Your Visa Application

Please make sure you check to see if you need a visa to enter Germany well in advance of your arrival. You can do this with the German consular services in your country. The Federal Foreign Office’s list of countries whose citizens require visa is also helpful in this respect. These requirements also apply to any family members who may be travelling with you.

Further information about visa requirements can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office. It is possible to download a visa application form in English as well as other languages from this site.

In order to plan properly, please make sure you check to see how long your visa application will take to process. It is not unusual for such processes to take several months.

When filling out your visa application you are required to provide specific details about the purpose of your stay (language course, study, research purposes, family reunion, work as an Au-Pair, other employment, etc.). For these purposes you will possibly also require confirmation from us that you are attending a German language course, or confirmation that you are in receipt of a scholarship .

Nationals of countries do who do not need a visa to enter Germany must apply for a residence permit from the Registration Office for foreign nationals after your arrival in Marburg if the duration of your stay exceeds 90 days.

EU citizens and nationals from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland do not require a visa for entry purposes or a residence permit. If the duration of your stay exceeds three months you are simply required to register with the local Stadtbüro/Einwohnermeldeamt (local residents’ registration office) in Marburg, where you will receive a “Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung” (free movement permit).

If you are simply coming to Germany as a visitor or tourist, the German consular services of your home country have sole responsibility for issuing you a visa.

After arrival all foreign citizens in possession of a visa or those who intend to stay in Germany longer than 90 days should register themselves with the Stadtbüro/Einwohnermeldeamt (local residents’ registration office) as soon as possible. They should then apply for a residence permit with the Registration Office for foreign nationals.

After your arrival we will help you with these formalities. We also require:

* Two biometric passport photos
* A confirmation of your scholarship, where applicable
* Proof of health insurance

Subsequently you will receive a residence permit and the copy of your proof of registration that you will require to open a bank account. At the same time you also receive a Schengen Visa which allows you to visit, stay and travel through all “Schengen Countries”.

If you later leave Marburg and relocate within Germany you are only required to register again in your new city. The cancellation of your registration in Marburg is taken care of automatically when you register at a new location. If you leave Germany you are required to deregister at your local Foreigners’ Registration Office.