So you’ve been admitted to a degree program in Germany, and now you’re starting to think about the next steps. The first thing you’ll need to tackle is getting your student visa in Germany. Let’s start at the beginning, what’s a visa anyway?
This kind of visa does not come with an interest rate. Instead, “visas” are essentially a pass to enter and/or stay in other countries. You may not know it, but just by having a US passport, you already automatically have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to many countries. In the case of Europe, the Schengen Agreement combined much of the continent into an area with the same set of access laws and regulations. US Citizens with valid US passports have visa-free access to and within the entire Schengen Area for 90 days out of an 180 day period. Beyond that, you will need to obtain a visa specific to the country you wish to stay in. The visa process for Americans normally begins after arriving in Germany and finding a place to live. So what do you need to do once you arrive to get your student visa in Germany?
Unfortunately for us, the process for obtaining visas in Germany can be somewhat intimidating. There’s lots of paperwork to fill out and track down. Then when you finally have all of it together, you’ll probably have to wait in the foreigner’s office for some time. Don’t worry about it. Just bring something to read or listen to when you get there. But before that final appointment at the foreigner’s office, you have a lot of work to do. On this page, I want to lay out all the requirements (as of April 2017) which you need to fulfill in order to get your student visa in Germany.
Side note: the terms visa and residence permit will be used interchangeably from this point on.
Requirements for All Visas in Germany
US citizens in some cases go to a German Mission in the US to get their visa/residence permit before heading to Germany. However, most people wait until arrival in Germany to get their residence permit sorted out. Below is a list of all the general documents you’ll need to bring with you when applying for any kind of residence permit. The student visa in Germany is no exception.
Note that many of these documents require previous steps, like opening a bank account, getting German health insurance, and more. It takes a while to get all these things done. Get started quickly after arriving in Germany! For all the documents or proofs required below, it’s good to have two copies. You should bring both the original and a photocopy of the original with you.
Documents needed for any kind of residence permit:
- 2 completed forms for the general German Visa Application
- Munich has their own version of this form downloadable on their website. I didn’t notice any real differences between the two besides their information and formatting.
- The original signed and stamped residence registration form from your local Residence Registration office.
- That link is to Munich’s registration form, though they shouldn’t vary much from city to city.
- Proof of health insurance coverage (foreign students usually get German health insurance).
- You’ll get a special form from your insurance company to provide to the office when applying for your residence permit.
- Your passport, with copies of the main page. Some special requirements:
- The expiration date of your passport must be at least 3 months past the end of the residence permit you’re applying for.
- Your passport must have 2 blank pages.
- It must have been issued in the last 10 years.
- 2 identical biometric passport photos
- These are obtainable at almost every major U-Bahn and S-Bahn station in Munich or likely at your university.
- 60 euros (best to go with cash here) for the Residence Permit application fee.
- The Declaration of Accuracy of Information, a document declaring that all information provided in the visa application is true.
Getting a Student Visa in Germany
In addition to the documents listed above, you’ll need a few extra things to get a student visa in Germany. You’ll also need to bring:
- Your letter of confirmation of enrollment from your university.
- This is a short one-page document confirming that you are, in fact, enrolled at the university. It’s usually printable from your university’s online portal.
- If you’re getting your temporary Applicant Student Visa while still in the US, you’ll need to bring your letter or confirmation of admission to the German Mission. Once in Germany, you’ll have to apply for the official student residence permit, however.
- Proof of financial means of support for the next year by providing:
- Proof of being awarded a “full” scholarship, > 720 euros per month, by a recognized scholarship foundation.
- Official bank statements showing at least 8,640 euros, in either a regular German bank account or a “blocked account” which only allows withdrawals of a certain amount per month.
- Proof of parents’ income and assets, if enough to support you.
- Proof of funding support from the German BAföG. This is the Federal Education and Training Assistance Act, which provides student loans.
- Confirmation that a resident of Germany commits to assuming the costs for you.
More Information
The German Missions in the United States have updated their list of requirements for application. It has a few extra things on it, like a motivation letter, so you want to check it out!
I’ll slowly fill in posts below with my experiences and knowledge of the student residence permit process. If you want more information, the German Academic Exchange Service, DAAD, has created an exhaustive document for you. As is German tradition, the name of the document is obscenely long just by itself.
Comments
Since I can not get a Consulate office to call me back, could you please answer a question for me?
Can a US citizen enter Germany without a visa, then enroll in a masters program to study, register address, and apply for Residence Permit? Would she then apply for student visa in Germany?
My daughter does not have enough time to make it to the nearest Consulate office in Atlanta and wait for a student visa to be processed before she has to enroll in person at the school. If she can enter Germany without the visa and do everything there, that would work. But is it allowed?
Thank you!
Did you read the article? I cover this in the first and second paragraphs.
If you didn’t, here’s a TL;DR:
That is indeed the normal way, as far as I’m concerned. It’s what I did. As a person with an American passport, your daughter has the Schengen area Visa already. It’s tied to the country of origin for us. She has 90 days to get it all sorted once she arrives. I suggest she read the relevant articles here on the site and for her to be calling the consulate if possible (though that isn’t necessary anymore).
Cheers!
Thank you. I did read your article but reading several other sites as well just gets to be confusing. Thank you for clarifying.
Hi Tom,
Since I am only staying in Germany for a semester (6 months), for the proof of financial funding part do I need to show 720 x 6 (4320 euros) in my bank account or do I still need to have 8,640 euros?
Best,
Natalia
Hi Natalia,
Unfortunately, I’m not so sure. Is this for study abroad or a language class or something? There is a different visa for language courses but I think 6 months might be out of that range. Not sure, sorry! If its the normal student visa, I would assume that either 1) the minimum of 1 year is used and that 12-month number is what you’ll need, or 2) they will actually correctly account for the shorter program.
It’s kinda hard to tell beforehand without knowing more about the specific situation, and because the process leaves a lot of wiggle room to the workers at the Ausländerbehörde. It really depends whose counter you go to sometimes, sadly.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom,
Thank you for your response! Oh I see. I am just studying abroad for the semester (6 months). Also I was wondering am I able to open a block bank account from the U.S. or do I need to do that once I get to Germany?
Best,
Natalia Baltazar
Do it once you get to Germany – although the country has come far in the digitalization ways in recent years, so there may be ways to open a German bank account online without being here. You probably will need an address at which you can receive mail, which yes, is terribly reversed-feeling.
There are apparently some banks that allow you to open an account without an Anmeldung or even an address, but this is hard and not exactly reliable.
I suggest you check out this page: https://allaboutberlin.com/guides/german-banks-no-address
I highly suggest people stay at a furnished long-term stay kind of place like with Mr. Lodge or some similar company for their first month or two (or more) in Germany. Having a set address for you ready when you arrive that you can pay for with transfers and what not is such a huge relief compared to most other people arriving for school and what not.
Best of luck!
Hey Tom,
I Am from the US, already got accepted to a university in Frankfurt and I want to apply for a residence permit in Germany.
My study Programm will be English only, that’s why my German isn’t really good yet.
When I apply for the residence permit, is it possible to do this in English? Will I have an disadvantage doing it in English? (Like getting rejected for a student visa)
Hi Chad,
As it is Germany, the entire residence permit process is done at/through the local Ausländerbehörde (foreigners’ office/ministry). All the official forms are of course in German. There are several guides around the web (including here) to help you through this process, its pretty much the same throughout the country, just slightly different application forms if anything I suspect.
The people there might speak English, but you are expected to show up with everything filled out already (if you don’t you’re just making it slower for everyone else!). You will not get rejected for not speaking German, they will understand. Just go with your forms filled out and the little English they will have to say to you will be enough.