Germany residence permit: how long can you stay outside Germany?
Six months. A German residence or settlement permit ends by law if you leave and don’t come back within 6 months, unless the immigration office has set a longer period. The EU Blue Card allows 12 months.
When do you need to be back in Germany?
Pick your status and the day you leave or left. You get the last day to be back before the limit runs out.
Germany residence permit: the limits at a glance
| Status | Time away | How it’s counted | Past the limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) | 6 months to come back | From the day you leave Germany | The permit ends by law |
| Settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) | 6 months to come back | From the day you leave; longer after 15 years, or married to a German | The permit ends by law |
| EU Blue Card | 12 months to come back | From the day you leave; the same for family members | The card ends by law |
| EU long-term residence (Daueraufenthalt-EU) | 12 months in a row outside the EU | 24 months after a Blue Card; 6 years outside Germany also ends it | The status ends by law |
How the 6 months are counted
Section 51 of the Residence Act (AufenthG) ends a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) when you have left Germany and not come back within 6 months, or within a longer period the immigration office has set.
- The clock starts on the day you leave Germany. Time in another EU country is time away too: what counts is coming back to Germany.
- Calendar months, not 180 days. German law ends a period in months on the same date in the last month: leave on 15 January, be back by 15 July. A month without that date ends on its last day: leave on 31 August, be back by 28 February.
- Coming back ends that absence. The next trip starts its own 6 months.
- Leaving for good ends it at once. A permit also ends when you leave for a reason that isn’t temporary, whatever the number of months.
A visa for several entries, or for more than 90 days, doesn’t end under these two rules.
Who gets more than 6 months
- EU Blue Card, and permits for its holder’s family members: 12 months.
- Settlement permit after at least 15 years of lawful residence, and the spouse living with you: it doesn’t end under the absence rules if your livelihood is secure and there’s no interest in expelling you. If those conditions aren’t met, 15-year residents and their spouses aged 60 or over still get 12 months.
- Settlement permit, married to a German and living together: it doesn’t end under the absence rules, unless there’s an interest in expelling you.
- EU long-term residence (Daueraufenthalt-EU): it ends after 12 months in a row outside the EU — 24 for a former Blue Card holder and family — or 6 years outside Germany. More on EU long-term resident status.
- Military service at home: past the 6 months only because of it, you keep the permit if you come back within 3 months of discharge.
Before you go: ask for a longer period
The immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) can set a longer period than 6 months. It normally does when you hold a settlement permit and leave for a temporary reason, or when your stay abroad serves Germany’s interests. Ask before you leave, or at the latest before the 6 months run out.
If your settlement permit is protected — 15 years’ residence, or married to a German — the immigration office at your last place of residence issues a certificate that it still stands, on request.
Worked example
| You leave Germany | Status | Be back by |
|---|---|---|
| 15 January 2027 | Residence permit | 15 July 2027 |
| 31 August 2026 | Settlement permit | 28 February 2027 |
| 31 August 2026 | EU Blue Card | 31 August 2027 |
Other countries’ limits, side by side: residence permit absence rules by country. Tax residency is a separate test: see Germany tax residency.
How FlySee counts it
FlySee doesn’t have a German residence permit tracker yet. Its Log records every day you’re outside Germany and rebuilds past trips from your photos, so you can see when each absence began. The calculator above counts calendar months from the day you leave, the way German law counts a period in months (§ 188 BGB): leave on 15 January, and 6 months end with 15 July.