German student visa (National Visa D) & residence permit guide

The process, step by step

• Get your qualification checked for equivalence (anabin) and apply — for most international applicants through uni-assist, or through hochschulstart.de for nationally restricted subjects like medicine.
• Receive your letter of admission (Zulassungsbescheid) from the university.
• If you are from India, China, Vietnam or Mongolia, obtain your APS certificate — it is required before the visa can be issued.
• Open a blocked account (Sperrkonto) as proof of funds — currently around €11,904 for one year (roughly €992 a month), or provide a scholarship award or a formal declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung).
• Take out health insurance — statutory (gesetzlich) cover is compulsory for most students under 30.
• Book your appointment at the German mission early: at busy posts the waiting time for a student-visa slot can run to several weeks or months.
• Attend the appointment with the full document set and pay the €75 visa fee.
• After you arrive: register your address (Anmeldung) within two weeks, then apply for the residence permit for study purposes.

Documents you’ll typically need

• A passport valid well beyond your intended stay, plus biometric photos.
• University letter of admission (or proof of application / conditional admission for a language or Studienkolleg visa).
• Proof of financial resources: blocked-account confirmation, scholarship letter or declaration of commitment.
• Proof of health insurance cover from the date of entry.
• School and university certificates and transcripts, translated and certified.
• Language certificate — TestDaF, DSH, telc C1 Hochschule or Goethe C2 for German-taught degrees; IELTS/TOEFL for English-taught ones.
• APS certificate where your country requires it, and a completed national-visa application form with declaration.

Costs & timelines

The national visa fee is €75, and the residence permit issued after arrival costs roughly €100. The blocked account itself is not a fee — it is your own money, released to you at about €992 a month — but the bank charges a setup and monthly administration fee. Apply as soon as you have your admission letter: processing usually takes 4–12 weeks and appointment slots are the real bottleneck.

Working while you study

A student residence permit lets non-EU students work 140 full days or 280 half days per year alongside their studies, plus unlimited work as a student assistant (HiWi) at the university in many cases. The minimum wage applies, so a part-time job realistically covers part of your living costs — but never plan to fund your whole degree from it.

After you graduate — the 18-month job-seeker permit

Graduates of a German university can extend their residence permit for up to 18 months to look for a job related to their qualification, and may work without restriction during that time. Once employed, you can move on to a regular work permit, the EU Blue Card (which has lower salary thresholds for shortage occupations such as IT and engineering) and, in time, permanent residence.

This guide is general information, not immigration advice. Always follow the current guidance from the Federal Foreign Office (auswaertiges-amt.de), the German mission in your country, the Ausländerbehörde in your city and your university’s international office.