Coming to Berlin as a researcher

Research residence under § 18d with a hosting agreement, mobility from other EU states, the Blue Card as an alternative, and doctorates.

Research has its own residence permit: § 18d Residence Act. The core is a hosting agreement (Aufnahmevereinbarung) with a research institution. No approval from the Federal Employment Agency (BA) is needed, and there is no fixed salary threshold.

Residence permits that fit

Key points on § 18d

• Recognised institution: BAMF keeps a list of recognised research institutions (by federal state). For recognised institutions the permit must be issued within 60 days of the application (§ 18d (1) sentence 3). Without recognition, § 18d is still possible if the institution carries out research (§ 18d (1) no. 1 (b)).
• Cost-coverage declaration: the institution undertakes to cover certain costs of public bodies (living costs during an unlawful stay, removal). Recognised institutions can give this declaration generally for all their researchers ((3)). If the institution is mainly funded from public money, the declaration should be waived ((2)).
• Duration: at least 1 year (2 years in EU or multilateral programmes), or the length of the project if it is shorter.
• The permit covers research and teaching.
• Anyone who has already applied for a Blue Card cannot get a § 18d permit while that application is pending (§ 19f (3) no. 2).
• For § 18f: if you apply at least 30 days before starting, you may do research for up to 180 days in 360 days while the decision is pending.
• Scientific staff, guest scientists, and engineers or technicians on a guest scientist's team need no BA approval for employment (§ 5 Employment Ordinance).

Doctorate

• Options are § 18d (research) or § 16b (study). § 16b does not mention the doctorate explicitly. In practice authorities and universities prefer § 18d when the doctorate is tied to a research institution (a post or a scholarship). This is administrative practice, not statutory text; check before relying on it.
• With § 16b you may work 140 full working days a year alongside your studies.
• Doctoral posts at universities are often fixed-term. This is governed by the Academic Fixed-Term Contract Act (WissZeitVG). We give no details here on maximum durations or the status of its reform; check before relying on it.
• More: Studying in Berlin (German).

Recognition

Research is not a regulated profession. For § 18d the institution assesses your qualification. For the Blue Card your degree must be recognised or comparable: check it in anabin, otherwise get a statement from the ZAB. See Recognition (German).

German

For § 18d and the Blue Card the law requires no German. It does matter for the settlement permit (see below). See Language (German).

Steps

1. Sign a hosting agreement with the institution (BAMF provides a model).
2. Apply for a visa at the German mission abroad; for mobility from an EU state, note § 18e/§ 18f.
3. Enter, register your address, apply online to the State Office for Immigration (LEA). See First steps (German).
4. With an employment contract the fast-track procedure (§ 81a) through the employer is also possible.

Staying and family

• § 18d and Blue Card: settlement permit after 3 years with 36 months of pension contributions and sufficient German (B1) (§ 18c (1)).
• Blue Card: already after 27 months (A1) or 21 months (B1) (§ 18c (2)).
• Highly qualified professionals with work experience, e.g. scientists with special expertise, "should" in special cases be granted a settlement permit without a waiting period. Conditions include secured integration and living costs (§ 18c (3)).
• Family: Family reunification (German).

Watch out

• A scholarship is not an employment contract: it often brings no compulsory pension contributions. § 18c (1) counts 36 months of compulsory or voluntary contributions. Without contributions the road to a settlement permit can take longer.
• Do not apply for a Blue Card and § 18d at the same time (§ 19f (3) no. 2).
• Minimum wage 2026: €13.90 (MiLoV5). Advice on problems at work: Faire Integration, BEMA.

Sources

• § 18d, § 18e, § 18f, § 19f, § 18c, § 16b Residence Act, § 5 Employment Ordinance
• BAMF: recognised research institutions