Germany Student Visa: Requirements & How to Apply

Below: the full requirements checklist, the blocked account explained (the real barrier most students underestimate), how your certificates are checked through uni-assist and Anabin instead of APS, the health-insurance rule, the €75 fee, a step-by-step guide, and the common reasons Germany student visas get refused.

Who this is for. This page is for students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia and across Africa applying for the German national D visa “for the purpose of studying”. For the same money figures in your local currency and the wider budget, see our cost of studying in Germany guide.

Germany student visa requirements (checklist)

Germany issues a national (category D) visa for study — the long-stay visa for courses over 90 days. To qualify you need:

• A university admission letter — an offer (or conditional admission / Studienkolleg place) from a recognised German university.
• Proof of funds for your first year — most students use a blocked account of ~€11,904 (about €992/month). Alternatives are accepted (see below).
• Health insurance — mandatory to enrol and for the residence permit. Statutory student cover runs roughly €141–146/month.
• Recognised qualifications — your school and/or degree certificates, checked via uni-assist and the Anabin database. No APS for any of the main African origins.
• A valid passport and biometric passport photos.
• The €75 visa fee (€37.50 for minors; waived for publicly funded scholarship holders).
• Language proof — for English-taught programmes usually IELTS/TOEFL; for German-taught study, TestDaF or DSH.
• The completed visa application (the online consular form / VIDEX, depending on the mission) and an in-person appointment for biometrics.

Each of these is explained below. The single most common thing that delays genuine African students is the blocked account — so read that section carefully.

The blocked account explained (the real barrier)

A blocked account (Sperrkonto) is a special German bank account that proves you can fund yourself. The money is “blocked” — you deposit roughly a year’s living costs upfront, and you can only withdraw a fixed amount each month after you arrive. It is the requirement that catches most students out, because you must move a large sum before you have a visa.

The current figures:

What	Amount (EUR)	Notes
Blocked account — enrolled student	~€11,904 / year	About €992/month withdrawable after arrival
Prospective-student / Studienkolleg visa	~€1,091 / month	Slightly higher monthly rate

A few things African applicants must know:

• The figure is set from Germany’s maximum BAföG student-support rate, so it changes most years — confirm the exact amount on the day you apply.
• You open the blocked account with a provider before your appointment, transfer the full year’s amount, and submit the confirmation as your proof of funds.
• After you arrive, only about €992/month is released — it is your living-cost budget, not a lump sum.

This is the genuine financial test of a German study visa. We help families plan the transfer and document it correctly so it isn’t queried. For the full picture of how proof of funds works across Europe, see our proof of funds for a student visa guide.

Proof of funds: your options

The blocked account is the most common route, but it is not the only one. The German mission accepts:

1. A blocked account holding ~€11,904 for the year — the standard choice for most students.
2. A scholarship award — an official letter from DAAD or another recognised funder covering your costs (publicly funded scholarship holders also have the €75 fee waived).
3. A Verpflichtungserklärung — a formal declaration of commitment from a sponsor living in Germany, lodged with the local foreigners authority (the channel for family support or a guarantee).
4. Confirmed student-assistant income of at least ~€992/month.

Most African students without a German-based sponsor or a scholarship use the blocked account. Whatever route you choose, the funds must cover the first year, and the paperwork must match the amount the embassy expects — mismatches are a common reason for delay.

Credential check: uni-assist + Anabin (no APS)

Here is the good news that contradicts a lot of agency blogs: APS is not required for students from Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Egypt, Uganda, Zimbabwe or Zambia. Germany’s APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) is currently mandatory only for China, Vietnam and India (re-check each cycle on your embassy’s own page).

Instead, your qualifications are checked two ways:

• uni-assist — many German universities route international applications through uni-assist, which evaluates your certificates, converts your grades to the German scale, and forwards your application. The fee is €75 for the first course and €30 per additional course. Some universities apply directly in-house.
• Anabin — the official KMK/ZAB database that classifies foreign qualifications. Your university should be rated H+ and your degree must read as equivalent. Where a qualification isn’t listed, a ZAB Statement of Comparability is the fallback.

A note on Bachelor’s entry: most African school certificates (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, O-levels) do not give direct university entry on their own and usually require a Studienkolleg (a one-year foundation year ending in the Feststellungsprüfung) or prior recognised university study. South Africa’s NSC “bachelor’s pass” is closer to direct entry — but this is decided per certificate on Anabin. Master’s applicants need a recognised Bachelor’s and no Studienkolleg.

Don’t conflate South Africa’s “APS” — that’s the domestic Admission Point Score for matric, unrelated to Germany’s APS.

Health insurance

Health insurance is mandatory — you cannot enrol or get your residence permit without it. For most students this is statutory (public) student cover at roughly €141–146/month, which works out to about €1,694–1,755/year.

Two things to watch:

• The student tariff applies until the semester you turn 30 (or your 14th subject-semester); after that you move to a higher voluntary/private rate of roughly €160–190+/month.
• Studienkolleg and language-course students are not covered by the statutory student tariff and must take private/incoming insurance for that period.

You usually arrange insurance after admission and before enrolment. Some students take a short travel/incoming policy for the visa and switch to statutory cover once enrolled.

The admission letter

The German student visa is built on an admission letter from a recognised German university. Without it — or at least a conditional admission or a confirmed Studienkolleg place — you cannot apply for the §16b study visa.

• A full (unconditional) admission letter is the strongest basis for the visa.
• If you still need to find a place, the prospective-student visa (§17(2)) lets you enter for up to nine months to secure admission or attend Studienkolleg / language prep — but it requires the higher monthly funds figure (~€1,091/month).
• German university intakes are Winter (apply by ~15 July) and Summer (apply by ~15 January), though deadlines vary by programme and Master’s/Studienkolleg are often earlier. uni-assist advises applying at least eight weeks before the deadline.

Apply for your place early — the visa appointment and blocked account take weeks on top of admission.

The visa fee

There is one fee you pay the German mission:

Cost	Amount (EUR)	Notes
National (D) visa fee	€75	€37.50 for minors
Scholarship holders	€0	Waived for publicly funded scholarship holders

• The €75 is the visa fee itself — it is separate from the blocked-account deposit, health insurance and the uni-assist handling fee.
• Beyond the visa fee, budget for the uni-assist fee (€75 first course), insurance, passport photos, document translation/legalisation and courier costs.

For all of these figures converted into Naira, Cedi, Shilling and other African currencies — plus the full first-year budget — see our cost of studying in Germany guide. (EUR figures are from official German sources; re-check on the day you apply, as the blocked-account amount and fee are updated periodically.)

Step-by-step: how to apply for a Germany student visa

1. Get your admission letter. Apply to your university (often via uni-assist) and secure an admission letter, conditional admission, or a Studienkolleg place.
2. Check your credentials on Anabin. Confirm your university is rated H+ and your qualification is recognised — there is no APS step for African students.
3. Open a blocked account and fund it. Transfer about €11,904 to a blocked account (or arrange a scholarship letter / sponsor declaration) as your proof of funds.
4. Arrange health insurance. Take statutory student cover (or private/incoming cover for Studienkolleg/language prep).
5. Sort your language proof. Provide IELTS/TOEFL for English-taught programmes, or TestDaF/DSH for German-taught study.
6. Complete the visa application. Fill the consular online form / VIDEX (the exact form name varies by mission) and book your appointment at the German embassy or consulate.
7. Attend your appointment and pay €75. Give your biometrics (fingerprints and photo) and submit your documents — admission letter, proof of funds, insurance, certificates, passport.
8. Wait for the decision, then convert your permit. Processing often takes several weeks. After you arrive, convert your D visa to a §16b residence permit for study at the local Ausländerbehörde.

Want a second pair of eyes before you submit? See how we help with Germany applications — we check your admission, blocked account and documents first.

Full documents checklist

Have these ready before your appointment (confirm the exact list with your mission):

• Valid passport (and any old passports) plus biometric photos.
• University admission letter (or conditional admission / Studienkolleg place).
• Proof of funds — blocked-account confirmation (~€11,904), or a scholarship award letter, or a sponsor’s Verpflichtungserklärung.
• Health insurance confirmation.
• Academic certificates and transcripts (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, NSC, ZIMSEC, degree certificate, etc.), with translations/legalisation where required.
• uni-assist VPD (pre-evaluation document) if your university uses the VPD procedure.
• Language proof — IELTS/TOEFL, or TestDaF/DSH for German-taught courses.
• Completed visa application form (consular online form / VIDEX) and any declaration of accuracy.
• The €75 visa fee (waived for publicly funded scholarship holders).

Common refusal reasons & how we help

Most German student visa problems are about money and documents, not ability. The causes we screen for:

• Blocked account short or wrong — using last year’s figure, or funds not properly blocked, when ~€11,904 is required.
• Doubt about funding — a sponsor declaration or scholarship letter that doesn’t clearly cover the full first year.
• Admission not strong enough — only a conditional offer where the mission expected firm admission.
• Credential gaps — a qualification that needs Studienkolleg or a ZAB Statement of Comparability, or an Anabin status that doesn’t read as equivalent.
• Missing or mismatched health insurance.
• Weak motivation — a vague reason for the course, university or Germany, which can fail the genuine-student test.

World Study guides African students through the German student visa honestly — real costs, real timelines, and no inflated promises. Careful document checks (especially the blocked account and Anabin status) are exactly how we reduce avoidable refusals. Our core guidance is free; you only pay if you choose our optional premium visa support.

Talk to a World Study advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → to have your admission, blocked account and documents checked before you apply.

If you’re still researching, start with our study in Germany from Africa hub.

Working during and after your studies

Germany is one of the most generous destinations for student work and staying on after graduation:

• During study: non-EU students may work 140 full days or 280 half-days per year without Employment Agency approval — roughly up to 20 hours a week in term time, with no limit during semester breaks. Student-assistant jobs are exempt from the day limit.
• After graduation: you get an 18-month job-seeker permit (§20) to find work related to your degree, during which you can work any job full-time.
• The Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) is a points-based route that also lets qualified graduates and skilled workers come to look for work.
• From the job-seeker permit you can move to a qualified-employment residence permit or an EU Blue Card, and on to a settlement permit in as little as ~2 years of skilled work with the right German level.

These rights are a big reason Germany is so attractive — but they start with getting the student visa right.