Student Visa

Step #1: Choose your consulate

You  may usually apply at the consulate with jurisdiction over your permanent or your school address. Use this list to help you decide: https://www.middlebury.edu/schools-abroad/schools/spain/student-visa  

Step #2: Make a plan to apply and secure an appointment

German Embassy in DC
German Consulate in Atlanta
German Consulate in Boston (click here to schedule visa appointment in Boston)
German Consulate in Chicago
German Consulate in Houston
German Consulate in Los Angeles 
German Consulate in Miami
German Consulate in New York
German Consulate in San Francisco
 

You need a long stay (over 90 days) national visa for the purpose of study. You’ll select the option of “degree seeking student,” even though it does not completely apply—this is the guidance from the consulate for anyone with a letter of acceptance from the university, which you have. Then, select “already been admitted to a degree programme at a German university.” Schedule an appointment (once you have your acceptance letter from the university) at your consulate here, for a date not more than 90 days before the start of the program. Do not click the text in red directing you to apply through the BLS office for a Schengen visa—you need a national visa, so must apply at the consulate (not at the BLS processing agency). 

Step #3: Gather your materials

Consult the requirements here, noting especially the financial guarantee necessary. Students need to show they have enough living expenses for their stay (just over $1,000/month). To do this, you either need proof of scholarship or financial aid in the form of a signed letter stating the amount you will receive for your living expenses in Germany from X-Y dates on institutional letterhead OR you need to open a blocked bank account with the required funds. While you may choose any company, most students have used the services of Expatrio. They support students with opening the blocked account and can also help them open a German Bank account, to which the money you deposited in the Blocked Account will be transferred in monthly increments. Since opening a German Bank account is a tedious process that can prevent you from accessing your money for weeks in a row, we do recommend doing it via Expatrio.

Your CV refers to your resume; your certificates of academic qualifications refers to your college transcript. Your letter of motivation can be a version of the one you used when applying to study abroad. You will also need to upload your letter of enrollment from the university, your Middlebury program letter that includes a statement about your language proficiency, and proof of health insurance. 

Step #4: Complete the application form

U.S. citizens are not technically required to have a visa to study in Germany. In the past, they would enter Germany as tourists and then apply for a residency permit. The problem is that residency permit now takes many months to secure, and it limits travel outside of Germany while it’s processing. Any student who fails to obtain the student visa prior to departure will be permitted to go (so long as their nationality doesn’t require a tourist visa), but must understand they won’t be able to leave Germany (because they won’t be able to re-enter) after the first 90 days in country until after the residency permit is processed. In addition, any (non-EU citizen) student without a visa must have a round trip plane ticket with a return less than 90 days after entry into Germany, so students in this position should buy a flexible round trip ticket they can change to return at the conclusion of the program. 

Please use the screen shot from the email from Middlebury to complete the application. It includes personal information we cannot include on the website. 

For your own address in Germany, use information for your own university (Berlin zip code is 14195; Potsdam is 14469; Mainz is 55116).