Once you have the MUAS confirmation for your stay abroad, it is time to check the visa requirements for your country. Depending on your origin, you may not even need a visa. You also need to be informed about the registration process as soon as you arrive in Munich. Check out if you need to apply for a residence permit. Read the following articles to prepare you for your stay.
Do I need a visa?
– Visa Requirements –
Depending on the country of origin, there are different entry and residence requirements in Germany:
Origin from…
– EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland): Immigration is possible with a valid passport or identity card.
– Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand and USA: Immigration with a valid passport is required, visa on arrival (for stays longer than three months): Residence Permit Required)
– Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia and Montenegro: visa waiver for holders of biometric passports
– Macao and Hong Kong: visa exemption for SAR passport holders
– for all other countries: The visa application must take place at the German Embassy or German Consulate in your home country.
Further information can be obtained from the German Embassy/Consulate in your home country. If you require a visa due to your country of origin, it must be issued for study purposes. A tourist visa or a so-called “Schengen visa” is not sufficient. After entering Germany, the visa can no longer be changed. If you want to enter Germany more than once (e.g. after returning from a house visit), a “multiple-entry visa” is therefore recommended.
More information can be found at the official website of the foreign office of Germany or on the website of Munich.
Registration in Germany
– Registration of recidency –
As soon as you arrive in Germany, that’s one of the first steps you have to do. As a rule, you must report your residence in Germany (for stays longer than three months) with your current address. For this reason, every incoming student must register his or her place of residence at the Kreisverwaltungsreferat (short: KVR). The registration must take place within 14 days of arriving in Germany. Don’t forget to deregister before your departure. For this purpose, an appointment must be made in advance. Dates can be arranged online on the website of Munich.
– Documents needed for registration –
- Valid passport or identity card
- Registration form (online as download or at the registration office)
- “Wohnungsgeberbestätigung” means confirmation by the landlord or owner that you are living in the apartment
The documents for registration, opening hours and further information can be found on the website of Munich.
Residence Registration Office:
Kreisverwaltungsreferat (KVR) – Bürgerbüro
Ruppertstrasse 19
80337 Munich, Germany
Telephone: + 49 (0)89/23396000
Recidence Permit
With the residence permit it is the same as with the visa for a national of a Member State of the European Union (EU) or the European Economic Area (EEA). You need neither a visa nor a residence permit.
For all other states the following applies:
If you intend to live in Munich for more than three months, you must apply for a residence permit at the Department of Public Order (Kreisverwaltungsreferat). This permit must be applied for as long as the visa is still valid (normally within 90 days).
– Documents needed for a residence permit –
- A valid passport
- An application form (completed in full)
- A biometric passport photo (photo booths are available from the Foreigners’ Office, among others)
- Proof of university (e.g. certificate of admission)
- Proof of the financing of the stay (e.g. a formal obligation of a third party)
- Proof of foreign health insurance
Additional documents may be requested in individual cases.
Sorry therefore…
Now that you are well informed about visa requirements, registration and residence permits, we have compiled some brief information. Check with our checklists whether you are well prepared for your stay abroad.