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RESIDENCE PERMITS

EXPLAINED: How Germany wants to speed up applications for e-residence permits

With a new phased plan to digitalise the process, it could soon get easier to renew your electronic residence permit or personal ID card in Germany.

German residence permit
A German electronic ID and permanent residence permit. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Daniel Karmann

Though it often seems like digitalisation in Germany happens at a snail’s pace, every so often there are small signs that things are moving along. Since June, people have finally been able to check their state, private and company pensions online, and just weeks ago, news of a mobile app enabling real-time Schufa checks and credit updates also dropped. 

Now, the government has set its sights on the personal ID card – which is mandatory for all German citizens – as well as the German passport and the electronic residence permit carried by most long-term residents. 

In a serious of stages over the coming years, the process for obtaining one of these should become much easier, quicker and – above all – more digital.

READ ALSO: How Germany is trying to streamline the process of getting an ID card

An ordinance mandating the changes was approved by cabinet on August 16th but still needs to be green-lit by the Bundesrat in September. However, if the upper house waves it through as expected, new procedures for applying for – and renewing – the personal ID, passport and residence permit will come into force between November 2023 and May 2025.

These are the key dates and changes to look out for.

November 1st 2023: Digital confirmation of PIN letter 

After applying for any electronic ID document, whether a residence permit or a German ID card, the normal process is to receive a letter in the post that provides a PIN for the online identification function.

Previously, you generally had to confirm with a signature that this document had been received when collecting your ID card. However, from November this year, you’ll simply have to consent to a text stating that the PIN has arrived. 

This will lay the groundwork for passports, personal ID cards and electronic residence permits to be collected from vending machines in the future – without needing to book an appointment. 

READ ALSO: What to do if you lose your residence permit in Germany

This will work a little bit like picking up a parcel from a DHL Packstation: the document will be in a locked compartment that can be opened with a code. Once the ID card or residence permit is ready for collection, the authority will get in touch with the applicant. This person then confirms receipt of their PIN letter, opens the box with the code and is able to access their brand new passport or ID card. 

November 1st 2024: New legal frameworks to speed up process

According to Interior Ministry, the PIN letter for the online ID card will be handed over directly to the applicant in future – which should seriously expedite the process.

Currently, the PIN letter is sent out by post and can often take weeks to arrive.

To further speed things up, the Interior Ministry plans to lay some legal groundwork for sending things like passports and personal ID cards to recipients directly by post – rather than requiring an in-person collection. Unfortunately, though, the service will be subject to a fee. 

An application for a residence permit lies on a desk at the Foreigners’ Registration Office in Bietigheim-Bissingen, Baden-Württemberg. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Wolfram Kastl

November next year will see the government making the necessary legal changes to forge ahead with both of these plans – but the ministry has cautioned that the technical implementation will take some time.

That means that both changes – handing out the PIN directly and receiving the documents by post – should come into force in the spring of 2025.

READ ALSO: How to get fast-track permanent residency rights in Germany

May 1st 2025: Digital photos and direct delivery of ID cards

May 2025 will be the date when applicants for residence permits and ID cards should really see some changes come into force. When you get your appointment at the Ausländerbehörde, your PIN letter will be handed to you in-person and you’ll simply have to wait for a confirmation code to pick it up from the vending machine – or for it to arrive by post.

Another major development will be the end of physical passport photos – so you’ll no longer need to shell out €10 to sit in a small photo booth at your nearest shopping centre.

Instead, digital passport photos can be taken at special terminals at the Ausländerbehörde or Bürgeramt, which can then be checked to see if they meet the required standards. If not, they can be directly re-taken and the new versions can be submitted directly to the authorities as part of your application.

According to the Interior Ministry, a pilot scheme for these photo terminals is currently underway in Berlin Reinickendorf, Bielefeld, Haldensleben, Herne, Hildesheim, München, Rostock and Stuttgart. This is due to be completed in November this year.

New passport photo terminals Germany

New terminals for producing digital photos are being piloted in several German cities and are due to be introduced in May 2025. Photo: German Interior Ministry

In addition, photo shops are also working on their own digital passport photo services, so applicants will have a choice of how to submit their photo.

The working group E-Passfoto and association Ringfoto are currently developing a system where customers receive a QR code at the photo studio after the picture has been taken. This can then be used by authorities to download the photo from a secure cloud server, meaning it can be instantly accessed as part of the application.

READ ALSO: What is Germany’s electronic ID card and how do you use it?

The switch from analogue to digital photographs is another way of attempting to digitalise the process and minimise human error. Currently, some photos that are supplied to the authorities have to be redone because they aren’t a good likeness or don’t meet other standards – and this means that appointments then have to be rebooked, adding weeks if not months to the process.

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SCHOOLS

What is Germany’s digital pact for schools and how does it affect pupils?

A key programme for digitalision in German schools expires on May 16th. Has the initiave been successful - and what comes next?

What is Germany's digital pact for schools and how does it affect pupils?

When it comes to digitalisation, Germany is a country very much under construction – and nowhere has that been more apparent than in schools. 

During the Covid-19 pandemic years, pupils suffered major setbacks as schools struggled to set up the infrastructure for remote and digital learning. 

This failure to set up digital learning quickly enough is seen as a key reason for Germany’s dismal performance in recent rankings of schools around the world.

Perhaps the most shocking of these came from a 2018 PISA study that ranked Germany 66th out of 78 countries in the availability of digital learning tools and 76th out 78 in the digital skills of teaching staff.

Desperate to turn things around, the federal and state governments launched their ‘Digital Pact for Schools’ back in 2019, earmarking a total of €6.5 billion for improving things like Wifi, the availability of digital equipment and administrative support.

Five years later – as the scheme expires – there are signs that the project has been a success. 

READ ALSO: German school pupils plummet to ‘lowest score ever’ in international rankings

How has the Digital Pact changed schools in Germany?

The €6.5 billion investment package consisted of €5 billion for boosting digital infrastructure in schools, €500 million for administrative support, €500 million for digital tools for teachers and a €500 emergency package for helping schools get set up for remote learning during the pandemic.

This was divided between the 16 federal states, with larger sums going to the states with the biggest populations and the highest number of schools. 

According to the Ministry of Education, around 90 percent of this sum has been either spent or earmarked since the fund was set up, with schools mostly using the money to purchase equipment like tablets and laptops for their classrooms. 

Out of the some 32,000 schools in Germany, around 29,000 benefited from the investment, the ministry revealed.

In the state of Bavaria alone, the Digital Pact helped fund 280,000 additional tablets in schools, bringing the total number up to 336,000. The number of digital classrooms, meanwhile, rose by 53,000 to 77,000 and the number of classrooms connected to wifi jumped by more than 60,000 to 101,000. 

Summing up the progress made in the last half decade, Stefan Düll, president of the German Teachers’ Association, said: “Most schools now have a good internet connection right up to the edge of the street,” even if no high-speed internet is available in the area. 

READ ALSO: School drop-outs rise across Germany as resources and teachers spread thin

According to the headteacher, there has also been significant steps forward in learning platforms, training for teachers and the availability of devices like tablets in schools. “Teaching can now utilise digital possibilities in many places,” he added. 

Is there still room for improvement?

Despite the investment, progress has been much slower in some regions and there are still many schools that don’t have access to wifi at all.

Düll also pointed out that, for schools to maintain high standards, there needs to be continuous investment for renewing subscriptions and replacing outdated or broken devices. This hasn’t always been forthcoming, he said. 

In addition, teachers often lack the administrative support they need to ensure that a digital lesson actually takes place in the case of technical problems. When it comes to training courses to get set up for digital learning, teachers are often unable to find the time while working more than 40 hours per week and coping with ever-worsening staff shortages.

School pupil in Germany

A school pupil studies history on a laptop at school in Germany. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Marijan Murat

Finally, Düll sees room for improvement in the government’s attitude towards artificial intelligence (AI) and finding safe and ethical ways to incorporate it in the classroom.

“AI has an incredible amount of potential, an incredible amount of opportunities for our country as a whole, for Germany as a business location,” he said, “and Germany still has the chance to be at the forefront.”

However, since the current Digital Pact only mentions AI in passing, schools currently have to shell out for this themselves – and licensing software with high data protection standards doesn’t come cheap. 

Will there be a Digital Pact 2.0? 

There should be, but currently it’s unclear what form it will take or how it will be financed. 

Though the new pact is due to kick off in 2025, Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) is currently locked in a battle with the state culture ministers over where the money for the next investment programme should come from.

Previously, 90 percent of the funding came from the federal government, while just ten percent was put forward by the states. This time around, however, Stark-Watzinger is demanding a 50/50 split and also wants more say in how the programme should work.

One key sticking point is the amount of funding put into additional training for teachers. “The Digital Pact 2.0 must not become a mere order list for digital devices,” the FDP politician said recently. “Teachers are central to good digital education and need appropriate further training.”

Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) in Berlin

Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) in Berlin. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christophe Gateau

From the Education Ministry’s perspective, the next Digital Pact should expire in 2030 and function as the last major investment from central government. 

However, the states disagree on almost every front.

Not only would state education ministers like to see the 90/10 funding continue, but they also reject the idea of the federal government interfering on what the money should be used for. That’s largely because, under Germany’s federal system, states are primarily responsible for governing schools and education. 

In addition, the Länder reject the idea of an end date and would like to see the investment continue indefinitely.

READ ALSO: Six surprising facts about Germany’s school system

It’s still unclear when the next Digital Pact may be finalised. Relations between Stark-Watzinger and the state culture ministers have soured to such an extent that the FDP politician refused an invite to the next Culture Ministers’ Conference (CMK) that’s due be held in Saarland this June.

That means the deadlock is likely to continue into the foreseeable future. 

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