General information

Germany is one of the most popular study countries worldwide. The education of qualified foreign students at German universities is a priority of the Federal Gouvernment.

After successfully completing their studies, foreigners can have their residence permit extended for up to 18 months in order to look for a job that matches their qualifications.

Prepare your application

You should start preparing your application as soon as you have plans for your long-term stay in Germany. Prepare your application according to the following list and submit the documents with one set of copies when applying for a visa:

• copy of valid passport (including all pages that are not blank)
• completed and personally signed national visa application form (please use the online application form VIDEX)
• Declarations according to § 54 (2) no. 8 in conjunction with § 53 of the German Residence Act, duly signed
• 2 recent biometric passport photos (not older than 6 months)
• Bahrain CPR or Bahrain visa & entry stamp
• admission letter from a German higher education institution (college, university) or / and
• admission or invitation to an admission test at a Studienkolleg (with fixed date) or / and
• confirmation of registration at an institute preparing for studies (incl. language course preparing for studies)
• proof of the financing of the entire stay:
• blocked account at a German bank for 11.208 €/year (2023) as well as employment letter and bank statements (6 months) of Sponsor or
• formal obligation letter according to section 66 to 68 German Residence Act by a person with permanent residence in Germany for the whole study period or
• scholarship confirmation
• personal letter of motivation
• detailed CV including your educational and professional achievements
• high school graduation certificate and, if applicable, Bachelor/Master certificates with detailed transcript of grades
• if available: current employment letter
• if available: proof of German/English language knowledge
• in case of minor students: parental authorization
• visa fee of 75€, to be paid in BHR

Before the visa can be issued, the embassy will request an “Incoming” health insurance for students valid from the date of entry to Germany.

All documents are to be presented in original or certified copy along with two sets of copies.

Foreign documents issued in other languages than English or German have to be submitted with an official translation.

The embassy reserves the right to request additional documents.

Important notes on the visa procedure

Please do not send unrequested documents to the embassy, especially not before applying for the visa, as those cannot be kept. Please submit all documents when applying in person at the embassy. Incomplete applications will be rejected or denied.

Foreign public documents need to be duly legalized by the competent German Mission in the issuing country, or, if applicable, provided with an Apostille. For documents from some countries, individual document verification might be necessary, that process would require more time and an additional fee.

Processing

The processing of the visa application usually takes at least five weeks, occasionally longer.

The embassy decides on your application based on the provided documents. You will be contacted as soon as the application has been decided. Please note that questions regarding the status of your visa application cannot be answered. Due to data protection regulation, no status updates can be given via phone.

Book your appointment

To submit your application, please book an appointment and appear in person at the embassy. The embassy will accept your complete application documents including the visa fee, will conduct a short interview with you and register your biometric data.

Applicants are kindly requested to book an appointment through the online system of the Embassy in Bahrain.

Additional information

On the subject of “Learning and Working in Germany”, please contact the Information Centre of the (ZAV) of the Federal Employment Agency.

You will find the prerequisites, framework conditions and opportunities for studying in Germany on the website hochschulkompass.de

Contact details of various German preparatory courses.

For information on language courses and examinations please see the webpage of the German Embassy

If you have any additional question that has not been answered in this article, you can contact us. Please refrain from questions that are explained on this Website.