r/Tuebingen • u/Past-Analysis-1930 • 9d ago

Processing times for PhD Residence Permit in Tübingen, Germany on a 6/12-month Type D Visa?

Hi everyone,

I am an incoming international PhD student joining a program/Cotutelle stay at the University of Tübingen.

I have a quick question regarding the local Foreigners' Office in Tübingen for anyone who recently arrived on a 6-month or 1-year German Type D National Visa:

  1. Timeline for Physical Card: How long did it take between submitting your application and actually receiving your physical Residence Permit card (elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel - eAT)?
  2. Timing of Application: Were you allowed to apply for/receive your residence card shortly after arrival, or did the office instruct you to wait until a few months before your Type D visa was close to expiring (e.g., month 8 or 9 of a 1-year visa)?

Would appreciate hearing about recent experiences from anyone who moved to Tübingen in 2025/2026 or earlier. Thanks in advance!

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u/Electrical-Gene-2431 9d ago
  1. Tübingen Ausländeramt is very fast. After application and submission of all required documents, you are expected to get physical card in 1-2 month.
  2. Depends on how long you stay. If you are going to stay more than 6 month, I (personnally) would suggest to apply 18d card immediately after arriving. I applied twice in Tübingen, and it's free (I don't know why but there is no card fee for 18d card. for 18b card it's 100 euros)

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u/Floschi123456 9d ago

Tübingen Ausländeramt is performing very well (this is not Berlin or Gelsenkirchen...) and they are used to the huge influx of international students/scholars/PhDs/PostDocs. So 1-3 months maximum, more like 1 month. And you can apply directly 18d after you receive your card.

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u/aloeswen 8d ago

For us it has always taken between 6-8 months for the 18d and I've always had to pay. (I am now on my fourth visa and it has always been 6-8 months). You can get a Fiktionsbescheinigung in the meantime but i would 100% apply as soon as you arrive because it can take forever to get an appointment, which slows the whole process. And if you have any missing documents in your initial application then it will drag it out longer. We have, however, always had very positive experiences here compared to larger cities like Stuttgart. People will actually treat you like a person at this ausländeramt.

Big thing to note: I was at the Ausländeramt today and the info desk told the person in front of me that they have had three people leave recently and they have a hiring freeze and so there has been a longer delay on applications since there are less people to process them. They said to expect no less than 6 months to process an application and around a month to hear back via email to follow ups (i.e if you are missing a document and have to send it later it can delay you by up to a month per email.)

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u/Past-Analysis-1930 7d ago

I really appreciate your feedback! I am planning to stay for 1 year and will apply for the residence permit as soon as I arrive in Tübingen.

If my visa is valid for 6 months, what document do I need to stay legally if my physical eAT card isn't issued before the visa expires - is it the Fiktionsbescheinigung? Is there a separate application process for it, or is it issued automatically as part of the main residence permit application? When should I request it relative to my visa expiry date?