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Visa Certificate

Any questions regarding your visa?

Please contact our office staff directly. Write us an e-mail or give us a call. We are happy to help. We have already put together the most important information for you.

Entering Germany

To enter Germany from any EU or EFTA country, all you need is a valid ID card. If you are coming from a different country, you will need a visa. You can apply for a visa at a German representative office in your country. For more information, please contact a German Consulate.

Visa certificate with ISK

To apply for the visa, you need a certificate stating the reason for your entry and how long you will stay. We will issue you a certificate for the entire duration of the language course that you have registered for.

A course takes two months. Upon payment of € 250, you will receive a certificate that is valid for two months. You must pay another € 250 for each additional course you want to take.

Please register first of all and let us know the time frame you want. After you have made the payment, we will send you your certificate so that you can apply for a visa. After you have received your visa, please arrange for a placement appointment with the ISK. If you cannot come into the office personally for a placement interview before the course begins, please take the placement test on our website and arrange for an appointment for an online interview.

We cannot guarantee you a course until you have taken a placement test, show up on time for the start of the course and have paid the course fee in full.

Visas for Germany

Before entering Germany from countries outside of the EU, it is necessary to apply for a visa. Whether or not a visa is required depends on the length of your stay, the reason for your stay, and the country you come from. We recommend that you find out about the entry requirements for Germany from your country as early as possible and get the documents you need ready. You can check the list of countries from which you are required to have a visa to enter Germany on the website of the Federal Foreign Office

EU citizens and citizens of Norway, Switzerland, Iceland or Liechtenstein need only an ID card to enter Germany; a visa is not required. Citizens of non-EU countries definitely do need a visa if they plan to stay in Germany for longer than 90 days.

It is also possible to get early information on the visa and entry requirements from your own consulate or from the German Embassy in your country. Click here to find information on the entry requirements for the individual countries. Students who want to stay in Germany for a short time only to complete a semester abroad program can get special information at the universities in their respective countries. 

Student visas

There are different types of visas. From a pre-studies visa, to a study visa, to a language-learning visa, to a job-seeker visa and right on up to the Schengen visa, the length of stay and the requirements all vary for the different visas. For more detailed information on the German Embassy responsible for you, go to the website of the Federal Foreign Office. The International Office for German Universities will answer any questions you might have on this topic. 

The advisors there can answer the most important questions on everything to do with getting a visa. As a rule, the visa is valid for a period of three months. After that, an additional residence permit is required in Germany. The Aliens Department (Ausländerbehörde) is responsible for this. To receive a visa, you will be required to produce proof of financing and of health insurance in Germany. Contact the Embassy or the Consulate to find out what other documents are required. These might include proof of language proficiency in German, study program achievements or a letter of acceptance from a German university. For more informations about studying in Germany visit our page Studying in Germany.

Residence permits

If you are planning for a longer stay to study in Germany, you will have to apply for a residence permit. To do so, you will need to produce a passport and a visa, a confirmation of registration from the City Registration Office, proof of health insurance and a confirmation of enrollment. A residence permit is generally valid for a period of two years. However, if your studies take longer, the residence permit can be renewed.