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Student Visa (Section 16b Residence Act)

12.02.2024 - Artikel

Foreign students who have been accepted by a German university (where applicable with a preparatory language course) or a preparatory college (Studienkolleg) can apply for a visa to study in Germany. You are advised to secure your admittance or acceptance from the university as early as possible.
During your studies, you can take up student jobs to help cover your expenses.
Upon completing your studies, you will have the opportunity to look for a job.

Required documents:

Please make sure to prepare a complete set of the following documents (collated in the order as listed below with a legible, unstapled copy in DinA4 format) to submit during your appointment:

  • Fully completed and signed application including declaration pursuant to Section 54 Residence Act
  • 2 recent biometric passport photos (see specimen photos)
  • Valid passport with at least two completely empty pages
  • 1 uncertified copy of the data page of your valid passport
  • Norwegian residence permit (card) - original + 1 copy (front and back)
  • Proof of address in Norway: Printout from the Population Register from „Skatteetaten“ (not older than 2 months) – original + 1 copy
  • Proof of admittance to the study course/preparatory college, including information on the language of instruction - original + 1 copy
  • If not confirmed by the university in the admittance notification: Proof of the language skills in the language of instruction for the study course or the preparatory course (without a preparatory language course as a rule at least B2 in the language of instruction) - original + 1 copy
  • Proof of qualification for studying in Germany (e.g. former degrees/certificates incl. transcript of grades/mark sheets in English or incl. certified German translation) – original + 1 copy
  • Proof of previous and/or present studies/work in Norway - original + 1 copy
  • In the case of preparatory language course: Acceptance for preparatory language course – original + 1 copy
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letter of motivation
  • Proof of financial means for your studies in Germany – original + 1 copy
    To stay in Germany the applicant must have at their disposal at least 934 € per month. Proof must be submitted with the application of financial means for at least one year, that is at least 11.208 €, to be proven by:
    - a blocked account („Sperrkonto“) at a bank in Germany containing the amount of 11.208 € for the first year of your studies (or for shorter studies 934 € per month)
    - a formal obligation („Verpflichtungserklärung“) by a sponsor resident in Germany or
    - proof of scholarship
  • Proof of valid health insurance – original + 1 copy
    Health insurance coverage is required at the time of entry into Germany. Usually statutory health insurance coverage provided by the university only goes into effect when you take up residence and begin with your studies.
    If you enter before, an additional private health insurance must be purchased for the duration of time until you begin with your studies and are covered through the statutory health insurance. Standard travel health insurances usually exclude protection in countries where a long-term or permanent stay is planned. Please ensure that your travel health insurance does not exclude such protection. We recommend checking the conditions of so-called incoming travel insurances.

The fee of 75 € is payable by Visa/Mastercard in €.

Additional information:

Missing documentation delays the procedure and can result in your application being rejected.
The embassy reserves the right to request further documents. Certificates, diplomas, etc. must be presented in the original with apostille/legalization.

The visa must be approved by the competent foreigners authority in Germany. The visa can only be issued when this approval has been received. The processing time is as a rule ca. 4 – 6 weeks, but can take longer in individual cases.

Please do not contact the embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such inquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and can thus not be answered.

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