Planning to go to Germany or received your acceptance? Either way, you must be wondering about the German student visa. Team Coracle is here to navigate through this process with ease!
Do You Need A German Student Visa?
If you are a non-EU or EEA student, you do not need a visa. On the other hand, for students from the US, Canada, Australia, South Korea, Israel, New Zealand and Japan, you do not need a visa to enter Germany but you would need to register at the Ausländeramt or foreigner’s office. If you are from any other country, you need to get a D-type German National Visa to travel here.
This visa is generally valid for 90–180 days and you need to apply for a residence permit or Aufenthaltserlaubnis within this period to stay in the country legally for the duration of your course. The foreigner’s office might also give you a Fiktionsbescheinigung in case your permit takes long. This document does the same job as your residence permit and allows you to freely travel within the Schengen area.
Get Your Visa in 4 Steps
The German visa is not difficult to get. However, the process can be long and time-consuming. It requires a significant amount of paperwork and persistence. But here’s a breakdown of things that you need to do to get that stamp on your passport.
Find Your Consulate
Start by finding the consulate where you need to apply for your visa. You might have to go to a particular consulate based on where you live or work in your country. You can find the list of German Missions in your country on the Federal Foreign Office website.
Book An Appointment
Booking an appointment for a German student visa can be quite cumbersome. But if you know how and when to book, it only comes down to persistence. To start with, you can only book an appointment 3 months before your classes begin.
The new appointments generally open up at 12 midnight daily and get filled up super soon. So, you need to be super fast to get this appointment. You can also check for consultancies in your country who might assist you with this.
In certain countries like India, the German mission also allows you to apply for your National Visa through VFS where the process might be slightly smoother, albeit at a nominally higher cost.
Collect And Organize Your Documents
Whether you go directly through the Consulate or through VFS, you need to ensure that you have all your documents that are up-to-date and in order.
Separating them into 3 sets of the same documents is extremely helpful given that the appointment has a minimum amount of time. The list below is non-exhaustive and you might need to furnish extra papers based on your specific case.
We have broken down the essentials into categories so it is easy for you to keep track.
- Academic
- Admission Letter
- Proof of educational qualification
- Curriculum Vitae
2. Financial
Proof of subsistence via:
- Blocked account
- Scholarship
- Sponsorship
- Parental Commitment
3. Insurance
4. Identification
- Filled German visa application form
- Your valid national passport
- Any expired or full passport
- 2 copies of your passport’s data page
- Three recent biometric photos
5. Others
- Motivational Letter
- Visa application fee
- Marriage certificate (if applicable)
- Language proficiency test results (if applicable)
Relax And Wait For Your Visa
Once you have submitted all your documents to the consulate, all you can do is wait. If all your documents were in order, it is most likely that you will get back your passport with your visa in 6–8 weeks. However, a wait of up to 12 weeks is normal as well.
Your German visa would be valid for 90–180 days and you would be required to apply for a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) at the foreigner’s office once you arrive.
Wrapping Up
Once you apply for your German student visa, you can safely start preparing for your flight to your destination. The chances of your visa getting rejected is low unless your application has any serious anomaly. And if you are looking for a trustworthy place to get your blocked account and insurance, visit us at Coracle!
