Can You Still Apply for Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht in 2026?
#No new Opportunity Residence Permits are granted under the original §104c scheme after the temporary program ended on 31 December 2025.
Germany introduced the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht on 31 December 2022 for a three-year period. It gave eligible long-term tolerated people an 18-month residence permit to clarify identity, improve integration and qualify for a durable right to remain.
Current §104c is a transitional rule. It says a permit granted under the 31 December 2022 version remains valid until its own expiry. It does not recreate the old new-application entitlement.
Do not confuse Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht with the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte). The Chancenkarte is an economic job-search route; §104c was an in-country humanitarian transition for long-term tolerated residents.
In German legal terminology the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht was granted as an Aufenthaltserlaubnis — a temporary residence permit, and therefore a genuine Aufenthaltstitel — not as a Visum. The distinction matters: a Visum is issued by a German mission abroad before travel, while §104c was applied for inside Deutschland at the local Ausländerbehörde, für Personen who were already living here on a Duldung, an Aufenthaltsgestattung or an earlier residence permit.
What Happens to an Existing §104c Permit?
#An existing §104c residence permit continues until the expiry date printed on the electronic residence permit. It cannot simply be renewed for another 18 months.
Under the current transition text, it can be extended only as a residence permit under:
- §25a AufenthG — residence for well-integrated adolescents and young adults; or
- §25b AufenthG — residence based on sustainable integration.
The application must be made to the local Ausländerbehörde before the current permit expires. The authority assesses the chosen successor route independently.
A particularly important rule is that an application for a different residence title—not §25a or §25b—does not create the normal continuation effect under §81(4) merely because the person held §104c. Obtain individual advice before relying on another application to preserve status.
Who the Original Program Covered
#Wer bekommt Chancen auf Aufenthaltsrecht?
Nobody new — but the profile still matters, because it usually decides which successor Aufenthaltstitel is realistic. The scheme was written für Personen with a long, settled residence history in Deutschland — tolerated stay, permission to remain during asylum proceedings, or an earlier residence permit — not for new arrivals, and not for applicants abroad who would need a Visum.
The former §104c route generally targeted people who, on the statutory cutoff date of 31 October 2022, had spent at least 5 continuous years in Germany with a tolerated stay (Duldung), permission to remain during asylum proceedings (Aufenthaltsgestattung) or a residence permit.
The original assessment also considered commitment to Germany's democratic constitutional order, criminal-history limits and whether the person had repeatedly and intentionally provided false information or deceived authorities about identity/nationality to prevent removal.
The permit was deliberately granted for 18 months even though identity, livelihood and other durable-status conditions were not yet fully met. The existing page's claim that secure livelihood and fully clarified identity were prerequisites for §104c itself is therefore misleading; those issues were central goals for the transition period. BAMF's short analysis of the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht describes how the Aufenthaltserlaubnis was used in practice.
Transition to §25b: Sustainable Integration
#Section 25b is the common successor route for an adult §104c holder. It requires a case-specific sustainable-integration assessment, and die Voraussetzungen für this Aufenthaltserlaubnis are weighed across the whole household, not only the applicant.
Relevant issues include:
- required residence periods, with the special counting rule for §104c holders;
- largely securing the household livelihood through work or a positive future livelihood assessment;
- oral German language at the required level (generally A2);
- basic knowledge of Germany's legal/social order and way of life;
- children's school attendance where applicable;
- no disqualifying deception or serious criminality; and
- identity clarification under the special §25b(8) rule for §104c holders, including reasonable efforts where full proof is difficult.
The exact evidence depends on the family and local authority. Employment contracts, payslips, language evidence, school records, identity-effort documentation and integration records should be assembled well before expiry.
A successful §25b decision issues an Aufenthaltserlaubnis, so the transition keeps the holder inside the Aufenthaltstitel system in Deutschland rather than returning them to a Duldung.
Transition to §25a: Well-Integrated Young People
#Section 25a can apply to eligible well-integrated adolescents and young adults. It has age, residence, education/integration, application-timing and conduct requirements that differ from §25b.
A young person should document school attendance or qualifications, German integration, identity and residence history. Parents and certain family members may have related possibilities, but they do not receive status automatically.
Because eligibility depends on age and deadlines, a potential §25a case should be reviewed before the §104c permit expires.
Aufenthaltsrecht in Deutschland: How the Residence Titles Fit Together
#Deutschland has no single "right of residence". Every lawful stay rests on an Aufenthaltstitel under the Residence Act (AufenthG), and the route decides which one a person can hold:
- a Visum, issued by a German mission abroad for people who need permission before they travel;
- an Aufenthaltserlaubnis — the temporary residence permit covering work, study, family and humanitarian routes, including §25a, §25b and the former §104c;
- a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or EU long-term residence, once durable requirements are met — see the Settlement Permit guide;
- a residence permit that follows a protection decision, such as recognised asylum or subsidiary protection — see Asylum.
That is why "wer bekommt Aufenthaltsrecht in Deutschland?" is answered route by route rather than in one rule. The realistic options für Personen already in the country on a Duldung, an Aufenthaltsgestattung or an expiring §104c permit are §25a, §25b or another humanitarian section, applied for at the Ausländerbehörde; für Personen still abroad, the path starts with a Visum at a German mission — never with §104c.
A Duldung is not an Aufenthaltstitel. It only suspends removal, which is precisely the gap the Chancen-Aufenthaltsrecht was created to bridge, and the reason the successor Aufenthaltserlaubnis under §25a or §25b matters so much once a §104c permit runs out.
Transition Document Checklist
#Prepare a successor application with the local Ausländerbehörde's form and route-specific evidence. Common documents include:
- current passport/identity documents and §104c residence card;
- registration certificate and full residence/Duldung/asylum history;
- evidence of all efforts to obtain identity/passport documents;
- employment contract, payslips, tax/social-insurance and housing records;
- German-language and integration-course certificates;
- school/education records for the applicant or children;
- family civil-status records; and
- explanation/evidence for any public-benefit reliance, health issue or employment interruption.
Do not use a consular visa checklist. This is an in-country transition handled by the Ausländerbehörde.
Deadlines, Legal Status and Getting Help
#Check the exact expiry date now. Local appointments can be scarce, and the consequences of applying under the wrong section are significant.
- Request the §25a or §25b appointment/application instructions early.
- Submit before expiry and retain proof of delivery.
- Ask what temporary documentation will be issued while the authority decides.
- Do not assume an application under another residence section preserves the §104c status.
- Respond to identity, livelihood or integration requests by the stated deadline.
People who cannot meet §25a/§25b may return to a tolerated status or face other residence consequences. A qualified German immigration lawyer or recognised counselling centre should review complex identity, criminal, family, benefit or deadline issues.