Client Alert regarding the change of the German Residence Act

The obligation is only related to employees whose permanent residence is located in a third country during the contract signing. It does not apply to foreign employees who have already started their employment before January 1, 2026, or whose permanent residence is already inside the country. The obligation is further not applicable if the employee was placed by an agency following § 299 Nr.10 SGB III (3rd German Social Security Code).

No, this provision only applies to nationals from third countries. However, a similar obligation for EU nationals already exists in § 33 AEntG (German Posted Workers Act).

The information has to be provided in writing on the employee’s first day of work at the latest. It suffices to provide information on the services and the contact information of the nearest advisory office. It is recommended to hand out a standardized information sheet providing the aforementioned data together with the contract and having the employee sign for their receipt.

The nearest advisory centers can be found on the website Make it in Germany.

As of now the non-compliance with § 45c AufenthaltsG is not punishable with a fine.

Sehr geehrte/r [Name des Arbeitnehmers],


hiermit informieren wir Sie schriftlich über die Möglichkeit der kostenlosen Beratung zu arbeits- und sozialrechtlichen Themen bei einer zuständigen Stelle gem. § 45c AufenthG.
 

Die nächstgelegene Beratungsstelle finden Sie hier auf der folgenden Webseite: Make it in Germany
 

Mit freundlichen Grüßen

[Unterschrift/Name Arbeitgeber]