Visa

We recommend that you do not apply for a student applicant visa or a language visa. If you enter Germany with a student applicant visa, you must be enrolled at a university within 9 months (three months visa + a maximum of six months of residence permit).

If you apply for a language visa, you have to leave the country after completing your language course in order to apply for a student visa.

Please also apply for a student visa if you plan to attend a language course before taking up your studies. Once you have a residence permit for study purposes, you can take 2 years to prepare for your studies.

This is to show that you will be able to finance your studies. At a minimum, this means complete funding of your living expenses for the first year. As a rule, you have to show proof of income or assets currently amounting to € 10.236 for the first year, i.e. € 853 per month. Higher amounts may be required.

Please make sure to get the relevant information from your German embassy or diplomatic mission so you know how to prove sufficient financial resources.

Attention: Problems with the blocked account provider BAM! (Bundesweites Anlagenmanagement UG)

Some International Students are currently facing problems getting their money from the blocked account provider BAM! (Bundesweites Anlagenmanagement UG).

According to current information, the accounts are frozen and the money is safe.

The BaFIN and the LKA are investigating and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is informed and they are working on a solution.

If you are also affected, please contact the Studentenwerk or Global Affairs Study and Teaching.

As a rule, proof of financial resources is possible by way of:

• evidence of sufficient income or assets of the student's parents
• a German resident gives the immigration office a guarantee that she/he will cover your costs
• a deposit (Sicherheitsbetrag) of € 10.236 is paid into a blocked account >> you can open a blocked account e.g. with Deutsche Bank or Fintiba (individual app-based support)
• you provide a bank guarantee
• you provide proof that you are receiving a scholarship

>> Further useful information regarding proof of financial resources by the DAAD

1. Contact us by email (howtoapply@uni-frankfurt.de).
2. It may be possible to transfer your application to the following semester. This means that you can undertake the application procedure again for the following semester and then, provided you get a place, you can take up your studies.  
3. You require a confirmation from Goethe University that you have applied to study here? Then contact the International Office immediately!
4. You can enrol now and only come to Germany later during the semester. This secures your place. Please note: The later you come to Germany and take up your studies, the less likely it is that you can still follow courses in the first semester as all lectures, seminars etc. start mid-October and mid-April respectively. Please be aware that you will miss a lot and that things will be much more difficult for you if you take up your studies at a later point.

In Germany it is mandatory to be officially registered if you are living in one place for more than three month and also if you are moving within one city. Once you have found a room or a flat in Germany, you must register within two weeks with the registration office – the "Einwohnermeldeamt" or "Bürgeramt" – of the town where you live. For this registration, you will need, as a rule: a passport or ID and a confirmation from your landlord/landlady that you have moved in (the so-called "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung"). This confirmation can also be obtained from a hostel or hotel in case you haven't found a flat or a room yet. Once you have registered, you will receive a "Meldebescheinigung" (confirmation of registry), which you will need e.g. for opening a bank account. More information is available on the website of the registration office: Bürgeramt Frankfurt. Information about the "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung" is available here.

You can also make an appointment online in order to avoid long waiting times.