VISA REGULATIONS
Most students coming from abroad will need a visa if they intend to stay in Germany for longer than three months.
Please inform yourself about the visa regulations at the German embassy in your home country. Please be advised that you must receive your visa before you leave for Germany. We urgently advise you to start applying for your visa as early as May if possible, since processing times vary substantially (up to several months, depending on country)! |
Generally, the documents required to obtain a visa include:
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a valid, biometric passport
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Passport photos of yourself
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Acceptance letter from SRH University Berlin
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Statement of earnings to cover living expenses
Occasionally, further documents are required depending on the respective consulate.
Processing fees vary by the duration of your studies in Germany: In general, initial fees for a three-month visa are €30; fees for a one-year stay are €50 and for two-year stay amount to €60.
Initially, only a tentative three-month long visa is issued. After your arrival in Germany, it will be necessary that you convert your entry visa into the final Aufenthaltserlaubnis in your city's Ausländerbehörde as soon as possible. Failure to extend your visa might result in deportation!
PROOF OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Your ability to finance your studies needs to be assured both to German authorities during the visa application process as well as to SRH University of Applied Sciences Berlin:
Proof of financial capability for German Immigration Authorities:
You will be required to prove that you are financially capable to live and study in Germany by showing that you have at least € 585 per month for your living expenses (excluding tuition fees!) available for your first year here in Germany.
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You may present a notarized and translated statement signed by your parents or other relatives that they will support you financially.
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The embassy will accept bank statements of the last four months indicating that your earnings are higher than €585/month.
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The German consulate can set up an escrow bank account in conjunction with
Deutsche Bank upon which the tuition funds can be predeposited. Withdrawals from such accounts will only be possible during the academic year at fixed amounts in monthly intervals towards only one specified beneficiary (here the university).
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A German resident may commit himself to support you.
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Any scholarship certification that you can present will also help you to prove that you are financially capable.
Proof of financial capability for SRH University of Applied Berlin:
Using the same methods as in the previous section, you have to furthermore prove to SRH University Berlin, that you have the funds for tuition fees available for your first year of study.
Insurance requirements
All foreign students are required by law to be covered by health insurance. You can apply for health insurance immediately upon your arrival in Germany. We have a contact at one of the biggest state insurance companies, offering the mandatory health insurance for approximately €65/month. Insurance premiums have to be paid in advance for every semester.
UPON YOUR ARRIVAL IN GERMANY
Government Registration
As soon as you move into a residence, you are required to register at Berlin authorities. Once you are registered as a student, you will receive a government certificate which entitles you to a €110 welcome fee from the state, subsequently paid out through SRH University Berlin.
Bank account in Germany
In order to faciliate easy fund transfer within Germany, it is recommended to open a bank account here. Through our partner Berliner Bank, our students are eligible to a bank account without account fees as well as a discount card applicable to various stores and restaurants in Berlin.
VISA EXTENSION/VISA CHANGES
As mentioned previously, it is imperative that you convert your three-month entry visa to the final residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) at the Berlin
Ausländerbehörde.
In case you already possess a student visa from another German university and seek to transfer to SRH University Berlin, your Aufenthaltstitel needs to be certified and changed by the Berlin
Ausländerbehörde.
If you have entered Germany on a tourist visa, it is unfortunately necessary that you return to your home country and then convert it at the German embassy abroad. A direct conversion while staying in Germany is not possible.
