Introduction

Germany is famous for being the land of poets and thinkers. Most of the students dream of pursuing their study in Germany as it offers beautiful culture, rich history, colorful architecture, castles, palaces, cathedrals and monuments and many more. The list goes on but the reasons to study in Germany will never come to an end. Therefore, students willing to study abroad, getting to know the visa process of any country is essential.

Germany is a top choice of higher studies for a lot of students who wish to pursue their postgraduate courses in the field of engineering. One of the major reasons why engineering majors choose to study in Germany over any other country in the world is because most of the public universities located there offer major postgraduate courses at no cost. None of the well-ranked public universities charge students with tuition fees to study in Germany. However, when it comes to taking care of the living expenses, students are required to cater for the same on their own.

You can also watch our 20th episode of the Loanflix web-series that will tell you all about how to take care of the financial requirements of studying in Germany.

Before you try to find ways to arrange funds for your living expenses in Germany, it is important to understand another aspect of studying in Germany - getting a Germany student visa.

This article aims to explain the various aspects of a Germany student visa process, starting with an overview of the process of obtaining a visa to study in Germany, the eligibility criteria, the Germany student visa document checklist, financial prerequisites, etc.

Types of Germany student visa

Students may receive a Germany student visa for degree programs and courses. This includes a bachelor's, exchange, doctoral or postgraduate degree. This also includes participation in a pre-academic course or a non-academic German course.

There are three types of student visa for Germany that a student may apply for: 

  • German student visa - German student visa is the standard visa set for international students who have received their admit from a German University and are ready to study by investing their entire time in a full-time university program.
  • German student applicant visa - German student applicant visa is set for students who have to stay in Germany in order to apply for a university in person. This visa does not allow the student to study in Germany as it is only valid for the university's application process.
  • German language course visa - German language course visa is set for students who are willing to complete a German language course in Germany. 

Students who are looking for an education loan to fund their education in Germany, connect with our team at WeMakeScholars as our financial team will be able to help you out. 

Germany Student Visa Eligibility Criteria

Students who are willing to study abroad are required to meet Germany student visa eligibility criteria in order to qualify for study in Germany.

  • The applicant must acquire an acceptance letter from any of the accredited universities in Germany that are offering full-time courses.
  • Student must have have opened a blocked account with any of the participating banks
  • Students are required to submit photographs which meet all the biometric requirements mentioned on the German embassy’s official website.
  • Lastly, students are required to submit all the relevant documents mentioned in the checklist which is mentioned in the further paragraphs. 

If you happen to look for an education loan to fund your study in Germany, get in touch with our team at WemakeScholars and our team will reach you soon.

Germany Student Visa - An Overview of the German National Visa Process

Before proceeding ahead to study in Germany, students must be aware about the Germany visa process in order to ensure a timely process. The applicants must be fully aware of the different steps involved in it. Now, let us take a peek at the overall steps which will ensure a smooth and hassle free visa process to study in Germany.

Students who are planning to study in Germany that will last upto to 3 months will require a Schengen Visa. Schengen Visa holders are allowed to travel for up to 90 days in any member state of the Schengen area. They are also enabled to move freely from country to country, as there are no border controls within the Schengen zone. However, students who are planning to study, work or live that last longer than 3 months will require a German national visa of the relevant European country.

The process of getting a German national visa involves certain steps which all applicants must follow. There are seven major steps which all candidates must undergo before accessing their Germany study visa. These steps include the following actions:

Step 1: Select your University

The first step involves choosing the University in Germany. For this purpose, in many Indian cities, The DAAD (The German academic exchange service program) provides free services to help students in searching for the right universities in Germany and the courses offered by them. So students who are willing to study in Germany can reach out to their nearest DAAD centres in their respective cities to receive further counselling about finding the right universities.

It is mandatory to acquire an acceptance letter from any university in Germany offering full-time courses in order to be eligible to apply for a Germany student visa.

Step 2: Enrollment at the Respective University

In order to enrol into a university to study in Germany, students must submit certified copies of their academic transcripts. Students can obtain these certified copies at the German Missions and in order to book an appointment for the same, visit the official website of the  German immigration department.

Step 3: Open a Blocked Account

A blocked account or a Sperrkonto is one of the most crucial parts of the Germany student visa process as this acts as an evidence during the visa application process that a student has adequate financial resources to fund their study in Germany. After finishing step 1 and step 2, students are now required to apply for a blocked account in order to be deemed eligible for a Germany student visa. Students who fail to provide proof of having opened a blocked account will be directly disqualified from applying for a Germany study visa.

The presumed annual requirement made by the official education loans and scholarships regulator in Germany  that must be paid into the blocked account when applying for a visa amounts to €10,332 Euros per year i.e 911427.05 Indian Rupee at minimum to be able to live in a country like Germany. Every month, they will be allowed to withdraw 861 Euros i.e 75,952.25 Indian Rupee to meet their daily expenses. Students are discouraged from withdrawing higher amounts of money from their blocked accounts in order to avoid coming across any legal hassles during their stay in Germany. In India, the Kotak Mahindra Bank facilitates the opening of a blocked account. There are others like Deutsche Bank, Capital India Finance Ltd., and Drop Money that offer blocked accounts in India that meet the Germany student visa requirements.

It is self-explanatory that students may require a higher amount during the initial phase of their stay. Hence, students are recommended to arrange for the required funds on their own. As most students opt for education loans to fund their study in Germany, get in touch with our team at WeMakeScholars as our financial team as they will be able to assist you with the entire education loan sanction. 

Step 4: Preparing Documentation

Now, students are required to arrange all the necessary documents for their visa application using the Checklist for Student Visa. Documentation is one of the crucial parts of any  country’s visa process. We shall be discussing the details of the German student visa document checklist further ahead in this article.

Step 5: Procuring Photos for Biometric Evaluation

Students who are applying for a Germany student visa are expected to submit their photographs which adhere to the biometric photo requirements mentioned on the embassy’s official website.

Step 6: Fill out the application form for a Germany student visa

Here, students are required to take a Germany student visa application form online or  take a printout of the application form. Students have to fill in all the required details on the form, sign it and have to submit it along with the other documents.

They are also required to sign on a declaration form which states that the information provided by the applicants are true and can be expelled if he or she has furnished false or incomplete information in order to gain a German residence permit or a Schengen visa.

Step 7: Schedule an appointment for Germany visa interview at a German Mission office near you

Now that you have a glimpse of the Germany student visa process, you can schedule an appointment for your Germany student visa interview at the German Mission.

But before your appointment, kindly check the current exchange rate for your visa fee on the official website. The visa fee has to be paid at the time of the Germany study visa interview and the fee is not refundable if the visa is rejected.  

In order to ensure your timely arrival in Germany, you should schedule your appointment at the competent German Mission as early as possible. Due to restricted slots and high demand, it may well take several weeks between scheduling and the actual date of your interview at the German Mission.

Students who are willing to study in Germany, generally look for an education loan to finance their study abroad. If you’re looking for one, you’ve come to the right place. Connect with our team at WeMakeScholars as our financial team will help you in the entire education loan process. 

Germany Student Visa Document Checklist

The German embassy requires candidates who are applying for a German student visa to submit certain documents which are mentioned in the document checklist. These documents are as listed below.

Basic Germany student visa requirements

  • Duly completed and signed national visa application form and declaration (in accordance with Section 54 of the Residence Act)
  • Your valid national passport (issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least another year as of date of visa application)
  • Declaration for Additional contact and legal representation information
  • Two photocopies of your passport  (A4 size copy)
  • Statement of purpose / Motivation letter
  • Proof of admittance to the study course/preparatory college (original and 2 copies)
  • Proof of the language skills (at least B2-level) (original and 2 copies)
  • Certificates of other academic qualifications (original and 2 copies)
  • Curriculum vitae 
  • Students applying for a German student visa may submit the following documents as financial proof:
    a. € 10,332 deposit confirmation of a blocked account with a bank provider
    b. confirmation of a German / EU scholarship / stipend 
    c. formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) by sponsor living in Germany (if applicable)
  • 3 passport pictures according to biometric specifications (not older than 6 months)
  • Visa fee of 75 € payable in INR only
  • Travel health insurance (valid on arrival in Germany to the date of enrollment at the University)

While submitting the documents mentioned above, students need to bear in mind that they are to prepare two identical application sets and carry their original certificates along while visiting the German Missions office to submit the same. It is essential to take note of all the documents which are mentioned in the German visa document checklist above. According to the Germany student visa requirements, German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or the verification of certificates if required.

Note: It is important to note that appointments made through VFS global or the German Missions office only are entertained by the German consulate/embassy. Appointments made via any other third-party visa facilitators will not be entertained by the authorities.

German Student Visa Processing Time

Once students have submitted all the documents, the visa application will be forwarded to the competent authorities in Germany for further processing and verification. If any documents are found to be missing or if there is a need for additional documents to be submitted for further processing, the embassy/consulate will inform the student of the same immediately. If the student fails to add the missing documents or refuses to appear for the visa interview, the embassy/consulate holds the right to reject or cancel the German student visa application on that basis.

On an average, the German student visa processing time is  up to 25 days. All German visa applications for studies are normally processed within 3 months.

The processing time may vary depending upon the country and the German embassy a student has applied to. Hence, students are advised to apply for a German student visa by keeping this timeline in mind. 

German Student Visa Fee

Students applying for a German national visa from India, the German student visa fee goes up to 75 Euros i.e around INR 6,617.22 per adult.

Students are required to pay the fees towards the end of their visa process. The German student visa fee is accepted in the form of a demand draft or cash only. The fees are non-refundable, even in the case of visa rejection. The German Missions accept Demand Drafts from all nationalised banks and should not be older than 2 months at the time of submission.. The Demand Draft per applicant issued is according to current visa fees.

Students need to ensure that the demand draft containing the German student visa fees are issued in a particular format. Again, the formats recommended for students applying from different cities in India are different. They are depicted in the table below.

City

Issued in favour of

Payable in 

New Delhi

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, New Delhi

New Delhi

Bangalore

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangalore

Bangalore

Chennai

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Chennai

Chennai

Kolkata   

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Kolkata

Kolkata   

Mumbai

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mumbai

Mumbai

To avail the Demand Draft form, visit the official website of German Missions in India to know more. 

Conclusion

This is all about Germany Student Visa requirements, process, eligibility, documents required, processing time etc. If you happen to look for an education loan to fund your study in Germany, connect with our team at WeMakeScholars. The financial team of WeMakeScholars has been working in close quarters with the aim of helping students who wish to pursue their higher studies abroad. Many times the banks are not aware of the exact policies and refuse to transfer the blocked account money for account creation which can be a big problem as your visa depends on it. We at WeMakeScholars have faced and resolved thousands of such issues for students getting their education loan process done through us. A major percentage of students who apply for study in Germany are often unaware of smaller aspects of the education loan process. Therefore, to know specific details about the education loan process, get in touch with our team by requesting a callback.

Note: WeMakeScholars is an organization funded and supported by the Government of India that focuses on International Education Finance. We are associated with 10+ public /Pvt Banks/ NBFCs in India and help you get the best abroad education loan matching your profile. As this initiative is under the Digital India campaign, it’s free of cost. The organization has vast experience dealing with students going to various abroad education destinations like the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Italy, New Zealand, France among others.