Most residence permits are given for a fixed time. Before yours runs out, you apply to extend it. This is one of the most common things people deal with, and getting the timing right matters.
How it works
A renewal is handled much like the first application. The same conditions that applied when your permit was granted usually still need to be met at renewal.
The main points to keep in mind:
Apply before your permit expires. Put your application in while your current permit is still valid. This keeps your stay lawful and protects rights that depend on an unbroken permit.
You stay legal while they decide. If you apply on time, the office can give you a fiction certificate (Fiktionsbescheinigung) that keeps your stay lawful until they make a decision, even if your old permit expires in the meantime.
The same conditions still count. For example, supporting yourself, health insurance, and the purpose of your stay still being in place. If your situation has changed, that can affect the renewal.
Good to know
The integration course can matter. If you were required to attend an integration course (Integrationskurs) and did not take part when you should have, the office can limit the extension to a shorter period, usually up to one year, and ask you to attend. If you can show you have settled in well in other ways, or that you have enough everyday German, that is taken into account.
Some permits are marked as not extendable. A few permit types are given on the basis that they will not be extended. If that applies, it is noted on the permit.
Changing your reason for staying. If your situation has changed, for example you finished studying and now have a job, you may be switching to a different permit rather than extending the same one. That is a different process, so it helps to know which one you are in.
Not sure where you stand
Whether your conditions are still met, whether you should extend or switch to a different permit, and what to do if your situation has changed are the parts that depend on your own case. An immigration lawyer can look at your situation and tell you the safest way to keep your stay in order.
This is general information based on publicly available sources. It is not legal advice and it does not assess your individual case. Under German law, advice on your specific situation may only be given by a qualified lawyer.
Sources:
Aufenthaltsgesetz §8 and §81 — gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004
Verfahrenshinweise zum Aufenthalt in Berlin (VAB), section A.8, version 12.06.2026 — Landesamt für Einwanderung Berlin