Cancellation of the residence permit, § 51 AufenthG
<p><strong>Your residence permit usually expires if:</strong></p>
<ul>
 <li>You leave the country for a reason that is not merely temporary, for example
  <ul>
   <li>Attending school abroad</li>
   <li>Working abroad</li>
   <li>Caring for a family member abroad</li>
   <li>Marriage abroad</li>
   <li>Settling abroad</li>
  </ul></li>
 <li>You leave Germany and do not re-enter within six months or a longer period specified by the Foreigners Office (exception: you fulfil a compulsory military service in your home country and re-enter Germany within three months of completing it).</li>
</ul>
<p>Exception:</p>
<ul>
 <li>you fulfil a compulsory military service in your home country and re-enter Germany within three months of completing it.</li>
</ul>
Abroad Blue Card Cancel Cancellation Compulsory Electronic Exceptions Expiry Leaves Permanent residence permit Permanent residence permit-EG Residence Residence permit Settlement Settlement permit Stay abroad Temporary country leave permits

# Cancellation of the residence permit, § 51 AufenthG

## Summary

You need a certificate for longer stays abroad. The certificate is necessary, otherwise your residence permit may lose its validity.
## Description

**Your residence permit usually expires if:**

* You leave the country for a reason that is not merely temporary, for example
  + Attending school abroad
  + Working abroad
  + Caring for a family member abroad
  + Marriage abroad
  + Settling abroad
* You leave Germany and do not re-enter within six months or a longer period specified by the Foreigners Office (exception: you fulfil a compulsory military service in your home country and re-enter Germany within three months of completing it).

Exception:

* you fulfil a compulsory military service in your home country and re-enter Germany within three months of completing it.

## Responsible Department

KVR
## Required Documents

* Valid passport or passport substitute
* Proof of the reason for departure (e.g. posting abroad by the employer)
* Proof of a secure livelihood
* Proof of adequate health insurance
* proof of the current monthly costs for your flat, if applicable

## Please Note

Please come to the Foreigners Office **in good****time****before** the start of a longer stay abroad, as we are generally unable to issue you with a certificate once you have left the country.

## Fee Range

18 Euro

## Legal Basis

§ Section 51 Residence Act

## Questions and Answers

 
### Settlement permit

 

As a rule, the settlement permit does not expire if:

* You are married to a German national or live in a registered civil partnership. In this case, you must submit a joint declaration stating that your marriage or registered civil partnership continues to exist abroad and will continue to exist after re-entry into Germany.
* You have been legally resident in Germany for at least 15 years, have reached the age of 60 and are re-entering the country within twelve months. The same applies to your spouse's settlement permit if they have also reached the age of 60.
* You have been legally resident in Germany for at least 15 years and your livelihood is secure even after re-entry. In this case, the settlement permit of your spouse or registered partner living in cohabitation will also remain valid.
   
### EU Blue Card

 

The EU Blue Card only expires if you leave Germany for longer than twelve months. The same applies to your family members if they have a residence permit for family reasons.

   
### EU permanent residence permit

 

As a rule, your EU permanent residence permit will expire if

* You stay in Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark or outside the European Union for a period of **twelve consecutive months** . The period is **24 consecutive months** if you were previously in possession of an EU Blue Card **or**
* You are staying **in****another country of the European Union** (with the exception of Great Britain, Ireland and Denmark) for a period of **six years**.
   
### ICT card

 

As a rule, the ICT card does not expire if you carry out part of the internal company transfer in another country of the European Union.  


   
### Students

 

The residence permit according to §16 AufenthG with the addition "Student" does not expire if you wish to complete part of your studies in another country of the European Union. This part of your studies must take place within the framework of a Union programme or a multilateral programme with mobility measures or on the basis of an agreement between two or more universities.  


   
### Researchers

 

The residence permit according to §20 AufenthG with the addition "researcher" does not expire if you carry out part of your research work in another country of the European Union.  


   
## Further Links

* [General Data Protection Regulation](https://stadt.muenchen.de/infos/dsgvo-datenschutzgrundverordnung.html)
* [Residence permit](https://stadt.muenchen.de/service/info/info/?query=aufenthalt)
* [Contact form](https://service.muenchen.de/intelliform/forms/01/02/02/abhkontakt/index)

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