Can self-employed people get a German settlement permit after three years?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Yes, it is possible. Germany's Residence Act lets the authority grant a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) after three years of self-employment if the business's success and duration suggest it will keep developing, your income secures your and your dependent family's living costs, and there are no public-security objections. It is discretionary, not automatic.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
When	After three years of self-employment	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2
Rule it replaces	Granted in derogation from the general settlement permit rules of § 9(2)	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2
Business	Its success and duration must suggest further sustainable development	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2
Income	Your living costs and those of dependent family members living with you are secured by sufficient income	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2
Security	No public security or order grounds stand against it	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2; § 9(2) sentence 1 no. 4
Decision	The authority “can” grant it: discretionary	AufenthG § 21(4) sentence 2
What you get	An unlimited residence title	AufenthG § 9(1)
Freelancers	§ 21(4) does not apply to the freelancer permit of § 21(5)	AufenthG § 21(5) sentence 4

The conditions

The self-employment residence permit lasts at most three years. After those three years, the Residence Act lets the authority grant a settlement permit if you have been self-employed for three years and:

your current business, especially through its success and duration, suggests it will continue to develop sustainably;
your living costs, and those of the family members living with you whom you support, are secured by sufficient income;
there are no grounds of public security or order against you, weighed by the seriousness of any offence, the length of your stay and your ties to Germany (the condition of § 9(2) sentence 1 no. 4).

Because the law says “can”, the authority decides at its discretion.

How it differs from the general route

The general settlement permit in § 9(2) requires, among other things, five years with a residence permit, 60 months of pension contributions or comparable provision, sufficient German, basic knowledge of the legal and social order, and adequate housing. The self-employment route is granted “in derogation from § 9(2)” and names only the public-security condition from that list.

Freelancers

The law says § 21(4) doesn’t apply to the freelancer permit under § 21(5). So this three-year route is written for the self-employment permit under § 21(1), not for freelancers.

Requirements for the self-employment residence permit: AufenthG § 21(1).
The general settlement permit requirements: AufenthG § 9(2).

Sources

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

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