Completed Visa Application Form

Photographs

Visa Application Fee

Evidence of Admission

Proof of Adequate Financial Resources

Health Certificate

EU citizens and citizens from some other countries (Andorra, Australia, Canada, Honduras, Island, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, San Marino, South Corea, Switzerland and the United States) do not need a visa. Everybody else must apply for a visa for study purposes via the German diplomatic representation in their home country. You must not under any circumstances travel to Germany on a tourist visa.

Further information can be found in the DAAD instruction sheet on visa and residence "Information on the Statutory Frameworks applicable to Entry and Residence by Foreign Students, Academics and Researchers"

You must present your notification of admission to a German higher education institution or preparatory course (Studienkolleg).

You must prove that you have sufficient financial means at your disposal. Detailed information on this is available from the German diplomatic representation responsible for you.

Yes, you can apply for a study applicant visa which is valid for 3 months and which can be converted into a full visa for study purposes after you have been admitted to a higher education institution.

Yes, however it is only valid for the duration of the language course and cannot be converted into a visa for study purposes.

The new Immigration Act comes into force on 1 January 2005. This act and numerous statutory ordinances then govern questions relating to residence and work permit legislation. Up until that point in time, the rules and regulations outlined in the DAAD Information Sheets (work permit provisions respectively residence act) will continue to apply. The Immigration Act amends the administrative procedures as well as the actual legislative possibilities open to students and visiting academics and researchers. The following briefly describes the most important amendments.

The new act will presumably only have little impact on the issue of visas and the conditions under which these are issued. This means that all the presented types of visas will probably retain their validity, even after the Immigration Act has come into force. There is a change, however, for family members of student scholarship holders: according to a draft version of the statutory ordinance which governs the specific details on issuing visas, visas for family members accompanying student scholarship holders will shortly be exempted from the obligation to gain approval from the foreigners authorities (Ausländerbehörde).

This act will have an impact on the residence right of foreigners, because, according to the new law, there will then only be, besides the visa, two types of residence titles: the (unlimited) settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) and the (limited) residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis). While the residence permit allows a stay for a limited period of time for a specific purpose of residence, the settlement permit allows an unlimited stay in Germany that is not bound to any specific purpose of residence. Since the previous legislation provided for five different residence titles, the new provisions result in a simplification.

The Residence Permit for Nationals of a Member State of the EU (Aufenthaltserlaubnis-EG) will be abolished. In the future, such nationals will only be required to register with the authorities, in the same way German nationals are required to do.

Students and applicant students from non-EU countries will be allowed to stay with a residence permit. In the future, this will be awarded for a specific purpose of residence, so in this case for the purpose of applying to study or of studying at a state-recognised higher education institution or a comparable educational institution, or for pre-study preparatory measures (like a language course). In the case of study preparation measures and studies, the permit can/should be issued for a period of two years, while the permit term for applying to study is a maximum of nine months.

The fact that university graduates can, after completing their studies, remain in the country for a further year to look for a job represents an improvement in this legislation. A residence permit issued for the purpose of studying can, after a job has been found, be converted into a residence permit for taking up gainful employment. Such a conversion is not possible under the present law, because a change of purpose of residence is currently still ruled out by the legislation.

Visiting academics and researchers will also normally receive a limited residence permit. This is issued for the purpose of gainful employment. Highly-qualified persons (which expressly includes, in particular, academics and researchers with particular subject experience and expertise, as well as academic and research staff in outstanding positions) can, in particular cases, immediately receive an unlimited settlement permit.

The Residence Permit for Nationals of a Member State of the EU (Aufenthaltserlaubnis-EG) will be abolished. In the future, such nationals will only be required to register with the authorities, in the same way German nationals are required to do. Students and applicant students from non-EU countries will be allowed to stay with a residence permit. In the future, this will be awarded for a specific purpose of residence, so in this case for the purpose of applying to study or of studying at a state-recognised higher education institution or a comparable educational institution, or for pre-study preparatory measures (like a language course). In the case of study preparation measures and studies, the permit can/should be issued for a period of two years, while the permit term for applying to study is a maximum of nine months.