Visa & Entry Requirements

I. General information

Students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway do not need a visa or residence permit for Germany. They receive a “Freizügigkeitsbescheinigung” (i.e., freedom of movement certificate) upon registering with the local authorities.

Students from Andorra, Australia (including the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island), Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand (including the Cook Islands, Niue, and Tokelau), San Marino, Republic of South Korea, Switzerland, and the United States of America (including the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands) do not need a visa to enter Germany. You will be required to apply for a residence permit upon enrollment.

All other students require a German student visa (issued by a German Embassy) prior to entering Germany. Please note that even if you come from a country (apart from those already mentioned) whose citizens can enter Germany with a simple travel visa, you must possess a German student visa in order to apply for the residence permit. If you don’t have it, you will be required to return to your home country. This regulation applies both to holders of a residence permit from another EU country and to persons who entered Germany with a visitor’s visa. There is absolutely no exception to this regulation and Jacobs University will not be able to assist you. 

II. The process

A student visa (if applicable) is required in order to officially enroll at Jacobs University Bremen.

Visa processing will usually take six to eight weeks. In some cases it may even take longer. Your visa will be valid for up to 90 days. Some embassies issue a visa whose validity starts on the day it is picked up. In such a case, if the visa is picked up in May, for instance, it will have expired before you actually arrive at Jacobs University. Make sure to clarify this issue with the embassy.

You can apply for a student visa at the nearest German Embassy .

You will normally be required to submit the documents listed below. The embassy, however, can ask for additional documents or further clarifications. The information provided by them takes priority.

  • Visa application form (available at the embassy)
  • A valid passport
  • Admission Letter and Registrar’s Office Letter (available upon admission to Jacobs University)
  • Proof of sufficient funding:
International students at Jacobs University are required to provide confirmation of funding (covering tuition and living expenses) in order to obtain a visa and/or residence permit. Tuition at Jacobs University is €20'000 for the current academic year (for Bachelor degrees). Living expenses are calculated by the Foreigner’s Office based on BAföG - a German funding program for living expenses - as €8'040 per year. Therefore, you will be required to provide proof of funding totaling €28'040 to cover tuition and living expenses for one academic year.
There are several ways in which you may prove that you have sufficient funding:
Example 1: you have received €22'500 in financial aid from Jacobs University or a third party/sponsor, and you have the additional €5'540 in a bank account (or a confirmation that a parent will cover this cost).
Example 2: you have not received financial aid, but you have € 28'040 (in a bank account or covered by a parent).
Example 3: you have not received financial aid, but you don’t have to pay tuition fees, and therefore need to provide proof of only € 8'040 (in a bank account or covered by a parent).
Please note that even if the embassy accepts only the Financial Aid Letter as proof of funding, you will be required to show additional funds up to the total amount of €28'040 per year for your residence permit application in Bremen.
Size of photo: 35mm x 45mm
Size of head from hairline to chin: between 32 and 36 mm
The face has to be centered and clear
The light should be smooth and even on the face – no shadows, reflexions, or red eyes.
The background should be single-colored and there should be contrast betwen face and background
The photo should have a good quality and display colors realistically
You should look into the camera with a closed mouth and a neutral face expression
Your eyes have to be visible
Headdress is only allowed for religious reasons. If you wear a headdress make sure that the face is clearly visible from hairline to chin