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DE

Ausländerbehörde (immigration office)

Termin (appointment) at the Ausländerbehörde: what you need to know

What this letter means

The Ausländerbehörde invites you to an appointment (Termin). Often it is about your application, about fingerprints for the electronic residence permit, or about collecting the card.

Sometimes the authority orders that you must come in person (§ 82 Abs. 4 AufenthG). Then the appointment is compulsory.

The invitation says which papers you should bring. Without these papers, the authority often cannot process your application.

What to do now

  1. 1Write the date, time and room in your calendar.
  2. 2Get all papers from the list ready, as originals and as copies.
  3. 3Bring your passport and your current Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit) or your Fiktionsbescheinigung.
  4. 4If you cannot come, write to the authority beforehand, in German, and give the reason.
  5. 5If you speak little German, ask whether you may bring someone to translate for you.

How you can reply

Attend the appointment

Arrive on time and bring all documents.

Cancel the appointment and ask for a new one

If you are ill or have another important reason. Send proof. Write in German. The templates (Vorlagen) on this site are in German.

Common questions

What happens if I do not come to the appointment?

Your application may be delayed. If the authority has ordered you to come in person, it can also enforce this (§ 82 Abs. 4 AufenthG). So always cancel beforehand if you cannot come.

My permit expires before the appointment. What now?

If you applied for the extension before it expired, your permit stays valid until the authority decides (§ 81 Abs. 4 AufenthG). Ask for a Fiktionsbescheinigung.

May I bring someone with me?

In administrative procedures you may bring a person to support you (Beistand) (§ 14 Abs. 4 VwVfG and the laws of the federal states). Ask beforehand whether this is possible in practice at your authority.

Sources (German law and official pages)

  1. § 82 AufenthG: Mitwirkung des Ausländers
  2. § 81 AufenthG: Beantragung des Aufenthaltstitels
  3. § 14 VwVfG: Bevollmächtigte und Beistände

Research as of: 10 November 2026