How to Get a German Student Visa as an American Abroad
Living or working in any foreign country as an American, unless you happen to hold dual citizenship for a European Union country, is going to require a visa. Obtaining a student visa is a relatively straightforward prospect for anyone from the U.S., as under current German law, students accepted to study at a German University do not have to apply for them in advance, and can simply wait until after you've arrived in the city that you are going to be living in.
When you first arrive in Germany as an American, you are automatically on a 90 day tourist visa. If you are organizing a semester abroad or are starting a new degree program, you should apply for your visa as soon as possible, but you will have to take care of several tasks before you can do so, including matriculating as a student, obtaining your housing contract, opening a bank account, and registering with the city.
Once you've done so however, you can either call your local Ausländerbehörde, or you can go directly there and see if you can have a walk-in appointment. For smaller cities, it's generally fine to walk-in, provided that you are comfortable primarily working in German, and you show up first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you should call ahead, or go and visit the front desk in order to set up an appointment with one of their English speaking visa officers.
You'll need:
- Your passport
- The visa application form, completely filled out.
- A passport photo (if you've forgotten one, there are often booths in train stations or city registration offices where you take them)
- Your matriculation documents (not your letter of acceptance) and student ID if it has been issued already
- Your housing contract (most likely from your Studentenwohnheim)
- Proof of insurance (for students taking a semester abroad, travel insurance is typically fine)
- A copy of your German bank account statement, demonstrating that you have sufficient funds for duration of your studies in Germany (currently about 725 Euros a month)
- Copy of your return flight itinerary out of Germany
- A way to pay the visa fee (variable, but expect at least 100 Euros)
You'll be issued:
- An Aufenthaltserlaubnis (visa) card or stickers.
- A green Zusatzblat (additional slip), which must be carried along with the card or stickers in your passport. This form includes information about your visa limitations, your degree, and other important notes for any authority that you may need to provide visa information to.
If you are only doing a semester abroad, then you can expect that your visa will be in the form of a pair of stickers which look similar the cover image of this page (sans cartoon rat), covering two back-to-back pages of your passport. If you are studying abroad for a year, or longer to complete a full degree, you will be issued a passport card, with the same information. Either way, your visa will state that you are a student, when your visa ends, and include your passport number and expiration date. Generally speaking, this card is your ID while you are living in Germany.
When you fill out your visa application form, it's worth stating the end of your time in Germany as close to the end of the given semester as possible, in order to allow you time to travel in the country when your semester ends, as well as to give you extra time to collect your grades, move out of your student housing, and take care of any other end of semester business.
Regarding the proof of funding, the German government requires that you have about 725 Euros per month that you are applying to live in Germany, waiting in a bank account based out of Germany (proof of funding in an American bank account will not be accepted, nor would something like a letter from a private citizen in the U.S.). Make sure that you are clear about the length of your studies in Germany, as this can cause confusion, should the visa officer assume you are applying for a normal 1-2 year visa, and would therefore need to show proof of 8,700 Euros per year. This money should usually be in a "blocked account" meaning that you can only withdraw up to the 725 Euros per month that the German government has set as the monthly requirement for foreign students.
Your visa fee can typically be paid by cash, credit card, or EC (debit) card.
Additional Notes:
- If you are receiving a scholarship of some kind as part of your time abroad, bring any documentation to this effect, particularly stating the amount and duration of the scholarship. If it is issued through your college or university, a letter to this effect, stamped and signed by the appropriate administrators usually is sufficient if other documentation isn't available.
- If you are renewing your visa, bring along along your previous visa, including the green Zusatzblatt slip.
- If you happen to have a student job already, bring your signed work contract with you, as this can typically be considered to apply towards the 725 Euros per month that you are required to show proof of, meaning that you do not need to have as large of a bank account balance.