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Settlement Permit for a Foreign Child at Age 16

GermanyLong-term residence

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

Official link

What exact status does accumulated residence lead to?

A settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis), an unlimited residence title, for a minor holding a family-reunification residence permit, granted notwithstanding the general § 9(2) conditions.

See recorded sources

What qualifying residence period is required and when does the period begin?

The child must have held the residence permit for five years when turning 16.

See recorded sources

Which types of residence count fully, partially or not at all where the official rules specify this?

Periods in which the child attended school outside Germany are, as a rule, not counted towards the five years.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Only the rule on schooling abroad is stated; no other counting rule was found for § 35.

What absence/continuity rules affect accumulation of the qualifying residence period?

A residence title expires if the holder leaves and does not return within six months (or a longer period set by the foreigners authority).

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • § 51(1) no. 7 AufenthG is the general expiry rule for residence titles; no route-specific absence rule was found.

What other major conditions apply, how is the status obtained, and what renewal, document-validity, retention or loss rules matter?

No entitlement if there is an expulsion interest based on the person's own conduct, a criminal conviction of a set severity in the last three years, or if livelihood is not secured without social benefits or youth welfare, unless the person is in training leading to a recognised school or vocational qualification. In these cases the settlement permit may still be granted or the residence permit extended. The official source does not state the application procedure.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The captured sources do not describe the application procedure or document/card validity for this permit.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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