As an international exchange student you may need a visa for Germany depending on where you come from, how long you plan to stay here and if you already hold a residence title for studying at one of our EU-partner universities. It is very important that you inform yourself early in advance if you need to apply for a visa (A.) or if the regulations of a special visa waiver program (B.) or of the so-called 'REST procedure' (C.) apply to you. In the following, you can find out more about these 3 different procedures:
International students who are not nationals of an EU-member or -associated state usually require a student visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.
Visas are not required by students from third countries with which special agreements between governments have been signed (visa waiver, information see below) or who hold a student residence permit in an EU member state (here typically applies the REST-procedure, see under C).
Student visas are issued by the consular service of the German embassy covering your place of residence on presentation of the official letter of admission from htw saar. You will also need to submit proof of sufficient financial resources. The amount is fixed by law and currently amounts to 11.904 EUR per full academic year (5.952 EUR per semester). The monthly permitted amount to withdraw from the account is 992 EUR. In most cases, the immigration authority mandates that this amount be deposited into a blocked account, allowing you to withdraw a portion of the money each month (equal to 992 EUR if the deposited sum amounts to 11.904 EUR). Such an account can be opened at a local bank in Saarbrücken upon your arrival or arranged beforehand with a bank or commercial provider.
If you receive a scholarship and submit documentation of that, the cumulated scholarship amount will be deducted from the amount you need to prove to have available for the visa application. Please consult the webpages and contact the Germany embassy in your country for the details of the visa requirements and check which form of financial proof is required (you may need to deposit the money in a special blocked account.
After arrival in Germany, within the first weeks, all students who are not nationals of an EU member state holding a visa, need to register at the central Saarland Immigration Authority. Depending on the visa specifications and validity dates students may need to apply for a temporary residence permit at the Immigration Authority:
Address: Zentrale Ausländerbehörde Saarland (Central Immigration Authority of Saarland)
Dillinger Straße 67, Building 2
66822 Lebach
T +49 681 501-00
zab@lava.saarland.de
www.saarland.de/lava/DE/home/Abteilungen/Abteilung2.html
(No walk-in consultation, prior appointment necessary)
You may enter Germany without a visa for a stay of up to 90 days; however, for the purpose of a study program over 90 days, you will need to apply for a temporary residence permit at the local Immigration Authority after arriving in Saarbrücken. It is advisable to start this application process no later than 6-8 weeks before your 90 days are up.
For individuals entering Germany under a visa-waiver program to pursue a study program exceeding 90 days, the local Immigration Authority typically requires additional documentation. In addition to proof of admission and enrollment at a German university, you will need to provide proof of sufficient health insurance and financial resources for the entire study period in Germany. The amount is fixed by law and currently amounts to 11.904 EUR per full academic year (5.952 EUR per semester). In most cases, the immigration authority mandates that this amount be deposited into a blocked account, allowing you to withdraw a portion of the money each month (equal to 992 EUR if the deposited sum amounts to 11.904 EUR). Such an account can be opened at a local bank in Saarbrücken upon your arrival or arranged beforehand with a bank or commercial provider.
If you receive a scholarship and submit documentation, the cumulated scholarship amount will be deducted from the financial proof required for the temporary residence permit. Especially for non-EU nationals entering Germany under a visa waiver program, it is advisable to contact the Saarbrücken Immigration Authority via email before departure to obtain precise information on the required documents, the form of financial proof needed (e.g., a special blocked account), and any applicable fees.
Address: Zentrale Ausländerbehörde Saarland (Central Immigration Authority of Saarland)
Dillinger Straße 67, Building 2
66822 Lebach
T +49 681 501-00
zab@lava.saarland.de
www.saarland.de/lava/DE/home/Abteilungen/Abteilung2.html
(No walk-in consultation, prior appointment necessary)
This option may apply to students from third countries who study at an EU- partner university of htw saar:
The EU's mobility arrangements enable third country nationals holding a residence title for study purposes in an EU-member state (title must show '2016/801/EU') to also study in Germany for up to 360 days without applying for a visa and residence title. The application for being eligible to enter Germany and reside up to 360 days without prior visa application is processed by the htw saar International Office (Incoming) and the BAMF Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Accepted students will be contacted by the International Office via email and need to provide the following items for enabling the htw saar International Office to submit the digital notification to the BAMF:
- copy of valid residence title of EU-country where they study and live
- copy of valid passport
- 'Declaration on Securing Livelihood for Student Mobility': the International Office will send this form to the student in which they declare that they secure € 992 per month (amount fixed by law) and hold valid health insurance status for the duration of their stay.
The htw saar International Office in turn needs to submit a digital notification along with the student's declaration, the documentation of the student's acceptance as well as of the agreement with the sending partner university to the BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees) at latest 30 days before the exchange student plans to enter into Germany. Notification and documents will then be checked for completeness and correctness by the Federal Office. The office may deny the planned entry and residence within 30 days. Otherwise the student may travel to and start studying in Germany. The Federal Office issues a certificate for mobility which is just declaratory and not necessary for the entry.
Note: Non-EU nationals with a residence permit from an EU country that has not implemented the directive need to contact the German embassy or consulate in the country where they hold residence in order to find out whether they need to apply for a visa or not.
Important: If the residence title does not show '2016/801/EU' under purpose of study, students need to apply for a visa towards the German consular services covering their place of residence!!
Actual procedure:
Accepted students who are eligible to undergo the REST procedure will be contacted by the htw saar International Office via a separate email after their acceptance and receive further information on the required documents they need to provide in order to enable the International Office to submit the notification to the BAMF (Federal Office for Migration and Refugees).
Further information of the Federal Office For Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
Additional source of information, see: https://www.germany-visa.org/ (private publishing website providing comprehensive information on German visa and immigration matters)