Germany Student Visa Requirements
Students from India and Pakistan who will study in Germany for more than 90 days need a national visa (D visa), a long-stay visa. Here is what you need before you apply. Amounts are in euro (EUR).
Who Can Get a Germany Student Visa
You can get the visa if a state-recognised university in Germany has admitted you, you can pay your living costs and you have health insurance.
- Admission to a state-recognised university, a preparatory college or a language course that leads to studies.
- A full-time course that you attend in person.
- India: an APS certificate, unless you are exempt.
- A blocked account with EUR 11,904 for the first year.
- You can take out no more than EUR 992 a month.
- Or a formal obligation letter from a sponsor in Germany, or a German or EU scholarship.
- Pakistan: a scholarship from a Pakistani university is not accepted as proof of money. One from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) is.
Public or private health insurance from the day you plan to arrive.
Your visa starts on the day your insurance starts, so match it to your travel date.
For your residence permit (Berlin): statutory (public) health insurance or a comparable private plan in Germany. Foreign health insurance is not enough.
Immigration Status
- If you live outside your home country, choose the country where you live in the portal. An Indian citizen in Dubai picks the United Arab Emirates.
Other Points
- India: an Indian affidavit of support (a signed promise from family to pay) does not replace the blocked account.
- In the portal, choose the German Mission for your area.
- India: under 18, the visa fee is INR 4,200 (EUR 37.50).
Documents for a Germany Student Visa
These are the papers on the visa list. The visa website shows you which ones to upload for you.
Pakistan: also bring clear A4 copies of every paper.
Use the same name on every paper. If you changed your name, bring proof. In India, this can be a notice in two newspapers or the Gazette of India (the government's official paper).
Keep your admission letter and money proof at the front.
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Online application | Fill it in and upload your papers in the Consular Services Portal. | Required |
| Passport | Issued less than 10 years ago, with at least 2 empty pages. Upload the page with your photo. | Required |
| Visa fee | India: INR 8,300 (EUR 75) over 18, paid at the appointment, plus a fee to VFS Global (the company that takes visa appointments for the German Missions in India). Pakistan: EUR 75, paid in cash in Pakistani rupees. | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Admission letter | From a full-time course at a German university. Any condition, such as a preparatory college, must be in the letter. | Required |
| School and degree papers | Bachelor's: your class 10 and 12 mark sheets. Master's: your degree and the mark sheet for each semester. | Required |
| APS certificate | India: needed by most students who studied in India. If you do not need it, upload a printout from anabin (a German list of foreign schools and degrees) or a letter from ZAB (the Central Office for Foreign Education). | Required |
| Language certificate | Degree courses: usually level C1 (a high level) in the course language. Preparatory course: German B1 or English B2 (middle levels). | Required |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of money | A blocked account with EUR 11,904, a formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) from a sponsor in Germany, or a German or EU (European Union) scholarship. | Required |
| Education loan papers | If you have a loan, add proof. In India you still need the blocked account. The loan does not replace it. | Optional |
| Tuition fee proof | India: the first two semesters (one year) of tuition fees must be paid. For a private university, bring the fee invoice and proof of the first year, or a large deposit. Pakistan: proof that you paid tuition fees, if your course has them. | Optional |
| Document Name | Description | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance | Public or private, from the day you plan to arrive. | Required |
| Motivation letter | In English or German. Say why Germany, why this course and what you plan after it. | Required |
| CV | In English or German, set out as a table, with all your study and work. | Required |
| Earlier visas | If you ever had a visa or residence permit for a long stay in Germany or another EU country, add it. | Optional |
Important Document Guidelines
Which Visa Do You Need?
If you will study in Germany for more than 90 days, you need a national visa (D visa) from the German Mission (the German embassy or consulate) where you live. You apply online on the German government's visa website (the Consular Services Portal).
Key Features
Lets you enter Germany and start your course.
Lets you travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 days.
Lets you work up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or up to 20 hours a week, once you study.
Eligibility Requirements
- An admission letter from a state-recognised university in Germany.
- Money for your living costs, such as a blocked account.
- Health insurance from the day you arrive.
Restrictions
- You cannot get this visa for a German course you take only to learn the language.
- Apply in the country where you live, not the country of your passport.
- After you arrive, register your address within 14 days of moving in. Apply for your residence permit before your visa ends.
| Point | Visa for study | Visa to look for a study place |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | Students with an admission letter | Students who are looking for a place |
| Money to show | EUR 11,904 for the first year | At least EUR 1,091 a month (visa to look for a study place) |
| Stay | Then a residence permit, usually two years | Up to nine months |
| Work | 140 full or 280 half days a year | Up to 20 hours a week |
Have your admission letter? Apply for the visa for study. No admission letter, but your school certificate lets you study in Germany? You can apply for the visa to look for a study place.
Show Why You Want to Study in Germany
The visa office asks for a motivation letter. It shows your study plan is real.
- Why you want to study in Germany.
- Why you chose this course and this university.
- How you found the university.
- What you plan to do after you graduate.
Go to your visa interview yourself. Family can wait outside.
Bring every paper the portal asked for, in the original.
If your visa appointment is after your course starts, tell your university as early as you can.
Common Red Flags to Avoid
Key to Success
Write your own letter in your own words. Make sure it matches your CV and your other papers.
Useful Links and Common Questions
Links for the student visa, and answers to the questions students from India and Pakistan ask most.
German Missions in India
German Missions in Pakistan
Apply Online
Get your admission letter from a German university.
India: get your APS certificate. It takes at least two weeks.
Open a blocked account and buy health insurance from your arrival date.
Fill in the form and upload your papers in the Consular Services Portal.
Book and attend your appointment. India: through VFS Global. Pakistan: the portal sends you the appointment.
Wait for the decision. You are told when it is ready.
Need More Help?
Rules and fees can change. Before you pay or book, check the page of the German embassy or consulate for your area.
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