Visa & Entry Regulations
Depending on your nationality you might need a visa to enter
and stay in Germany. Therefore, an important step in planning
your stay in Siegen is checking whether you need a visa and
applying for it.
Important things to keep in mind:
»
Your visa directly affects the type of residence permit you can
apply for.
»
Depending on which country you are in, the visa process can be
quite lengthy.
»
Make sure you have all documents needed together in time.
»
Do not
enter the country on a Schengen visa if you are staying for
more than 90 days or have an employment contract in Germany!
» Make sure to check what
health
insurance coverage you will be needing.
Please note: The
information given here is by no means exhaustive or legally
binding.
Requirements can change based on your home country and your
personal situation. Please get in touch with the responsible
local German mission.
Do I need a visa?
»
If you are an EU member state national or are from Iceland,
Liechtenstein or Norway, you do not need a visa
or a residence permit.
»
If you are from Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, the
Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Switzerland or the USA, you
do not
need a visa but will have to apply
for a residence permit.
»
If you are not from any of the countries mentioned above,
you will need a visa
and a residence permit.
You can double check the regulations for your
country here (please pay attention to the
footnotes).
What types of visa are
there?
As mentioned above, the Schengen Visa is
fairly restrictive and not suitable for many researchers ,
as this type of visa is meant for tourism purposes, visits
and business trips and cannot be
converted into a National Visa or be extended.
The National
Visa is suitable if you want to either take
up gainful employment in Germany, are coming for more than
90 days, or are not here for touristic purposes. Once you
have arrived and gone through the initial administrative
steps, with a National Visa you can apply for a residence
permit. As the type of National Visa is directly linked to
the type of residence permit you will receive,
please make sure you apply for the most suitable type of
visa.
Should you already have a residence permit for the purpose of research from another EU member state and want to come to Siegen for no more than 180 days, you can use the REST Directive
to enter Germany visa free. Please find further information on the REST Directive at the bottom of the page.
What documents will I
need?
Amongst other things, you will generally need the following
documents:
»
A valid passport
»
Proof of planned activity (e.g. invitation letter, letter
of supervision, confirmation or work contract, letter of
award)
»
Proof of sufficient financial resources, if not covered by
one of the documents above
»
Proof of sufficient health
insurance coverage
»
Information on accommodation in Germany
»
Valid application form
My family wants to come
with me: What do I need to keep in mind?
Please make sure you
submit the visa application(s) for your family member(s)
early enough, if possible with your own application.
For certain documents to be accepted and recognised in
Germany, you may need a certified translation into German
and, depending on which country you live in, a so-called
Apostille or Legalisation. We recommend getting all
documents in order before leaving your home country.Please
find further information here.
REST Directive
If you have a valid residence permit for the purpose of research in another EU member state, the REST directive will allow you to travel to Germany without a visa for short-term mobilities (usually 180 days within 360 days, though for a maximum of 360 days). For this, before entering Germanyan type of application needs to submitted
to the Bundesamt für Migration und Flüchtlinge
(BAMF) [Federal Office for Migration and Refugees] by the Welcome Center, which will be processed within max. 30 days. The BAMF send out a certificate that you are allowed to be in Germany for your research stay visa free. For the application we will need your residence permit and passport, as well as a hosting agreement, proof of finances, and proof of health insurance (usually the EHIC). You can also bring a partner/child through this process. For further information, please contact the Welcome Center.