-nationals-in-germany

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If you were legally resident in Germany before 1 January 2021, your rights will be protected by the Withdrawal Agreement.

Get a residence document

If you were legally resident in Germany by 1 January 2021, you should obtain a new residence document (Aufenthaltsdokument-GB). To get this document you must report your residence to your local Foreigners Authority (usually called Ausländerbehörde).

The official deadline for reporting your residence was 30 June 2021. Your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement will not be affected if you did not meet the deadline. However, we recommend that you obtain your new card as soon as possible as it will make it easier to prove your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement. You will need to be able to do this in various situations in future, such as for international travel, job applications or benefit claims.

You should contact your local Foreigners Authority to find out how to obtain your residence document. There are over 600 Foreigners Authorities issuing residence documents throughout Germany, so processes may differ from town to town. You can also check links listed on this page to see if your Foreigners Authority has published guidance for UK nationals.

If you are having difficulty completing the process of obtaining a new residence document you can contact our UK nationals support fund partners IOM and SSAFA for assistance.

You will need a valid UK passport when you request your new residence document. Check with your local Foreigners Authority if they have a minimum passport validity requirement. Find out how to renew your UK passport from Germany.

If you have dual British and German citizenship, the German Interior Ministry advises that you do not need this residence document as you are classed as German.

Register as a frontier worker

If you regularly commuted from another EU or EFTA country to work in Germany before 1 January you must apply for a new frontier worker document (Aufenthaltsdokument für Grenzgänger-GB) at the local Foreigners Authority for your workplace. Read our guidance for frontier workers.

Find more information on residence documents and other topics if you live in Germany:

Guidance for UK nationals from Foreigners Authorities

The list in alphabetical order of town/county (Stadt/Landkreis)

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