If you’re planning to study in Germany as an exchange student for one or two semesters, you will need a visa and residency permit – of course depending on your nationality.
Please apply for visa as soon as possible (after you receive the letter of acceptance), as it might be a time-consuming process. Please do not underestimate this process and apply in time. For some nationalities it is e.g. obligatory to have a blocked account (in German: Sperrkonto). Currently you have to block 992 Euro on that account for every month you are studying in Germany. Please inform yourself in time about the exact requirements at German embassy or consulate in your home country.
You will not require a visa to enter Germany if you possess a valid passport from an EU Member State, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland. However, please make sure your passport is valid for the time of your exchange, and if necessary, renew it as early as possible before leaving for Germany.
If you have a valid passport from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea or the USA, it is possible to enter Germany without visa and then register for a residence permit directly at the local foreign registration office in Worms (in German:Ausländerbehörde), if you live in Worms (if you live in another city you have to go there to the foreign registration office).
We recommend to directly apply for a long-term visa (valid for up to one year) at the German embassy or consulate in your home country before (!) travelling to Germany. We will provide you in time together with the letter of acceptance with an application for a long-term-visa.
In general, please inform yourself in time about the current requirements and apply in time for visa. Please check e.g. with the German Foreign Ministry for details.
REST Directive 2016/801
If you are Non-EU citizen and you study at a partner university in a EU country, which ratified the REST Directive 2016/801, you can undergo the following procedure to get the permission for your mobility (max. 360 days):
As soon as you received the letter of acceptance, you need to provide us with the following PDF documents collected in ONE email:
- residence permit of the first EU Member State (country of home university) – the residence permit need to be valid for your complete stay at Hochschule Worms.
- evidence of the participation in the ERASMUS+ programme – please ask your home university for this confirmation.
- recognised, valid passport.
- proof of subsistence, e.g. by opening a blocked account or by a confirmation of your home univesity that you receive ERASMUS+ scholarship during your stay.
- valid health insurance, which covers your stay at Hochschule Worms.
- letter of acceptance, which we sent you.
- This document need to be filled out completely and digitally.
We will then announce your stay at the BAMF (Federal Office of Migration and Refugees) and upload your above mentioned PDF files there. The documents will be checked by the BAMF and then forwarded to the local foreign registration office in Worms. Then they have 30 days to check your case and to approve or to deny your mobility.
More information can be found here. This process might be subject to change.
In case of questions, please contact us via email: incoming@hs-worms.de