Residence Permit Renewal: Fingerprints Reused (MDWG)

This article was written with the help of AI and has not yet been reviewed by our team.

Key Takeaways

Since 29 July 2026, the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) may keep your fingerprints, photo and signature after you collect your residence card and reuse them for your next card. Before, it had to delete your fingerprints once the card was handed over.
The reuse rule covers residence permits, the EU Blue Card, the ICT Card and the Mobile ICT Card. It does not cover the settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) or the permanent EU residence permit.
Stored data must be deleted after 7 years at the latest for adults and 5 years for children. A card may use the same biometrics for at most 10 years.
Since 1 November 2026, the documents you submitted for a national visa are stored in the Central Register of Foreigners (AZR) so the authority in Germany can use them. They are deleted after three years.
The law allows reuse but does not guarantee it. Your local office may still ask for a new photo or fingerprints, and it decides how quickly it changes its process.

Renewing a German residence permit has usually meant a trip to the foreigners authority just to give fingerprints, hand in a photo and sign a pad. For many people, that appointment is the hardest part of the whole renewal.

A federal law on digital migration administration, the MDWG, changes this step by step. This guide explains what is already in force, what is still pending, and what it means for your next renewal. It is general information based on the law as of 12 November 2026, not legal advice for your individual case.

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What is the MDWG?

The Act on the Further Development of Digitalisation in Migration Administration (Migrationsverwaltungsdigitalisierungsweiterentwicklungsgesetz, MDWG) was published in the Federal Law Gazette on 28 July 2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 222). Most of it took effect the next day, 29 July 2026. Other parts start on fixed later dates, and some only once the technical systems are ready.

For people who live in Germany on a residence permit, two changes matter most: biometric data can be reused for a new card, and visa documents can be passed on to the authority in Germany.

Can the foreigners authority reuse your fingerprints and photo?

Yes, for certain cards. Your photo, fingerprints and signature may be stored in your card and processed by the authorities to issue a new card for a residence title (§ 82(5) AufenthG). The Residence Ordinance now lets the foreigners authority keep this data after you collect your card. It may be used only to issue a new chip card (§ 61a(3) AufenthV).

Until July 2026, the rule was different. The fingerprints stored at the authority had to be deleted once your card was handed over (§ 61a(2) AufenthV). That is why every renewal meant new fingerprints.

Which cards are covered?

The reuse rule applies to residence titles under § 4(1) sentence 2 Nos. 2 to 2c AufenthG:

Residence title	Reuse of stored biometrics?
Residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis), for example for work, study or family	Yes
EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU)	Yes
ICT Card and Mobile ICT Card	Yes
Settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis)	Not covered by the new rule
Permanent EU residence permit (Erlaubnis zum Daueraufenthalt – EU)	Not covered by the new rule

If you are replacing the card for a settlement permit, plan for a normal appointment with new biometrics. Our guide to permanent residence card renewal covers that process.

How long can your biometric data be used?

The law sets three limits (§ 61a(3) AufenthV):

Adults: the authority must delete your fingerprints, photo and signature no later than seven years after it first collected them.
Children under 18: the data must be deleted no later than five years after it was first collected.
Maximum use in a card: the same biometric data may be used in a card for at most ten years from first collection. The validity of a new card is limited to match.

Example: You gave fingerprints for a new card in September 2026 and your permit runs out in 2028. If your authority uses the stored data, you may not need to give fingerprints again for that renewal. By September 2033 at the latest, the authority must delete them and take new ones for a later card.

Collected your card before 29 July 2026? Under the old rule, the authority had to delete your fingerprints once it handed you the card. So in most cases you should expect to give fingerprints again at your next renewal, and the reuse rule helps from the card after that.

Will you still need an appointment?

Possibly. The law allows reuse. It does not give you a right to skip the appointment.

The authority can still ask you to provide a current photo, give fingerprints and sign (§ 82(5) sentence 1 AufenthG).
Your first card always needs new biometrics. The new rule only helps when a card is issued again.
Each office has to adapt its systems. How quickly offices change their process will differ from city to city.
Your renewal still has to meet the usual requirements, such as a valid passport, a secured livelihood and, for work permits, a job that matches your permit.

Ask your foreigners authority, ideally in writing, whether it can use your stored biometrics for your renewal. If it does not respond for months, see Ausländerbehörde not responding? What to do before and after 3 months.

What changed on 1 November 2026 for visa documents?

When a German mission abroad issues a national visa (long-stay visa under § 6(3) AufenthG), the documents that support the application are now stored in the visa file of the Central Register of Foreigners (Ausländerzentralregister, AZR). The purpose is to check the residence title you apply for once you are in Germany (§ 29 No. 4a AZRG).

These documents are deleted after three years. Other visa file records are generally deleted after five years at the latest (§ 19 AZRG-DV).

In practice, this means the foreigners authority can see what you already showed the embassy, for example your employment contract, degree certificates, civil status documents or proof of language skills. That can mean fewer duplicate document requests after you arrive. It does not stop the authority from asking for current documents, such as recent payslips or a new rental contract.

Tip: Keep your own copies of everything you submitted for your visa. Your file in the register is not a substitute for your records, and documents in the register are deleted after three years.

What is not in force yet?

Some parts of the MDWG only take effect once the technical systems are ready. The Federal Ministry of the Interior must then announce the start date in the Federal Law Gazette (Art. 18(10) MDWG). As of 12 November 2026, this includes:

Central storage of fingerprints and signatures in the AZR for issuing residence cards.
Reuse of visa biometrics: photos and fingerprints taken at a German mission abroad for a national visa could then be reused for a follow-up national visa within five years. The current version of § 49(6a) AufenthG does not contain this rule yet.

Until those dates are announced, each foreigners authority works with the data it holds itself.

What should you do before your next renewal?

Apply on time. If you apply before your permit expires, it generally continues to be valid until the authority decides (§ 81(4) AufenthG). Our guide on an expired Fiktionsbescheinigung explains what happens if the paper certificate runs out.
Check your passport. A new card needs a valid passport, and a new passport often means updating your data with the authority.
Ask about stored biometrics when you apply, and keep the answer.
Have a current biometric photo ready in case the office asks for one.
Check which title you hold. Settlement permits and permanent EU residence permits are not covered by the new reuse rule.

For the full renewal process, see our guide on how to get a residence permit in Germany. Blue Card holders can find the current requirements in our EU Blue Card requirements guide.

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FAQ

Do I still have to go to the Ausländerbehörde to renew my residence permit?

It depends on your office. The law now allows the authority to reuse your stored biometrics for a residence permit, Blue Card or ICT Card. It can still ask you to come in, and you may need to collect the new card in person.

Does this apply to my settlement permit card?

No. The new reuse rule only names residence permits, the EU Blue Card, the ICT Card and the Mobile ICT Card.

Can I ask what biometric data the authority stores about me?

Yes. On request, the authority must let you see the data stored in your card’s chip (§ 61a(2) AufenthV). You can also request access to your personal data under the GDPR.

Does the embassy share my visa documents with the foreigners authority?

Since 1 November 2026, the documents supporting a national visa are stored in the AZR visa file so the authority in Germany can use them to decide on your residence title. They are deleted after three years.

My office still asked for new fingerprints. Is that allowed?

Yes. The law allows reuse but does not require it in every case, and the authority can still ask for new biometrics. If you think a request is unreasonable or your renewal is stuck, get advice.

This article gives general information on German law as of 12 November 2026. It is not legal advice for your individual case.

Sources

Residence Permit Renewal: Can Your Fingerprints and Photo Be Reused? (MDWG 2026)