If the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge) has recognised you as a person entitled to asylum, a refugee or a person entitled to subsidiary protection, or if a ban on deportation has been established for you, you can apply for a residence permit. The contact point is the foreigners authority responsible for your place of residence. The identity card in cheque card format allows you to stay in Germany for a limited period of time and entitles you to pursue gainful employment. In individual cases, the pursuit of gainful employment requires permission from the competent foreigners authority.