I had permanent visa in germany ad i did not came back there for 11 years ,is it possible for me to go back?

Question

I had permanent visa in germany ad i did not came back there for 11 years ,is it possible for me to go back?

Answer 1

Contrary to what many people think, the german residence permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)  can expire due to some reasons, and in your case I am afraid your visa is not valid since a very long, long time.

I try to explain:

According to  article 51  of the German Residence Law (in german §51 abz. 1.7 Aufenthaltsgesetz), a permanent residence permit expires when the inmigrant leaves Germany and stays longer than 6 months in another country. This can be avoided (also according to this article) when the person informs the German Representation (Embassy) and ask for permission for a longer stay outside Germany  before the 6 months are due.

If you did not do that, then your visa is not valid anymore.

However if you are american citizen you can live and work again in Germany without not too many problems. According to the german law, Australian, Canadian, Israeli, Japanese, South Korean, New Zealand and US citizens may acquire a temporary residence permit from the competent foreigners authority after their arrival in Germany. They may not however commence gainful employment until they have the permit. You can get the residence again after five years of living and working in Germany.

For more info, visit the following sites:

German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (English Version):

http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/...

German Residence Law (available only in german language)

http://www.aufenthaltstitel.de/aufenthal...

German Forum for Inmigration, the masters of this forum are german employees to the inmigration authorities (The forum is in german language, however I am almost sure that if you ask in english they will be able to anwser)

http://www.info4alien.de//

Answer 2

yup you sure can.

Answer 3

Your permanent residency status is what it says. Permanent. Just bring it along when you go back. Just to be sure that there are no other "new" requirements aside from your  "Aufenthaltsgenehmigung", I would check with the German Consulate nearest you before buying a ticket.

Answer 4

Permament means permament, no expiry date. You can go back to Germany, but since your passport with the permament visa has probably expired, you need to bring it along with your current valid passport. It's also good if you have any other residential documents from that time.

Firstly, which country do you come from? If you're from one of the EU countries you don't need to bother with that, just go to Germany with your IC.

If you aren't, bring your old and your new passport and present them to the immigration authorities. You line up in the line "Others" ("EU citizens" is only for EU citizens, but especially Americans tend to miss the right queue and tend to cause unnecessary jams).