I'm a former international student in Germany and I'm currently applying for a new student visa to continue my studies through the German Consular Services Portal.

In the application form there's a question that asks:

"Have you ever been expelled or deported from Germany, had an application for a residence permit rejected, or been refused entry into Germany?"

I'm unsure whether I should answer with a "Yes" or a "No".

I made a post talking about my situation regarding my residence permit situation, almost a year ago here (https://www.info4alien.de/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?num=1759078673), you can read it for more context but here's a summary of everything that happened since:

• I had a student residence permit, which expired.
  
  After I enrolled at my university, my lawyer submitted an application to the Ausländerbehörde for the issuance of a new residence permit.
  
  The Ausländerbehörde responded with an Anhörung, explaining why they believed a residence permit could not be granted because the application had been filed after my previous permit had already expired.
  
  I never received an Ablehnungsbescheid (formal rejection), only the Anhörung and a Grenzübertrittsbescheinigung (GÜB).
  
  I used the GÜB to leave Germany voluntarily before any deportation proceedings. I was not deported and no entry ban was imposed.

So my question is:

Does an Anhörung, followed by voluntary departure on a Grenzübertrittsbescheinigung, legally mean that my application for a residence permit was "rejected"? Or would that only be the case if a formal Ablehnungsbescheid had actually been issued?

I'm trying to answer the visa application truthfully and don't want to answer incorrectly.