Visa information

Regulations for entering Germany can vary depending on your country of origin.

• Citizens from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Japan, Canada, Korea, Israel, New Zealand and the USA may enter Germany with a valid passport and do not require a visa.
• Foreigners from countries other than that are required to present a visa when entering Germany.

Please contact the German embassy or consulate in your native country to apply for a visa to enter Germany.

Please start your visa arrangements early enough! Do not wait until you got an admission letter from HTW Berlin, but start as soon as you even think about applying for a study place at HTW Berlin to contact the German foreign representative in your native country in order to inform yourself about all the necessary documents that will be required from you. It will take at least two to three months for your visa to be issued after filing your application!

Note: You must apply for a VISA FOR STUDY PURPOSES (or study preparation purposes).

The following documents are usually required from you at the embassy:

• Application for issue of a visa
• Letter of admittance or application confirmation from the university in Germany*
• Health insurance coverage
• Proof of sufficient German language knowledge / proof of registration for a German language course in Germany
• Proof of study financing / source of livelihood (see further below)

*HTW Berlin will issue a letter for the Germany embassy upon your explicit request and only upon receipt of your complete application documents in paper plus a certified copy of your passport. Read up on the HTW application formalities here: How to apply

Please also note the following:

• Visas are issued for a maximum of three months and must be transferred into a residence permit before they expire - this will be done once you arrived in Berlin at the so-called Ausländerbehörde (the department for foreign nationals in Berlin).
• The department for foreign nationals will only issue the necessary residence permit for study purposes if you entered Germany with a visa for study purposes!
• A tourist visa or language course visa is insufficient and cannot be transferred into a residence permit. This means you would have to leave the country after your language course is finished or after your visa expired.
• For multiple-entry into Germany, e.g. re-entering after a visit home or travelling within the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland, a multiple-entry visa is recommended.
• The visa’s validity period must be observed by all means!

If you are unable to directly begin your studies in Germany because you first have to attend a preparatory course or language course, you must state in your visa application that these measures will serve as "preparation for your studies" so that a visa for study preparation purposes will be issued to you.

Further information can be found on the website of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs:

• Visa applications in different languages
• All German foreign offices

Before you will be allowed to enter Germany, the embassy/consulate in your home country may ask for a proof of your financial means to cover your costs of living in Germany. Please directly contact the embassy/consulate in your home country to find out if and which type of financial certificates/verifications they require from you before issuing a visa.

Note: the self-financing of your studies by student jobs or employments in Germany will not be accepted as sufficient proof for financing your source of livelihood!

Some embassies may require you to open a so-called blocked account as proof that you have sufficient financial means to secure your stay in Germany. This blocked account may for example be opened with Deutsche Bank AG. You have to pay in a fixed amount of money into this blocked account, which will be kept there as security. Please contact the German embassy or consulate in your country to find out about the exact amount of money. The amount usually corresponds to the maximum amount of the official German State Student Loan ("BaföG"), which is currently at round about EUR 650 for one month. This is - roughly speaking - the amount that will cover your most basic costs of living in Germany, and is hence the amount that you will need to survive in Germany. The embassy usually requires you to provide proof that you can finance the whole first year of your stay in Germany, this means they will calculate EUR 650 for twelve months = a total sum of EUR 7,800 => this total sum has to be transferred into the blocked account as security before they will issue your visa.

Please directly contact Deutsche Bank AG for any questions regarding the blocked account:
studenten-bsc.nord@db.com

A person who resides in the Federal Republic of Germany may officially assume the formal obligation to cover all costs and expenses incurred during your studies in Germany. This person must also provide proof of his/her financial circumstances.
More information on formal obligations (Verpflichtungserklärungen)

A confirmation letter that you have been granted a scholarship may also serve as sufficient proof of your financial means. Please note: HTW does not award any scholarships. You may apply for scholarships at external institutions only. Find more information here: Financing

A confirmation of your parents' financial situation issued by a German foreign representative/embassy may be considered as sufficient proof your financial security during your studies in Germany.
Please contact a German foreign representative.

You may also deposit a bank guarantee at a financial institution within the Federal Republic of Germany. This bank guarantee is to be renewed annually and must amount to the annual sum of the maximum possible German State Student Loan ("BaföG", see above) of round about EUR 7,800. Again, please directly contact your competent embassy/consulate in your home country to inquire the exact amount.