Residence Permits

Those who require a residence permit should contact the Foreigners’ Resident Registration Office located at the RWTH:

Aufenthaltsgenehmigungen für Studierende und Hochschulangehörige (Zweigstelle RWTH)
Ahornstraße 55
52074 Aachen

Telephone: 49 241 43233-20 / -21 / -22
Email info.ausländischeStudenten@mail.aachen.de

You must apply for a residence permit before your student visa expires or, for students who didn’t require student visas, within three months after arriving in Germany. It is usually enough time if you see the Foreigners’ Registration Office a month before your visa expires. There is no reason to apply for a residence permit directly after your arrival

In order to receive a residence permit, you must submit the following documentation:

• a valid passport

• student visa

• proof of student status

You will get your proof of student status—a form of student I.D.—when you register at the RWTH. Without proof of registration you will not receive a residence permit.

• official registration of your local address in Aachen

As soon as you acquire a place of residence in Aachen, you must register at the Einwohnermeldeamt (Local Residents’ Registration Office). Without this registration you will not receive a residency permit.