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:
Do not need a visa, neither for working nor for staying a longer period of time.
Citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway are treated like members of the European Union.
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)
The United Kingdom has left the European Union on 31 January 2020. Visa information can be found at https://uk.diplo.de/uk-en/02/visa.
There is also a British website on this topic to be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-germany.
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)
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.
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.
For more details, please see the EURAXESS website: https://www.euraxess.de/germany/information-assistance/entry-conditions-and-visas or the information of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees: https://www.bamf.de/EN/Themen/MigrationAufenthalt/ZuwandererDrittstaaten/Arbeit/Wissenschaftler/wissenschaftler-node.html.
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.
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 Tübingen for more than three months.
In case you will live in the city of Tübingen: On the last page of the Application for a residence permit ('Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels') you will find a note called 'Bearbeitungsvermerk' stating the documents you will need to bring for your application. Please find a translation of this note here.
You can find further information on the website of EURAXESS Germany or at the website of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
|
Section |
For whom |
Limitation |
Money needed |
Other prerequisites |
Work permit |
|
§ 16b |
study applicants, students, doctoral students |
min. 1 year, max. 2 years, extendable |
Please find information at https://www.study-in-germany.de/en/plan-your-studies/requirements/proof-of-financial-resources_27533.php, 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 |
|
§ 18c (3) |
top personnel in research, science and teaching with outstanding professional qualifications |
permanent residency |
concrete job offer; |
no consent of the employment agency needed |
|
|
§ 18g (blue Card EU) |
international employees with a university degree |
The period of employment must be at least six months max. 4 years, extendable |
depending on the job offer: 41,041.80 EUR (2024) to 45,300 EUR/year (2024) |
concrete job offer |
no consent of the employment agency needed; |
|
§ 18d |
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 need 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.
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