ICT Card and Mobile ICT Card (Intra-Corporate Transfer of employees who are third-country nationals)
General information
The ICT Card (Intra-Corporate Transfer) is a supplementary residence permit which makes the transfer of third-country nationals and inner-European mobility easier within companies.
The ICT Card is a temporary residence permit intended to be used for the posting of managers, specialists and trainees who are sent by a company outside the EU to one or several company locations within the EU.
The duration of the transfer can be three years at maximum. For trainees, the limit is one year. It is possible to reapply for the ICT Card if there is a time period of at least 6 months after the end of the transfer before the new application.
Holders of an ICT Card can also work in the German branches in other EU member states for the company that is posting them, as long as the majority of the stay is spent in Germany. However, if you spend the majority of your time in another EU member state, you have to apply for a residence permit there.
The ICT Card is issued in all EU member countries apart from Denmark, Great Britain and Ireland. This means that it is not possible to enter these countries using an ICT Card.
Inner-European mobility up to 90 days
If you have received an ICT Card in another EU member state, you can stay and work in Germany without a German residence permit for a maximum of 90 days. You only need to inform the national contact authority of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
Inner-European mobility for more than 90 days (mobile ICT Card)
Whereas it is possible to stay up to 90 days in Germany without a residence permit if you have an ICT Card from another member state, you need to apply for a residence permit if you are staying more than 90 days. You can also apply for a mobile ICT Card for this.
You can find more information about inner-European mobility in the context of inter-corporate transfer on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees.
Legal basis
- § 19 Residence Act (ICT Card)
- § 19a Residence Act (short-term mobility)
- § 19b Residence Act (mobile ICT Card)
- § 45 Residence Regulation
- § 10a Employment Regulation
Documents/ forms to be submitted
You can submit this application completely online. If you are not able to use the online application, please use the "Residence permit application/Application for renewal of a temporary residence permit" (PDF 227 KB) and submit the documents by mail.
- Declaration of employment relationship (PDF 1 MB) - filled in and signed
- Supplementary form B on the Declaration of employment relationship (PDF 630 KB)
- Valid passport (copy)
- Entry visa for the posting or ICT Card of another EU member state if available (copy)
- Proof of vocational qualification - CV, final qualification certificate/official notices, work references and so on (copy)
- Work contract with the (foreign) company who is posting you and, if applicable, secondment/posting letter including guarantee of return (copy)
- Evidence of ability to secure living costs - salary/wage slips for the first 2 and the last 2 months (the evidence on guarantee of living costs must only be presented if it concerns an extension.) (copy)
- Proof from the health insurance company about current health insurance coverage
- in the case of statutory health insurance: informal letter from the health insurance company
- in the case of private health insurance: Certificate of insurance (see below)
- Current (sub-)rental contract (copy)
Deadlines/ processing time
After the documents have been submitted in full, the processing is usually complete within four weeks. Deviations from this are possible in individual cases.
If a notice of short-term mobility has already been lodged with the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees at least 20 days before entry, your stay and employment are allowed for a maximum period of 90 days. By 20 days at the latest before the end of the permission for short-term mobility, the application for issue of a residence permit "mobile ICT Card" must be made.
Process and procedure
Please submit your application and related documents via online application. You will be invited to collect your biometric data after a decision has been made on your application. After the decision about your application, you will be invited to have your biometric data recorded.
Costs and fees
70 euros to 113 euros
Payment possibilities:
- Paying by cash
- Paying by EC card
Paying by credit card is possible.