Visa

You do not need a visa to enter Germany.

If you plan to stay longer than three months in Germany, you have to register your place of residence at the Citizen Services Office in Potsdam or in one of the Citizen Centers in Berlin (EU citizens), or apply for a Residence Card (Switzerland) at the Foreigners’ Registration Office in Potsdam or in Berlin.

Whether you need a visa to enter Germany or not depends on the purpose of your stay.

You do not need a visa to enter Germany if the main purpose of your stay is to study here.

If you plan to stay longer than three months in Germany, however, you will need a residence permit. You can only apply for a residence permit from within Germany. Depending on where you live, the Foreigners’ Registration Office in Potsdam or the Foreigners’ Registration Office in Berlin will be responsible for issuing the residence permit.

You can find information on the required documentation and application forms for the residence permit here.

For stays of up to a maximum of one year, it is possible to apply in advance for a national visa for the entire stay; consult with the German embassy in your home country. If you receive a visa under this procedure, you will not have to apply for a residence permit in Germany.

You will need a visa to enter Germany if you will get a work contract in Germany.

Please apply for a visa in a timely manner (about 8 weeks before you plan to arrive in Germany) in the German Embassy or the appropriate German Consulate in your home country or your current country of residence. There you will receive all of the necessary information and documents for your visa application.

If you plan to stay longer than three months in Germany, you will need a national visa (D visa). The national visa is a residence permit that allows a longer-term stay (for example, for studies or research) or employment in Germany. The national visa is normally issued for a period of three months. Once in Germany, you must extend your national visa at the local Foreigners’ Registration Office into a longer-term residence permit. Please contact us and we will be happy to support you!

If you stay in Germany does not last longer than twelve months, there is an option to apply in your home country or current country of residence for a D visa for the entire duration of your stay (under Article 18 Paragraph 2 of CISA - Convention of 19 June 1990 implementing the Schengen Agreement). Please contact us and we will be happy to support you!

Tips & additional information:

The Schengen visa (C visa) only applies for stays of up to three months and cannot be extended. This is why a Schengen visa is more appropriate for tourists, not for students or scholars who will stay for a longer period of time in Germany. This is why you should apply for a national visa, not a Schengen visa.

Holders of a national visa can move about freely, as long as the visa is valid, for a period of up to three months within a period of six months in the Schengen Area Member States.

Please find out in a timely manner whether your passport is valid for the entire duration of your stay. Otherwise, your residence permit in Germany can only be issued up to the expiration date of your passport, and must then be extended; this may incur fees.

For further information on visa requirements, go to the website of the German Foreign Office.

For stays of up to a maximum of 90 days and without employment in Germany, you do not need to apply for a visa if you are a citizen of one of the following states (please note that a prolongation of your stay is not possible!):

 (effective: March 27, 2018; for latest information please see:

https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/-/231148 )