# When to apply for an Aufenthaltskarte extension - permanent residency? Non EU family of EU citizen



## Lil_M (May 16, 2012)

Hello, I'm the non-EU spouse of an EU citizen and we have lived in Germany (Berlin) for 4+ years. I'm currently here with an Aufenthaltskarte. When exactly can I/should I apply for permanent residency? I generally see that I am eligible for a permanent residency card after 5 years of living here and exercising my rights as a family member of an EU citizen here. But my current residency card expires 5 years after it was issued. So... what exactly do they expect you to do here? 

I'm guessing either a) "5 years" is just a rough guideline and as long as I can show I've been working and being a good, useful citizen here, I can get permanent residency by proving I've been here for 4-something years, or b) I can still stay here and continue living my life/working at my job even after my Aufenthaltskarte expires because of EU rules and rights and the Aufenthaltskarte is just a formality to make it easier to sort out the technicalities of working and traveling....?


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