Do you need a visa?
Your passport decides how you enter. To study, most students then hold a residence permit.
| Your passport | To enter and to study |
|---|---|
| European Union or European Economic Area passport | No visa and no permit. You have the right to stay with sufficient health insurance and sufficient means, and you register your address within 14 days of moving in. As a student, only your spouse or partner and your dependent children share this right.Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU § 2 — Right of entry and residence (Federal Ministry of Justice); Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU § 4 — Right of residence of persons not in work (Federal Ministry of Justice); Bundesmeldegesetz § 17 — Registration and deregistration (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
| Swiss passport | No residence permit: Swiss citizens are exempt under the agreement between Switzerland and the European Union.Aufenthaltsverordnung § 28 — Swiss nationals (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
| Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, United States | Entry without a visa. You apply for your residence permit in Germany within 90 days of arriving.Aufenthaltsverordnung § 41 — Entry without a visa and permit applied for in Germany (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
| Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco, San Marino | Entry without a visa and a permit applied for within 90 days of arriving, as long as you do not work beyond what a study applicant may do.Aufenthaltsverordnung § 41 — Entry without a visa and permit applied for in Germany (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
| Any other passport | A national visa (type D) before you travel, applied for through the Federal Foreign Office’s online portal (Auslandsportal). A short-stay visa or a tourist entry cannot be turned into a student permit.Auswärtiges Amt — Visa for study; DAAD — Visas and residence permits; German Embassy Dushanbe — Visa for study |
| You have no admission yet | A study-applicant visa lets you look for a place for up to 9 months. It is a different visa from the student visa, with a higher amount to block.Aufenthaltsgesetz § 17 — Study applicants and other purposes (Federal Ministry of Justice); DAAD — Visas and residence permits |
Open the blocked account before the visa appointment. The embassy accepts only the bank’s confirmation that states the total blocked and the monthly amount released.
Auswärtiges Amt — Proof of finance for a study visa; Auswärtiges Amt — Blocked account (Sperrkonto) for study visas
Not verified
No embassy commits to a processing time for the visa. The yearly total to block for a study-applicant visa differs between two embassy pages read: we show the monthly amount only. For your passport, the German embassy that covers you has the final word.
The residence permit
The visa lets you enter. The residence permit for study is issued by the foreigners authority (Ausländerbehörde) of the town where you live.
- Residence permit, first issue
- €100
- Aufenthaltsverordnung § 45 — Fees for residence permits (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- Length
- 2 years as a rule
- Aufenthaltsgesetz § 16b — Studium (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- at least 1 year; renewable while you study
Contact the foreigners authority well before your visa expires: the permit is applied for in Germany, not at the embassy.
Not verified
Appointment waiting times and the list of documents vary from one foreigners authority to another. The authority of your town publishes its own list.
Getting a place
There is no national application: each university sets its own dates and conditions. What you need first is to know whether your certificate gives direct access.
- Tuition at state universities
- none as a rule
- DAAD — Finances: costs of living and study in Germany
- Baden-Württemberg charges non-EU students €1,500 a semester, with exemptions
- Application through uni-assist
- €75
- uni-assist — Paying and submitting your application
- for the first wish; €30 for each further wish in the same semester
Not verified
Application dates are set by each university: the Higher Education Compass shows them programme by programme, and we give no national date. Whether your university uses uni-assist is stated on its own page.
From place to permit
- Choose the programme and check your certificate
- Apply to the university
- Receive your admission
- Open the blocked account
- Arrange health cover for the visa
- Apply for the national visa
- Enter Germany and register your address
- Apply for the residence permit
- Enrol and prove your insurance
- Renew the permit before it ends
Not verified
No official page read gives the total time from the visa application to the residence permit.
Costs
Public universities charge no tuition as a rule. The costs that remain are the administrative fees, the semester contribution and the money you block.
Not verified
The tuition fees of Bavaria and the fees charged by the banks for a blocked account are not published on an official page read. No amount is shown for them.
Health
| Stage | Insurance |
|---|---|
| Visa application | Proof of health cover at the latest when you collect the visa. The statutory cover starts only after enrolment and moving in, so a private cover bridges the time before. Some travel policies exclude long stays: read the terms.German Embassy Rabat — Visa for study (25 June 2026) |
Not verified
The monthly contribution to the student insurance differs between the sources read, and between funds. Ask the fund you choose; no amount is shown here.
Working while you study
- Work next to your studies
- 140 full days a year
- Aufenthaltsgesetz § 16b — Studium (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- a half day counts when it lasts four hours or less; jobs at the university do not count; the law also allows 20 hours a week in term time as an alternative
- Study applicant
- 20 hours a week
- Aufenthaltsgesetz § 17 — Study applicants and other purposes (Federal Ministry of Justice)
- during the months spent looking for a place
Not verified
Self-employment and the internships that a programme requires are not covered by the texts read.
Bringing your family
An EU or EEA student can bring only a spouse or partner and dependent children, who share the right to stay.
Source: Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU § 2 — Right of entry and residence (Federal Ministry of Justice); Freizügigkeitsgesetz/EU § 4 — Right of residence of persons not in work (Federal Ministry of Justice)
Not verified
The conditions for the family of a student from outside the EU are not read: ask the German embassy that covers you.
The companies and registers for your file
For each need of your file: the official rule, the register that lists the approved providers, and the companies that serve students.
After your degree
A graduate can stay to look for a job.
| Your situation | What comes next |
|---|---|
| You finished your degree | A permit of up to 18 months to look for a job that fits your qualification, as long as you can pay for your living.Aufenthaltsgesetz § 20 — Research; job search after the degree (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
| You are a study applicant without a place | The applicant permit runs up to 9 months.Aufenthaltsgesetz § 17 — Study applicants and other purposes (Federal Ministry of Justice) |
Not verified
The rules for a work permit after the job search are not read in this guide.