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Understand this pathway
Germany student visa: how long the Student residence permit takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Study permit
National visa then a residence permit under Section 16b of the Residence Act to study at a state-recognised German higher education institution. After the degree you may apply for an 18-month job-seeker permit, which is not settlement.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
Does Student residence permit lead to permanent residence?
- Residency
Temporary — not a permanent-residence route on its own
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
Do you need a job offer for Student residence permit?
- Job offer
Not published on the page we read
The opened Make it in Germany studying page does not mention a job offer.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-09-21
What education does Student residence permit require?
- Education
The page states no education minimum
Page requires admission to a state-recognised higher education institution, not a prior bachelor's degree. Seeking a place uses a school-leaving certificate that entitles you to study in Germany. Previous stored value 'bachelor' contradicted that and has been removed.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
How much money do you have to show for Student residence permit?
- Funds
From EUR 11,904
Blocked bank account of at least EUR 11,904 in 2026, or a scholarship or declaration of commitment. A visa for seeking a place in higher education uses EUR 1,091 per month (as of 2026) instead.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-09-21
How much does Student residence permit cost to apply for?
- Application fee
EUR 75
National visa (category D) processing fee is EUR 75, published by the Federal Foreign Office and AufenthV § 46. Minors pay EUR 37.50. Public-scholarship holders may be waived. After arrival, issuing a residence permit is a separate charge: AufenthV § 45 sets EUR 100 for an Aufenthaltserlaubnis. Do not treat 75 as the total of visa plus permit.
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
How long does Student residence permit take to process?
- Processing time
No commitment to a processing time
Open the authority's page for this fact
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.
What does Federal Government (Make it in Germany) actually require?
Quoted from the pages named beside each rule, not paraphrased.
- Language
Some programmes require a certain level of language proficiency, usually CEFR B2. You must prove your language skills to the German embassy or consulate when the programme requires it.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
Not published on the pages we read
We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.
Processing time
Federal Foreign Office: 'Applications for visas entitling the holder to a longer stay may take several months to process, depending on the purpose of the stay.' German national-visa page: if the foreigners authority must consent, 'kann das Verfahren bis zu drei Monaten, gelegentlich auch länger, dauern'. Times vary by mission. No fixed month range is stored.
Source: Federal Foreign Office · verified 2026-08-15
Minimum language level
Official wording is 'usually level B2' when the programme requires it, not the app enum 'intermediate'. The enum has been removed; see languageRequirement.
Not yet verified against an official source
What changed when we last checked this record
Route is open. Entry is usually a national visa from a German mission; the residence permit under Section 16b AufenthG is issued later by the local foreigners authority. Previous stored age 17, bachelor minimum, USD 12,000 funds, USD 100 fee, 1–3 month processing, intermediate language enum, and 24-month PR pathway were unsourced or contradicted and have been removed. Recheck 2026-09-25: Make it in Germany was not re-read. Curl returned a Radware interstitial, Playwright stopped on an hCaptcha, and WebFetch returned 403. Known infrastructure block, same class as the Canada and Australia bot-wall findings. Stored field values are unchanged because nothing on the page was re-read.
Source: Federal Government (Make it in Germany) · verified 2026-08-15
Other verified Germany routes
Other study routes: New Zealand student visa: Fee Paying Student Visa · Australia student visa (subclass 500) · Canada student visa: Study Permit → PGWP · UK student visa · Netherlands student visa: Student residence permit for university or higher professional education · Portugal student visa: study, exchange, internship or volunteering · Sweden student visa: Residence permit for studies at higher education · UAE student visa: Residence permit for study
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Official sources
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