International subsidiary protection

You are not entitled to a refugee passport. Your residence permit, together with your passport from your home country, is valid as a substitute for a passport.

You are therefore obliged to apply for a passport from your home country.

In principle, it is reasonable for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection to obtain a passport once the asylum procedure has been irrevocably concluded.

You can accept a national passport from your country of origin without any negative consequences for your right of residence.

Exceptions

You can only obtain a German travel document if it is exceptionally not possible to obtain a passport or if it is subject to unreasonable conditions.

The gray passport will then be issued to you as a travel document for foreigners. You can use it to travel, but usually no entry facilitations apply.

If you decide to apply for recognition of refugee status, you should avoid visiting an embassy in the meantime.

You are entitled to take part in an integration course.

As soon as you have your residence permit, you should look for an apartment yourself. The Jobcenter (in Jena the Eigenbetrieb Jenarbeit) will cover the cost of rent, provided it is reasonable and you have little or no income.

If you were recognized on 01.01.2016 or later, you will be subject to a residence regulation for a period of 3 years and possibly also a residence requirement.

These can only be lifted under the generally applicable conditions.

You can find more information about your access to work,training or studies at in the relevant section.

Your residence permit entitles you to benefits from the statutory health insurance funds.

If you have an employment relationship subject to social insurance contributions, you are covered by statutory health insurance and are entitled to all benefits.

If you receive social benefits to secure your livelihood, you are also entitled to all statutory health insurance benefits.

In both cases, you will receive a health insurance card, which you must show every time you visit a doctor.

General information on family reunification and reunification with a family member entitled to international subsidiary protection can be found in the Family section.

If you have been granted a form of protection or an obstacle to deportation, you can receive basic security benefits for jobseekers.

Basic security benefits for old age and reduced earning capacity are also possible.

Information on the type of these benefits and other possible support can be found in the Life section.

Your residence permit can be extended if you submit an application in good time, at least 8 weeks before the expiration date. The reason for your stay must still exist.

If you submit the application in good time, you will be issued with a fictitious certificate. This secures your residence while a decision is made on the issue or extension of a residence permit.

The fictitious certificate has the same status as your previous residence permit with all the associated rights and obligations.

If the subsequent application is not submitted in good time before the deadline expires, you will only be granted a tolerated stay until a new decision is made.

The same documents are required for the application at the Aliens' Registration Office as for the initial application.

You can only apply for a settlement permit or EU permanent residence permit after 5 years if you meet the necessary requirements.

You are generally obliged to comply with the provisions attached to the issue of your residence permit and to comply with requests for assistance.

You must report any changes in your personal circumstances to all relevant authorities immediately. If you fail to do so, any benefits you have wrongly received will be reclaimed from you and current benefits may be reduced.

Furthermore, you must comply with the same obligations as all other German residents.

With the residence permit for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, you are on an equal footing with recognized refugees in some respects, e.g. with regard to access to gainful employment and integration courses or training assistance.

In other respects, more disadvantageous provisions apply, such as the period of validity of the residence permit, family reunification and the granting of a settlement permit.

It is possible to appeal against the rejection of your refugee status in court within 2 weeks of your recognition.

You should discuss with your lawyer or an advice center whether an appeal makes sense and is likely to be successful.