Entry Visa and Residence Permit
ENTRY Visa
Usually, citizens of other countries will need a visa to travel to Germany. Thus, please take care to apply for your visa at a German embassy or consulate in your current country of residence. Depending on the type of visa you need and the country you are from, you will need to present different kinds of documentation to apply for a visa. Therefore please have a close look at the requirements on the website of the German diplomatic mission which is responsible for your visa.
With the help of the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Auswärtiges Amt) you can check if you need a visa. On the list you will find several countries whose citizens do not need a visa when coming to Germany as tourists but definitely need one when coming for the purpose of work. Mind the foot notes!
We will give you a short summary of the most important categories:
| EU Citizens |
| Do not need a visa, neither for working nor for staying a longer period of time. |
| European Economic Area (EEA) |
| Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway are treated like members of the European Union. |
| Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland and the United States |
| Citizens of these countries do not need a visa to enter Germany. If you are staying longer than three months, you will need to apply for a German residence permit at the local foreign nationals office (Ausländerbehörde). Note: In the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs these countries are marked with no. (3) |
| Andorra, Honduras, Monaco, and San Marino |
| Citizens of these countries do not need a visa as long as you will not be working. If you are staying longer than three months, you will need to apply for a German residence permit at the local foreign nationals office (Ausländerbehörde). Note: In the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs these countries are marked with no. (4) |
| Other Agreements for Visa Facilitation |
| Citizens of countries which are not marked in the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs but show the entry NO (such as Argentina or Bosnia and Herzegovina) may travel to Germany without a visa, as long as the stay lasts less than three months and you will not be working. It is not possible, however, to extend these stays beyond the three month limit without a visa. You have to leave Germany at the end of the three month period. If you plan to stay longer or intend to get permission to work in Germany, you will need to enter the country with a national visa. |
| Visa needed |
| As a citizen of any other country that shows the entry YES in the list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs you will need a visa to enter Germany. If you are required to have a visa to travel to Germany, it is illegal to enter the country without one. |
On August 1, 2017, changes in German immigration law came into effect to conform with the EU directive on entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purposes of research and studies (REST guideline, Directive (EU) 2016/801). These changes are not yet implemented uniformly in all German embassies and consulates.
This means the following will change for internationally mobile researchers from third countries coming to Germany:
Residence permits for the purpose of employment according to Section 18 of the German Residence Act (AufentG) together with Section 5 of the German Employment Regulation (BeschV) will no longer be granted to researchers. Instead, only the following residence permits will be possible: Section 19a EU Blue Card or Section 20 Research.
Depending on their employment status, doctoral candidates may be granted residence permits according to Section 16 Studies or Section 20 Research.
For more details, please see the EURAXESS website: https://www.euraxess.de/germany/information-assistance/entry-conditions-and-visas. Note that the English-language version of the website has not yet been updated to reflect the legal changes.
Long-Term Stays and Working as a researcher
Do you want to stay longer than 90 days? Or do you plan to work in Germany? Then you will generally need a visa if you are not a citizen of one of these nations/areas: EU, EEA, Switzerland, Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and USA.
Generally speaking, there are two different types of visa:
Type C: valid for short stays up to 90 days within half a year, also known as "Schengen visa" or tourist visa. Note: It is not possible to extend the visa in Germany!
Type D: so-called national visa, valid for stays longer than 90 days or if you want to work in Germany.
Residence Permit
After your arrival in Germany you might need a residence permit (Aufenthaltsgenehmigung). Please note: Even if you are a non-EU citizen who is not required to have a visa to travel to Germany, you will need to apply for a residence permit after your arrival if you are staying in Tuebingen for more than three months.
You can find further information on the website of EURAXESS Germany or at the website of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Overview: Residence Permit and Visa
|
Section |
For whom |
Limitation |
Money needed |
Other prerequisites |
Work permit |
|
§ 16 |
study applicants, students, doctoral students |
min. 1 year, max. 2 years, extendable |
minimum € 720/month, calculation depending on individual needs |
German language proficiency (depending on university admission procedure) |
allowed for 120 days/year (part time 240 days/year) and as a student assistant at the university |
|
§ 18 |
international employees in general; also applicable for employment in science and research (including those with research scholarships); for doctoral students with a work contract > 49 % |
temporary, extendable |
calculation depending on individual needs |
concrete job offer; |
usually limited to the concrete job offer; scientific personnel and researchers do not need consent of the employment agency |
|
§ 19 |
top personnel in research, science and teaching with outstanding professional qualifications |
permanent residency |
|
concrete job offer; |
no consent of the employment agency needed |
|
§ 19 a (blue Card EU) |
international employees with a university degree |
max. 4 years, extendable |
depending on the job offer: 39,624 - 50,800 €/year (2017) |
concrete job offer |
no consent of the employment agency needed; |
|
§ 20 |
foreign researchers who want to carry out a research project; |
limited to the duration of the research project, extendable |
calculation depending on individual needs |
approval of research institution by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees; |
no consent of the employment agency needed while working for the research institution. |
A detailed overview is given on the website of the German Rectors' Conference (HRK).
Please note: If you travel with your spouse and/or children you might need a certified translation of your documents (marriage certificate, birth certificates, diplomas, etc.). Depending on your home country you might be in need of an apostille to legalize your documents. The apostille must be attached by the respective responsible authority in your home country.
In case you could not organize this at home already you can find a search engine to look for certified translators in your region on the website Justice Translator (Justiz-Dolmetscher).
Please contact your personal support for further support whenever you have further questions concerning visa issues.
Updated 30/09/2019 12:15pm
