We often receive questions from refugees and their carers whose residence permit is marked as expiring on 04.03.2026. It is important to understand that the residence permit has not expired, but will automatically remain valid until 04.03.2027. This is based on the Ukraine Residence Permit Continued Validity Ordinance, which has been extended every year since 2023. On 25.10.2025, the Federal Ministry of the Interior decided on the next extension until 2027.
Due to this regulation, no new residence permits will be issued if a residence permit has already been issued in the past – even if it has been lost.
This means that anyone who wants to travel and has to show their residence permit, or who needs a valid residence permit to conclude a contract, can use the existing permit – the “expiration date” on the plastic card or on the residence permit pasted into the passport is irrelevant.
However, there are cases in which proof of continued validity is required – for example, if the passport has expired and a new passport has been issued by the Ukrainian embassy or “DP Dokument”, or if the residence permit has been stolen or lost. Even in such cases, a new residence permit will not be issued. However, it is possible to obtain an official replacement letter under certain conditions.
The procedure in Stuttgart is as follows: An appointment can be made at the Servicepoint.
If the person concerned:
- has received a new Ukrainian passport and wishes to have it transferred to the residence permit, or
- requires proof of continued validity for other reasons (e.g. for the employer),
… select the following topic: Transfer of existing residence permit to new national passport (so-called transfer)
If the person concerned:
- has lost their residence permit or it has been stolen
… must be selected as the topic: Residence permit (eAT) – report loss and reissue eAT.
In addition, the loss must be reported to the police. The documented report must be presented at the appointment.
At the appointment, those affected receive a document such as the following, which can be presented to authorities and contractual partners as proof:
This procedure applies to refugees who are registered in Stuttgart. In other districts, the procedure may differ – in this case, the responsible immigration authority should be asked whether and in what form replacement documents will be issued. However, the residence permit will not be reissued there either.