You want to move and reside in Germany in order to follow your studies? You have a school-leaving certificate and a proof of admission to a German University? Or you want to apply for course of study in Germany?

What do I need to do before going to Germany?
For both cases you first need to make an appointment at the German embassy in your country in order to apply for a visa. The visa is granted for 1-3 months. Bear in mind waiting and processing times at the embassies and do not do it last minute before leaving to Germany.

What do I need to do once I entered Germany?
Even if you do not have an admission to a German university before entering Germany you can still apply for a residence permit.
After having entered Germany it is of utmost importance to register with the municipality of the city as soon as possible. This is a condition to register the with foreign nationals’ registration authority, which is responsible for you in Germany.

Registration at the municipality office – why is it that important?

They tell you which documents you need in order to apply for a residence permit and you apply here for the residence permit.

Handy hints:

• make appointments early in time in order to circumvent long waiting times and delays.
• notice: the relevant immigration authority for students in Berlin is located at Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin now
• in order to facilitate and accelerate the process you can inform yourself about the forms you need online at various platforms such as gohelp.y. You can print all forms and checklists at home and take them with you for your appointment.