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Humanitarian stays
Subsidiary protection status
If you have been granted subsidiary protection status by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), you can apply for a residence permit.
You will be granted subsidiary protection status if you present valid reasons why you are threatened with serious harm in your country of origin (e.g. the imposition or execution of the death penalty, a serious individual threat to life as a result of indiscriminate violence in the context of an armed conflict).
Please bring the following with you…
If you wish to apply for or extend a residence permit as a person entitled to subsidiary protection, please bring the following documents with you (if we do not already have them):
- Your valid passport
- A current passport photo
- A completed application form
- Proof of health insurance
Further documents may be required in individual cases. If this applies to you, we will inform you accordingly.
Please note: An appointment is required for the granting and extension of the residence permit. Please send us an appointment request.
As a person entitled to subsidiary protection, you will generally be expected to visit your diplomatic mission (embassy) in Germany and have your passport issued / extended there. If you do not have a passport, your residence permit can be issued as a so-called substitute identity document. You can use this to identify yourself in Germany, but unfortunately you cannot use it to travel abroad.
Period of validity
The residence permit as a person entitled to subsidiary protection is initially issued for one year.
The residence permit can then be extended for two years at a time.
Paid employment
If you hold a residence permit as a person eligible for subsidiary protection, you are permitted to work without restriction. This means that you can become self-employed or take up employment.
Residence obligation
After you have been granted subsidiary protection status, you will usually be given a residence obligation by the Arnsberg district government. The residence obligation stipulates that you must live in the location to which you have been assigned for three years. After three years, you can take up residence anywhere in Germany.
If you do not receive a residence obligation from the Arnsberg district government, you have a legal obligation to remain in North-Rhine Westphalia for three years.
However, the residence obligation may be lifted or altered before the three years have expired.
- Further information on relocation can be found on the website of the Arnsberg district government
Integration course
When you are granted a residence permit for the first time, you are entitled / obliged to attend an integration course. You can find further information on the page about the integration course.
Settling down
Once you have established yourself in Germany and have held a residence permit as a person entitled to subsidiary protection for five years, you can apply for a settlement permit (permanent residence permit). You can find further information on the page about the settlement permit.