{
  "country": {
    "code": "DE",
    "name": "Germany"
  },
  "route": {
    "id": "de-researcher",
    "name": "Researcher (§ 18d)",
    "kind": "res-work",
    "summary": "A research institution — from a university to a company's research department — has agreed to host you and to cover the costs. The permit runs for at least a year, and you may stay 18 months afterwards to look for work.",
    "info_url": "https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/MigrationAufenthalt/ZuwandererDrittstaaten/Arbeit/Wissenschaftler/wissenschaftler-node.html",
    "scope": {
      "value": "every-deciding-rule-asked",
      "reason": "Every rule that decides this route is a question you answer; the hosting agreement with a research facility is the situation you declare, and the page states it in the authority's words beside your answer.",
      "not_asked": []
    },
    "criteria": [
      {
        "field": "citizenship",
        "op": "eq",
        "value": "third_country"
      },
      {
        "field": "destination",
        "op": "in",
        "values": [
          "de",
          "all"
        ]
      },
      {
        "field": "situation",
        "op": "eq",
        "value": "research",
        "source": {
          "source_url": "https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/MigrationAufenthalt/ZuwandererDrittstaaten/Arbeit/Wissenschaftler/wissenschaftler-node.html",
          "quote": "concluded a hosting agreement or corresponding contract with a research facility to carry out a research project",
          "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07"
        }
      },
      {
        "op": "any",
        "label": "located in Germany",
        "paths": [
          {
            "label": "Germany chosen as destination",
            "criteria": [
              {
                "field": "destination",
                "op": "eq",
                "value": "de"
              }
            ]
          },
          {
            "label": "agreement in Germany",
            "criteria": [
              {
                "field": "situation_country",
                "op": "eq",
                "value": "de"
              }
            ]
          }
        ]
      }
    ],
    "statements": [
      {
        "id": "hosting-agreement-with-a-research-facility",
        "kind": "precondition",
        "text": "A hosting agreement — the formal agreement a research institution signs to take you on — or an equivalent contract, concluded with a research facility for a research project",
        "field": "situation",
        "source": {
          "source_url": "https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/MigrationAufenthalt/ZuwandererDrittstaaten/Arbeit/Wissenschaftler/wissenschaftler-node.html",
          "quote": "you will need to have concluded a hosting agreement or corresponding contract with a research facility to carry out a research project",
          "retrieved_at": "2026-09-07",
          "legal_basis": "Section 18d of the Residence Act"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "page": "https://permitrulebook.com/germany/researcher/",
  "dataset_version": "2026.09.18",
  "schema_version": "0.8.2",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0",
  "source": "https://github.com/OytunOnal/permit-rulebook-data",
  "rules_read": "2026-09-17"
}