The costliest leaving mistake is silently going away for over half a year and losing your hard-won settlement automatically, without a single warning. With the slightest chance of returning, 30 minutes at the immigration office BEFORE leaving preserve years of your status.
Leaving: What Happens to Your Permit
Permits and settlement expire with a long absence — usually over 6 months. Leaving for long but want to keep your status? There is an application for a longer absence, filed BEFORE departure.
✓ Verified: 15/08/2026
WHAT TO DO
AUTHORITY
Ausländerbehörde (ABH)
Municipal authorityThe Ausländerbehörde for your registered address is the one responsible. Enter your postcode and we will show yours.
Where to go in your city →
› Details and tips
👨🏻💻
Max recommends:
Before a one-year secondment I filed an application to keep the settlement permit — the absence permission came. An acquaintance left silently for 8 months and returned without settlement, starting over.
👩🏼💼
Lea recommends:
The 6-month rule counts actual absence, not the calendar: short visits to Germany during it can interrupt the period. Discuss the exact approach with the office — the wording decides.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I am leaving for good — must I do anything with the permit? ▾
Formally no: it expires by itself. But return the eAT to the office or mention leaving at deregistration — a clean closure, important if you ever want a new permit.
Away a year for work but want to keep settlement — possible? ▾
Yes: file an application for a longer absence at the office BEFORE leaving, with justification. After the fact, once the status has expired, restoring it is nearly impossible.
Is citizenship also lost when leaving? ▾
No: German citizenship does not lapse on leaving. This applies only to residence permits. If you naturalised, leave freely, the passport stays.