Germany guide · verified 2026-07-04
Germany Student Visa: Process, Documents and Funds
Student visa
Indian students apply for a national (category D) visa for study. Since 1 January 2025 the application is filed online through the Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de); after a digital pre-check you attend a VFS Global centre for biometrics, and the German Mission for your jurisdiction (Embassy New Delhi or the Consulates General in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata) decides it. The visa lets you enter; you convert it into a residence permit after arriving.
Visa type
MandatoryNational (D) visa for study
Fee
Mandatory₹8,100 / €75 for adults (2026)
The mission states 8100 inr / 75 EUR for applicants over 18, and 4100 inr / 37.50 EUR for under-18s, payable in INR at the exchange rate on the appointment day. VFS adds a separate service fee. The rupee figure tracks the euro fee, so it moves without an announcement, confirm it before the appointment.
How to apply
MandatoryConsular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de) → VFS biometrics
Where the online route is available it is obligatory. Book the biometrics slot early, waits can be long near intake.
Assemble the visa file
MandatoryCore documents: valid passport, visa application form + photos, admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid), APS certificate, proof of funds (blocked account confirmation, Sperrbestätigung, or a recognised scholarship/sponsorship letter), health insurance certificate valid from arrival, academic certificates, language certificate, CV and motivation letter. Indian 'affidavits of support' are NOT accepted as proof of funds.
Proof of funds must be a blocked account or an official sponsorship/scholarship letter, never a plain affidavit.Open the blocked account and get health insurance
MandatoryFund a blocked account (Sperrkonto) with €11,904 (2026) through a recognised provider, and take out health insurance valid from your intended arrival date (travel/incoming insurance covers the gap before your public statutory insurance starts on enrolment). Both go into the visa file.
When: Before the visa appointmentFile through the Consular Services Portal, then give biometrics at VFS
MandatorySince 1 January 2025, national student-visa applications in India are submitted online through the Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de), where the online route exists it is obligatory. In the portal choose the study purpose, complete the questionnaire, and upload the document set. After the mission's digital pre-check you book a biometrics appointment at a VFS Global centre; the German Mission for your jurisdiction then decides the file. Pay the €75 fee (in the INR equivalent). This applies the same way whether the student is going to a public or a private university, the difference is in the documents (see the callout), not the channel.
Cost: ₹8,100 / €75 (paid in INR) + VFS service feeYou get: A submitted application with biometrics captured, awaiting the mission's decision.Wait for processing, then collect the visa
Once forwarded to the competent authorities in Germany, processing commonly takes about 6 to 8 weeks and can be longer in peak months (May, Sept), so apply as early as the mission allows once you hold the admission letter. The entry visa is usually issued for ~90 days (sometimes up to a year), enough to enter, register, and apply for the residence permit.
When: Apply as early as permitted; allow ~6 to 8 weeks
There is no separate 'embassy-only' channel for one group, everyone applies through the same Consular Services Portal and gives biometrics at VFS, and which mission handles the file is set by the applicant's home jurisdiction (state), not the university's funding model. Two things genuinely differ. (1) Money proof: public/state universities usually charge no tuition, so proof of funds is essentially just the blocked account, whereas a student at a PRIVATE fee-charging university must ALSO submit proof of the fee amount (e.g. an invoice) plus evidence the first year is paid or a substantial deposit made. (2) Conditional vs unconditional admission: an unconditional degree offer follows the standard portal → VFS route regardless of public/private; a conditional admission that first requires a Studienkolleg or language course is a preparatory pathway with its own checklist, treat those as the prep-course case, which is what agents often mislabel as 'private university'.
The D visa gets you into Germany. The longer-term right to stay is the residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) you apply for locally after registering your address and enrolling, see 'After you land'.
Sources
- Consular Services Portal, apply for a national visa online, German Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt)
- Studies, incl. preparatory college and language courses, Visa info, German Missions in India (Auswärtiges Amt)
- National Visa, general information, German Missions in India (Auswärtiges Amt)
- Checklist for a German national visa, students (PDF), German Missions in India (Auswärtiges Amt)
Where this fits
This is one step of the full Germany journey: admission, tests, application, visa, money, arrival and stay-back, every figure cited to an official source.
More on Germany
Bramica is independent and takes no commission from any university, recruiter or agency. This page is information, not immigration advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change; confirm the current requirement on the official source before acting on it.