Student Applicant Visa Germany: Complete Guide (2024)

Student Applicant visa (or Visum zur Studienbewerbung) is a type of visa which you can get if you have applied to a German University but do not have an acceptance letter yet, or if you need to prepare yourself in Germany for your studies, for example, by taking a language course, going through the Studienkolleg Preparatory Course, doing a compulsory internship etc. It is noteworthy that a student applicant visa is also known as a "prospective student visa."

In general, you are considered a student applicant if you are interested in studying in Germany but have not yet been officially admitted to a German university.

Yes, starting from March 1st, 2024, international students are allowed to work with a student applicant visa in Germany. Prospective students can now work part-time (no more than 20 hours per week).

Note: Do not forget that as soon as you receive your letter of admission and convert your student applicant visa into a student residence permit, your rights of taking up an employment in Germany will be relatively expanded, but some limitations will still apply. With the German residence permit for studying, you can work 280 days per year part-time or 140 days per year full-time. It is noteworthy that before March 1, 2024, foreign students were allowed to work 240 days per year part-time or 120 days per year full-time.

As you might have guessed, unfortunately, applying for a student applicant visa does entail some fees. In fact, the amount of money one should pay for this type of visa is exactly the same as for a regular student visa. In other words, you need to pay 75€ for the student applicant visa. Keep in mind that in some countries, students who have a scholarship from a German public institution (e.g. DAAD) do not have to pay any visa processing fees.

As in the case of the student visa, the payment needs to be executed in the local currency. Hence, we suggest you check the up-to-date exchange rates before visiting the embassy/consulate. As for the payment methods, these vary from embassy/consulate to embassy/consulate. In some cases, you will be asked to pay in cash only, in other cases with a credit card, yet in other cases, only a demand draft might be acceptable. In general, if your application is rejected, you cannot get your money back. Put another way, the visa fee is non-refundable.

The processing time for the German student applicant visa might take 4-12 weeks. Yes, the range is significant because the processing time for your student applicant visa entirely depends on the local German Embassies and Consulates. In other words, there is no universal student applicant visa processing time that applies to all countries. However, it is fair to say that the typical processing time is 2-3 months, like in the case of India, Nigeria, Colombia and others.

Applying for a German student applicant visa is the right choice if you want to significantly decrease the chances of missing the start of the semester. The thing is that in addition to the long processing times, getting a visa appointment also takes quite a lot of time. This, in turn, means that from the moment you start trying to get a visa appointment, it might take over 3 months before you have the visa in your hands. 

Consequently, it is very likely that by waiting for the letter of admission to apply for a student visa, you will not arrive in Germany on time. That is why applying for a student applicant visa is a good idea. You do not have to wait for the admission letter to apply for this visa. Instead, you just need a proof of application to the university. Thereby, with the help of the student applicant visa, you will win considerable time, and it is very likely that you will start your studies on time.