Why is AUSWEISERSATZ written on my Niederlassungserlaubnis card?

Question

I obtained Niederlassungserlaubnis last year. Since then, I have been traveling but have never encountered big problems. Although there was one issue, the immigration officers always took higher time at border controls and kept checking my Niederlassungserlaubnis card. This looked weird to me, so instead of Niederlassungserlaubnis I started using my Blue Card, and they let me go faster.

However, now when my friend has Niederlassungserlaubnis, I found a difference. He has his passport number mentioned on the front side. However, on my card, they wrote "AUSWEISERSATZ".

Since then, I have been trying to find out if this is me only or somebody else too. The strange thing is I provided them with all the documents they asked for while booking the appointment for Niederlassungserlaubnis.

The card has an expiry date the same as my passport, which means that it is connected to my passport. Then what made their mind not to write my passport number on it?

Being curious, I asked chatGPT, but I am not convinced with the answer:

"Ausweisersatz" on a Niederlassungserlaubnis means that the foreigner ID number (Ausländer-ID-Nummer) is being used in place of a passport number. This is because the foreigner ID number is a unique identifier that is assigned to non-German residents in Germany, and it can be used in place of a passport number for administrative purposes.

It is not unusual for a Niederlassungserlaubnis to have the foreigner ID number instead of a passport number, especially if the foreigner has not yet received a passport or if the passport is set to expire soon. The fact that the expiration date of your Niederlassungserlaubnis matches that of your passport suggests that your passport information is linked to your residency status in Germany, even if it is not explicitly stated on your Niederlassungserlaubnis.

I can think of one advantage, though. If I lose my passport or renew it again for some reason, I do not have to renew my Niederlassungserlaubnis card. Like what I did with Blue Card. I had to rush to Burgeramt and apply for a Blue Card renewal since my old passport number was mentioned on the front side of it.

Anyway, is there anybody who has a similar issue?

Answer 1

An Ausweisersatz should only be issued (simplified) when:

• you don't have and cannot get a passport from your own country
• your passport is not available for a certain period of time

It serves as a fulfilment of the passport requirement inside Germany

• it is not valid, as a passport replacement, for travel

Although there was one issue, the immigration officers always took higher time at border controls and kept checking my Niederlassungserlaubnis card.

Based on your question, you do not fulfill these conditions (you have a passport), so the question arises why was it issued to you in the first place?

The immigration officers are probably wondering the same.

Ask the Bürgeramt about this, since there seems to have been a mistake and it is causing an inconvenience and therefore should be replaced.

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Sources:

• § 55 - Ausweisersatz AufenthV - Einzelnorm (German only)