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Long-term stays in Germany (longer than 90 days)
Here you will find information about applying for a visa if you wish to go to Germany and stay longer than 90 days.
National Visa
As a rule, all foreigners require visas for stays of more than 90 days or stays leading to
gainful employment.
Exemptions apply to EU and EEA (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) citizens and Swiss nationals.
Furthermore, citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States of America may obtain any residence permit that may be required after entering Germany. Please note that these citizens may only take up employment once they have been issued a residence permit by the foreigner’s authority explicitly authorizing such employment.
Citizens of Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco and San Marino may also obtain a required residence permit after entering Germany for all purposes except for employment.
Citizens of all other countries planning a longer stay in Germany must apply for visa before moving to Germany. National visas for long-term stays are issued for a particular purpose. Usually issued for 90 days, such visas may be issued for up to a year in certain cases. After entering Germany, visa holders must apply for a residence permit as a general rule.
Please note that visa questions/applications will be handled in Oslo only. Our honorary consuls cannot help you in this matter.
Preparing your application
You should start preparing your application as soon as you have plans to stay long term in Germany. The entire visa application process can take several months.
In the visa navigator of the Federal Foreign Office you will find an overview of the different visa categories.
Prepare your application in the following three steps:
- Please fill out the visa application form.
- Please compile the documents you need to submit with your application. If documents or supporting documents are missing, your application may be rejected. We have compiled the appropriate checklist for you, depending on the purpose of your trip (see below).
- Please send an email to info[at]oslo.diplo.de, requesting an appointment. Kindly include all relevant documents for your application including the completed application form and a copy of the data page of your passport in one pdf document. We will schedule an appointment for you by e-mail.
Checklists
Visa for skilled workers with an academic degree
Student Visa
Submitting your application
After having scheduled an appointment, you need to appear in person to submit your application at the German Embassy in Oslo. Please hand in your complete documentation and pay the fee.
Visa fees are fixed by law in €. Kindly pay with a credit or debit card (MasterCard or Visa). Please note that you need to present the physical card. Only the card owner can sign for the payment. Contactless und Wallet-Payments (e. g. Google Pay or Apple Pay) are not possible. Cards will be debited in € by the German Foreign Office in Berlin., therefore, cards must be activated for international and online payments.
During your appointment we will also ask you questions about your planned trip and take your fingerprints.
What happens during processing?
The Embassy will review your application and make a decision on whether or not to grant you a visa. To this end, it will check whether your application meets the legal requirements. In many cases the Embassy has to involve other German authorities in the decision-making process. Therefore, depending on the purpose of your trip, it can take several weeks/months to come to a decision. The Embassy will contact you as soon as it has made a decision on your application. We hope you will understand that we are not able to answer any questions on the status of your application during this processing period.
Delivery of the visa
As soon as the Embassy has reached a positive decision on your application, you can collect your visa upon presentation of your passport. To that avail the embassy will send you an e-mail.
If your visa application is rejected, you are welcome to submit a new application at any time with complete, informative and verifiable documentation.
Have a good trip! Information for visa holders
If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel. Please check the information on the label as soon as your passport is returned to you. You should let us know immediately if there are any mistakes so that we can issue you a new visa.
Your visa will state your full name and passport number and include your photo. It will also state the number of days you can stay and the period of validity, that is, the time by which you must have received your residence permit for Germany.
Therefore, please do not forget to register at the registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt/Bürgerbüro) shortly after you arrive in Germany and to make an appointment with the foreigners authority. Your entry visa will allow you to travel within the Schengen area.