This page is for people who have applied for a residence permit in Germany or already have a card and want to understand what it says, how much the documents cost and until what date they are valid.
How does the eAT card differ from a Fiktionsbescheinigung?
The residence permit card (eAT) is the document that records the residence permit itself, while a Fiktionsbescheinigung only confirms that you are staying legally while your application is being processed. On the rest of this page, “permit” means your right to stay, and “card” means the card that records it.
| Card (eAT) | Fiktionsbescheinigung | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A separate card with an electronic chip that records the residence permit | A certificate that you are staying legally while your application is processed |
| When it is issued | After the decision on the permit | After you apply, before the decision |
| Right to work | Stated on the card | If it has the entry “Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt” (“employment permitted”) |
| Fee in 2026 | €100 for issuing the permit | €13 |
Every permit must show whether you are allowed to work and whether there are restrictions. A permit gives you the right to work unless the law prohibits it.
What does a Fiktionsbescheinigung mean?
A Fiktionsbescheinigung is issued when the law treats your stay as legal until the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) makes a decision. There are two such cases:
- a person is in Germany legally but without a permit and applies for one: their stay is treated as permitted until the decision;
- a person applies for an extension or another permit before the current one expires: the old permit is treated as valid until the decision.
Applying late has different consequences. If a person without a permit filed a first application late, the law only postpones deportation until the decision. If an extension application is late, nothing happens automatically: the office may, but does not have to, keep the old permit in effect to avoid unduly harsh consequences; otherwise the person must leave. So apply for an extension before your permit expires.
Before issuing a Fiktionsbescheinigung or a card, the office carries out an identity check procedure (erkennungsdienstliche Behandlung). For people under temporary protection, the federal portal germany4ukraine.de explains that you can already work with a Fiktionsbescheinigung if it contains the entry “Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt”, and that this certificate proves your stay is legal.
How much do the permit and the certificate cost?
Fees are set by the Residence Ordinance (AufenthV); its 2026 amendments contain no new fee amounts.
| Action | Fee |
|---|---|
| Issuing a residence permit or an EU Blue Card | €100 |
| Extension for up to 3 months | €96 |
| Extension for more than 3 months | €93 |
| Change of the purpose of stay (together with an extension) | €98 |
| Permanent settlement permit (general case) | €113 |
| New card (new passport, change of details, loss, damaged chip) | €67 |
| Urgent production | +€35 |
| Fiktionsbescheinigung | €13 |
For minors, the fees are half as much. If the chip stopped working through no misuse on your part, a new card is issued free of charge. When you apply, the office charges a processing fee, but it then counts that fee toward the total fee.
Who does not pay the fee?
People who cannot support themselves without basic income support (SGB II), social assistance (SGB XII) or benefits under the Asylum Seekers’ Benefits Act (AsylbLG) do not pay for issuing or extending a permit or for a Fiktionsbescheinigung. For a new card, such people are exempt only when it is issued because their passport has expired or their details have changed. For a lost card, the €67 fee is charged to them too, although the office may reduce or waive it.
Federal rules contain no separate exemption for holders of temporary protection: the list of exemptions in § 52 AufenthV covers recognized refugees, among others, but not § 24. We have not checked whether additional exemptions apply in your federal state or city. As long as § 24 permits remain valid automatically under the ordinance, you do not need to extend them separately, so there is no extension fee either.
Until what date is a § 24 permit valid?
Under the UkraineAufenthFGV ordinance, § 24 permits of Ukrainian citizens that were valid on 1 February 2026 remain valid without extension until 4 March 2027. You do not need to go to the office for this, and you do not need a new card either. Permits first issued after 1 February 2026 are not covered by the ordinance: for them, the date on the card applies.
The work page of the federal portal germany4ukraine.de mentions 4 March 2028. As of 12 October 2026 there is no ordinance on such an extension in the Federal Law Gazette (BGBl), and the same portal’s page on the residence permit gives 4 March 2027. We rely on the text of the ordinance in force and will update this page as soon as a decision on an extension is published. The EU has extended temporary protection itself until 4 March 2028; which date the authorities enter in new permits issued after 5 August 2026 has not been officially clarified.
What to do: if there is no new ordinance, apply to the Ausländerbehörde for an extension by 4 March 2027, or by the date on your card if that is earlier. An application filed in time keeps the permit valid until the decision, and the office will issue a Fiktionsbescheinigung.
Can you travel with the card?
Yes, within the Schengen area. With a residence permit you can stay in other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in any 180-day period; the federal portal adds that for holders of temporary protection this applies even without a biometric passport. The permit does not give you the right to work or live in another country.
The permit lapses if you left Germany for a reason that by its nature is not temporary, or did not return within six months or a longer period set by the office.
What mistakes should you avoid?
- Applying for an extension after your permit has expired: in that case the application does not by itself keep the old permit in effect.
- Waiting until 4 March 2027 in the hope of an automatic extension: it is better to apply in advance.
- Working with a Fiktionsbescheinigung that has no entry on the right to work.
- Paying the fee without checking whether you are exempt from it because you receive basic income support or social assistance.
- Assuming that a § 24 permit is valid automatically until 2028.