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Applying for or Extending your Residence Permit at the Central Immigration Office (Zentrale Ausländerbehörde)

The institution in charge of visa and residence issues for international students in Saarbrücken is the Central Immigration Office called “Zentrale Ausländerbehörde“ in Lebach.

If you need to apply for or extend your residence permit, please ask for an an appointment well in advance of the expiration date of your visa or residence permit (at least one month prior to the expiration date) via email to zabnoSpam@noSpamlava.saarlandnoSpam.de. If you already have a contact person at the Ausländerbehörde, write to this person's email address and put the general email address zabnoSpam@noSpamlava.saarlandnoSpam.de in copy. You will not get a walk in appointment without having received an invitation first.

At the moment, it can take more than one month to get an appointment, so apply for one at least 4 weeks before your current residence permit or your visa expires. The email that you sent to get an appointment serves as proof that you have done everything in your power to get an appointment, so please keep a copy of this email together with the automated response. If your visa or your current residence permit expires and you still have not received an appointment, your email to the Ausländerbehörde automatically extends your visa or residence permit until you will finally receive an apppointment. However, you should not travel with an expired visa or residence permit.

We also suggest that you write the email request for your appointment in German, including the following information:
- your full name
- your birthday
- your current address
- a copy of your visa or residence permit
- a copy of your current enrollment/matricualtion certificate and if already available the one for the next semester as well

Writing in a professional and respectful manner also helps a lot.

If you are worried about the expiration of your visa or residence permit, please contact us at studynoSpam@noSpamhtwsaarnoSpam.de and we will try to help you.

The address you need to go to for your appointment is:

Zentrale Ausländerbehörde
Dillinger Str. 67, 66822 Lebach
Email: zabnoSpam@noSpamlava.saarlandnoSpam.de
Website (in German only):  Zentrale Ausländerbehörde

For your appointment, please take the following documents with you:

• Passport (with visa) and current residence permit if already available
• Certificate of matriculation at htw saar (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung)
• Health insurance certificate
• Rental agreement
• Proof of registration from the “Bürgeramt” (Meldebestätigung)
• Proof of financing
• Money to pay application fees (approximately €  100 Euro)
• Additional documents may be required, you will be told what to bring exactly when you receive the appointment.

More general information about how to register your apply for your residency permit in Germany can be found at study-in-germany.de under Step 2.