Germany

The one country we have published in full. German is the gate on almost every route here, and each route page links to the official source for its rules.

Germany has no tuition fees at most public universities, which is a large part of why many students consider it. That does not make it cheap: you must prove roughly a year of living costs in a blocked account before the visa, and that is the money test you have to pass. The second route, Ausbildung, is badly understood outside Germany — it is paid vocational training, not study, and the German-language requirement is real. Note that the number of non-EU people entering Ausbildung each year is far smaller than the headline apprenticeship numbers suggest.

Open the full Germany reference: living in Germany, research topics, community links and the complete practical layer, each with its source and date. See the first steps after you arrive.

Everyday language is not the same as the language you must prove for a route. See the recorded language requirement for your choices.

Choosing an option here means you are exploring and preparing. It does not submit an application and it does not show that you are eligible.

Choose an option first. Conditions belong to a particular route, and we will not assume the first one is yours.

Insurance, medical, housing and travel requirements for Germany, with sources.

Documents are prepared before you apply. Your passport country and the country that issues a document can be different.

Which documents you need depends on the option you choose. Choose an option to see its documents. Only items that are not tied to one option are shown now.

• Valid passport: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by your national passport authority. A valid passport is a general requirement for every route under § 5 AufenthG. The official sources we hold do not state a minimum remaining validity; check your mission's checklist.
• Biometric data (fingerprints and photograph): may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by the German mission or its external service provider, at your appointment. Taken in person at the visa appointment even if you applied online. Original documents are checked and the fee is paid at the same appointment.
• School or degree certificates, authenticated for Germany: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by your school or university, then your country's apostille authority (India: MEA). India, the Philippines, Pakistan and Bangladesh are Apostille Convention parties. Nigeria and Nepal are not, and Nigerian documents cannot be legalised: they are verified only at a German authority's request, with no published fee or timeline. The India MEA apostille costs INR 50 per document plus the provider's INR 84 per document and INR 3 per page.
• anabin printouts or ZAB Statement of Comparability (academic degrees): may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by anabin (self-service) or the ZAB on application. Both the institution (H+) and the degree ("entspricht" / "gleichwertig") must be listed; the degree title must match anabin word for word. Otherwise apply for a Statement of Comparability: EUR 200 (approx. AED 800), issued only for completed degrees.
• Recognition notice (Anerkennungsbescheid) — vocational and regulated professions: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by the competent German authority for your profession and Land, found via the Recognition Finder. For regulated professions (doctor, nurse, pharmacist, teacher and others) full recognition and the licence to practise must be obtained before the work residence permit is issued. Fee generally EUR 200 to 600 (approx. AED 800 to 2,400), stated elsewhere as 'up to EUR 600 or more'. Communication with the authority is generally in German. The visa and the recognition procedure are separate applications.
• Employment contract, training contract or university admission: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by your German employer, training company or university. EU Blue Card: a concrete job offer or contract of at least six months. Vocational training: a signed training contract. Study: the university's admission letter. The Opportunity Card alone needs none of these.
• APS certificate (Indian students only): may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by APS India, the Akademische Prüfstelle at the German Embassy New Delhi. Mandatory for almost all Indian students; fee INR 18,000, non-refundable. Narrow exemptions: German or EU scholarship holders, some doctoral students, degrees obtained in Germany. From summer semester 2027 some Master's applicants also need the dMAT.
• Proof of funds: blocked account, sponsor's declaration or scholarship: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by a blocked-account provider, or a German foreigners authority (Verpflichtungserklärung), or the scholarship body. Students: EUR 11,904 (approx. AED 47,616) for the first year. Opportunity Card: EUR 1,091 net per month. Vocational training: usually the training pay itself. A sponsor's Verpflichtungserklärung must typically be no more than six months old.
• Proof of health insurance for the visa: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by an insurer whose cover meets the standard your German mission requires. Required for the visa. The official portal says to take out travel health insurance at home to cover the gap until German insurance starts, and to check the required standard with the mission. It is not sufficient for residence: German insurance must be taken out after arrival.
• Language certificate (where your route requires one): may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by a standardised examination provider meeting ALTE standards (for example the Goethe-Institut). The level follows the route, not the trade: Opportunity Card A1 German or B2 English; recognition visa A2; vocational training B1; joining spouse A1 (waived where the sponsor holds a skilled-worker, Blue Card or self-employment permit). No level is set for any trade itself, and no German is needed to apply for recognition.
• Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord's move-in confirmation) — after arrival: may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by your landlord or whoever provides the accommodation. Needed for the Anmeldung within two weeks of moving in. A tenancy agreement does not replace it. The landlord must supply it within the same two weeks and commits an offence if they do not.
• Birth and marriage certificates (family members): may apply, confirm for your situation. Issued by your civil registry, then verified by the German mission where legalisation is unavailable. For the residence permit Berlin asks for the marriage certificate with certified translation and apostille or legalisation if foreign. For countries on the Federal Foreign Office's list, verification replaces both: Chennai states up to four months and approx. EUR 550 (approx. AED 2,200); Dhaka 10 to 12 weeks and BDT 35,000; Manila five to six months and PHP 16,000 plus EUR 10. Only a German authority can start it, and the applicant pays even if the document proves false. For Indian marriage certificates bring six to eight wedding photographs and do not laminate the certificate.

Open my checklist

See the country-wide document order for every purpose.

General practical advice, not an official requirement.

• Read the official page for your route before you pay anyone. Check who publishes it.
• Do not pay a person who promises a visa or a job. Run the recruiter check.

Each site is listed with what it is for and who runs it. An information page is not an application form.

• Apply online for a national (D) visa for 28 purposes including work, study, training and family; upload documents, get a preliminary digital check, track status. An in-person appointment for biometrics and fee payment is still required. Apply only at the mission responsible for where you live.
  Consular Services Portal (Auslandsportal) Federal Foreign Office. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The national visa fee (EUR 75 adult, EUR 37.50 under 18) and the list of who is exempt. The Federal Foreign Office states the amounts; the legal basis is the Aufenthaltsverordnung.
  Federal Foreign Office — visa fees Federal Foreign Office. Checked 3 November 2026.
• How a blocked account works, how it is opened and closed. The page does not state an amount: it says the sum depends on the purpose of stay and refers you to your mission. The figures are in the money section below.
  Federal Foreign Office — blocked account (Sperrkonto) Federal Foreign Office. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Check whether your country is on the list. India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Philippines are. If listed, civil documents (birth, marriage) go through verification by the German mission at a German authority's request, not apostille or legalisation.
  Federal Foreign Office — states where legalisation is not available Federal Foreign Office. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The Federal Government's skilled-worker portal. Explains the recognition procedure, its cost and duration, and the Anerkennungsbescheid. Also carries the official process sheets for each visa route.
  Make it in Germany — recognition procedure Federal Government (BMWK / BMAS portal). Checked 3 November 2026.
• The federal recognition portal run by BIBB. Tells you whether your profession is regulated and which authority is competent for recognition. The per-profession Recognition Finder lives here.
  Anerkennung in Deutschland Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) for the BMBF. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The ZAB's database of foreign degrees and institutions. The lookup must be done for both the institution (H+) and the degree ("entspricht" or "gleichwertig"); printouts of both entries serve as proof of comparability in a visa application. The database itself is in German only.
  anabin Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education (KMK) — Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB). Checked 3 November 2026.
• When anabin does not list your institution or degree, apply to the ZAB for a Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung). Fully digital application; up to three months, about two weeks for EU Blue Card applicants with a job offer attached.
  Make it in Germany — ZAB Statement of Comparability Federal Government portal, describing the KMK/ZAB procedure. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The four-step recognition route (check if regulated, find the office, compile and translate documents, submit), the three-month decision period, and the free advice service ZSBA.
  Federal Employment Agency — professional qualifications Bundesagentur für Arbeit. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The 2026 general contribution rate, average additional contribution, contribution ceiling and the earnings threshold above which you may leave statutory insurance.
  Federal Ministry of Health — statutory health insurance contributions Bundesministerium für Gesundheit. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Why insurance is compulsory for the whole stay, statutory versus private, what to do about the gap between arrival and the first day of work.
  Make it in Germany — health insurance Federal Government portal. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The official administrative service register's description of the Anmeldung: two-week deadline, documents, no fee, legal basis § 17 BMG. Your own city's Bürgeramt page gives the appointment booking.
  fimportal.de — register residence (Anmeldung) Federal and Land administrations (official service register). Checked 3 November 2026.
• Worked example of a city registration page: 14-day deadline, free, document list, appointment or online registration. Other cities publish their own.
  Service Berlin — register a residence Land Berlin. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Worked example of an Ausländerbehörde portal: the residence permit after arrival, document lists and fees. The Ausländerbehörde is a municipal or Land authority, so document lists and waiting times differ by city.
  Landesamt für Einwanderung Berlin Land Berlin. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The eleven-digit tax identification number is issued automatically after the Anmeldung and posted by the Federal Central Tax Office; the social security number arrives with your first insured employment. Neither is applied for.
  Make it in Germany — tax ID and social security number Federal Government portal. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The statutory pension body. Publishes the enacted social insurance reference values (contribution ceilings) for the year; a replacement social security card is requested from it.
  Deutsche Rentenversicherung Deutsche Rentenversicherung Knappschaft-Bahn-See. Checked 3 November 2026.
• What a bank asks for (passport, residence permit, registration certificate, possibly a payslip), and why the account comes after the Anmeldung.
  Make it in Germany — opening a bank account Federal Government portal. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Welcome Centers by federal state, local migration counselling offices, Network IQ for recognition questions, and Faire Integration for labour-law advice (stated to be free and anonymous).
  Make it in Germany — advisory services in Germany Federal Government portal. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The jobseeker route: six-point threshold, language condition, and the 2026 blocked-account figure for jobseekers (EUR 1,091 net per month).
  Make it in Germany — Opportunity Card Federal Government portal. Checked 3 November 2026.
• The DAAD's official student portal on the three accepted proofs of financing for a student visa.
  Study in Germany — proof of financing DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), funded by the BMBF. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Entitlement and obligation to attend an integration course, and the cost contribution. The page states that its contents are being revised, so treat its figures as unconfirmed.
  BAMF — integration courses Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. Checked 3 November 2026.
• Whether your country is a party to the Apostille Convention. India (2005), the Philippines (2019), Pakistan (2023) and Bangladesh (2025) are; Nigeria and Nepal are not.
  HCCH — Apostille Convention status table Hague Conference on Private International Law (treaty depositary). Checked 3 November 2026.
• For Indian documents: the Ministry of External Affairs issues the apostille via outsourced service providers after state-level authentication. No walk-ins at MEA since 2012.
  India MEA — apostille Government of India, Ministry of External Affairs. Checked 3 November 2026.

Search the full directory of official sources

Open the full directory of government services for Germany, with filters by purpose and language.

1. Choose the option you want to prepare for in the section called Your options.
2. Open your checklist to see what to prepare for that option.
3. Read the official website for the option before you spend money.