Visa Procedures

A visa authorizes you to enter -- but not to remain in -- Germany. Visas have an expiration date and may be valid for different time periods and purposes (pleasure, business, study).

International students who want to enroll at a German university may only do so with a Student Visa. You must apply for a visa in your home country at the German Embassy or Consulate nearest you. In general, the following documents must be submitted along with a visa application form:

• Notification of admission to study at the University of Erfurt
• Proof of sufficient financial means to cover living expenses for the duration of at least the first academic year in Erfurt (currently approximately 550 Euro per month) and all fees
• Copy of a higher education entrance qualification
• Health certificate, if necessary (for further information please inquire at the German embassy in your home country)
• The submission of additional documents (e.g., your birth certificate) may be necessary depending on your country of origin
• Regulations on facial biometrics in ID documents are strict in Germany

For further information about how the passport picture should look like, please click here.

Processing a visa application usually takes up to three months. Please apply as early as possible!

For students from EC countries, Switzerland, Canada and the USA, no entry visa is required.

!!!Never travel to Germany on a tourist visa because a tourist visa cannot be converted into a student visa. Note that entering the country on a tourist visa would not enable you to enroll at the University of Erfurt and would instead require you to leave Germany after three months!!!