Updated on 16.12.2024

NEW! You can now use the new online application for a residence permit to study. Here you can find an online tutorial for filling out the application (Password: Tzk7Nm6x).

Please do not send your documents via the contact form anymore!

Who needs a residence permit to study?

• All citizens who are NOT from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
• Citizens from Switzerland

PLEASE NOTE that citizens from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway must still register their new address (Anmeldung) at any Berlin Bürgeramt (registration office) within 14 days of arriving in Berlin.

Is your visa or residence permit about to expire?
You have entered the Schengen area without a visa and the 90-day period is about to expire?

Please apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying at the earliest 4 to 6 weeks BEFORE your visa / residence permit / 90-day period expires. No applications will be processed before then. It is no longer possible to book an appointment online or on-site. Appointments will be allocated after you have uploaded your documents in the online application and paid the processing fee.

NEW! You can now use the new online application for a residence permit to study. Here you can find an online tutorial for filling out the application (Password: Tzk7Nm6x).

Please do not send your documents via the contact form anymore!  All applications sent to the Immigration Office (LEA) by contact form, letter, fax or e-mail will only be processed as a secondary priority.

Online application step-by-step:
1. Compile documents - The application is currently only available in German.
A study forecast is required for an extension.
A complete list of the required documents can be found here (section Documents required):  https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/305244/en/

2. Start the online application
Click on the following link ,  go to "Jetzt online erledigen" (section ‘Online processing’) and click on "Starten".

3. Enter personal details, upload required documents and pay fees
Before you can submit the application, you must pay the fees by credit card or PayPal.

4. Print out the confirmation of your online application and keep it in a safe place. The confirmation certifies that your residence permit is still valid until your appointment at the LEA. This means that you can continue to study or work until then. Exception: Students who have entered the country without a visa are not allowed to work until their appointment at the LEA.

5. Wait until the LEA contacts you and invites you for an appointment. The processing time can take up to 8 weeks. If you have not heard from them after 3 months, please contact us.

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot travel abroad in the period between the expiry of your residence permit and your appointment at the LEA. If you urgently need to travel within the next four weeks, please use the contact form ("Urgent appointment/Emergency") and upload your tickets, invitation, etc. in order to receive a fast appointment or a Fiktionsbescheinigung:
https://www.berlin.de/einwanderung/en/about-us/contact/formular.1442964.en.php

Students must register their new address at any Berlin Bürgeramt within 14 days after they moved in, if:

- you moved to Berlin from abroad,
- you moved to Berlin from another city in Germany or
- you moved to a new address within the city.
 
This is obligatory for all citizens, regardless of their nationality (Meldepflicht).

You have not yet registered your address and need a residence permit to study? --> Please proceed as follows BEFORE THE EXPIRY DATE of your visa / residence permit / the 90-day period:

• Send the tenancy agreement + landlord's confirmation of residence with all other necessary documents via the Immigration Office online form (see above).
• Should the Berlin Immigration Office still require an Anmeldung, please contact us.

Would you like to change your degree programme within UdK and have been admitted?
-> Please inform the Berlin Immigration Office via their online form. See above.

Have you transferred to UdK from another German university?
-> Please apply for an extension of your residence permit at the Berlin Immigration Office. See above.

Are you planning a stay abroad (Erasmus+, internship, etc.) that lasts longer than 6 months?
-> Please apply for a re-entry visa at a German diplomatic mission (embassy, consulate) in your host country and present your current residence permit. Otherwise, your residence permit will no longer be valid for stays of more than 6 months.

Do you want to or have to discontinue your studies?/ You have been de-registered?
-> Please contact International Student Services immediately. Your residence permit was issued explicitly for your studies and is no longer valid after exmatriculation or dropping out, even if it only expires later.

Will you soon be graduating from UdK Berlin?
-> Here you will find an overview of your options for staying in Germany after your studies.

Are Non-EU students allowed to work in Germany?

• Non-EU students may work 140 full or 280 half days per calendar year (full working day from 4.1 hours!).
• Self-employed (freelance) work is also permitted.
• As a student, you are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week during the semester.This rule also applies to students from the EU. You can work as much as you want during the semester break.
• Exceptions: The working hours of student assistants are not counted towards the 140 days. This also applies to compulsory internships.
• The detailed regulations can be found on the Berlin Immigration Office website.
• Advice on labour and social law issues is available from Students@Work.