International Students

Although the International Office tries its best to provide up to date information on immigration issues on its websites, we strongly recommend that you always check current visa requirements with the German Embassy / Consulate in your home country / country of residence as they are the only institutions that can give you legally binding information.

General visa rules:

• EU citizens: no visa required
• Non-EU citizens: „(Nationales) Visum für den längerfristigen Aufenthalt / (National) visa for longer stays“ required

Exceptions:

Citizens of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, (South) Korea, New Zealand and the USA have two options:

• Option 1: „(Nationales) Visum für den längerfristigen Aufenthalt / (National) visa for longer stays“
• Option 2: You are allowed to enter Germany without a visa but will then have to apply for an electronic residence permit in Konstanz.

„(Nationales) Visum für den längerfristigen Aufenthalt / (National) visa for longer stays“ according to „Art. 18 Abs. 2 Schengener Durchführungsabkommen“

This visa is valid for stays in Germany between 3 and 12 months. Although it is called national visa it allows you to freely move in the Schengen Area up to three months in any six-months period. The responsibility for issuing the visa lies with the mission responsible for the area in which you have your ordinary residence or domicile. The fee for this visa is 60 €. When applying for the visa, you must provide proof of finance for the whole duration of your stay in Germany. Please check with your nearest German Embassy / Consulate regarding the required documents. When you enter Germany with this visa, you will not need to apply for an electronic residence permit (see paragraph below) in Konstanz any more.

Visa processing requires up to two months after complete documentation has been submitted, so please start your visa process immediately after having received your acceptance documents from HTWG!

Please also note that you should in no case apply for other visa types such as “Schengen visa”, “tourist visa” or “visa for study purposes”, etc. With a Schengen or tourist visa you are not allowed to study in Germany and the “visa for study purposes” is only valid for three months. After that, you would have to apply for an electronic residence permit. This would mean additional costs (visa fees + at least 100 € for the electronic residence permit), several personal visits to the Konstanz Immigration Authorities and a lot of paperwork while in Konstanz. The whole application process for the electronic residence permit takes about three months.

Should you have difficulties with the application for your visa for longer stays, please contact HTWG´s International Office immediately and do not apply for any other visa types!

All students who need a visa to enter Germany receive the following documents for the visa application from HTWG´s International Office:

• Formal invitation letter
• Admission to HTWG
• A statement exempting you from the prerequisite German language certificate, if necessary.

Citzens of Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, (South) Korea, New Zealand or the USA that have entered Germany without a „(Nationales) Visum für den längerfristigen Aufenthalt / (National) visa for longer stays“ must apply for an electronic residence permit at the beginning of their stay in Konstanz. With this residence permit you can extend your stay in Germany until the end of your exchange period at HTWG.

The electronic residence permit (eAT – elektronischer Aufenthaltstitel) was introduced EU-wide on September 1st, 2011. It features an online ID function that allows the holder to communicate online with public agencies and administrations and to do business on the Internet. Further information on the functions of the electronic residence permit are available here. Unfortunately, several personal visits to the Konstanz Immigration Authorities and a lot of paperwork are needed for the application and the whole process takes about three months. HTWG´s International Office will help you with the bureaucratic formalities as far as possible.

In order to receive the electronic residence permit you must also provide proof of finance of 670 € per month for the whole duration of your stay in Germany. It is therefore crucial that you bring an authorized proof of finance to Konstanz.

Proof of finance

Konstanz Immigration Authorities will accept the following documents:

• a financial guarantee from a parent, i.e. a “Parental Statement” signed by a parent and authorized by the International Office at your home university. Only the original will be accepted. The Parental Statement must be accompanied by a current bank statement of the same parent who has signed the Parental Statement. The bank statement must show that your parent is able to pay at least 670 € for your stay in Germany each month. The bank statement must also show the name of the bank and the name of the owner. It must not be older than three months when you apply for the electronic residence permit in Konstanz. (This is the easiest way!)

OR

• a formal obligation ("Verpflichtungserklärung") signed by a parent in person at the German Embassy / Consulate by presenting a current bank statement. Signing this formal obligation is also an accepted financial proof for the national visa for longer stays. In case your parents will sign the formal obligation, please make sure you get the orange and green copy of the formal obligation for your residence permit application here in Konstanz. It is also crucial that the German Embassy/Consulate has ticked "nachgewiesen" (proven) at the very end of the document.

OR, as an absolute last choice,

• a “blocked account” at a German bank showing a minimum amount of 4,020 € (670 € per month for 6 months), which has a withdrawal limit in Germany of 670 € per month. The arrangement of a blocked account should be done in your country of residence; contact the “Deutsche Bank” by email at: db.student@db.com. They will forward the necessary documentation with further directions on how to proceed – beware, this takes time!

All exchange students must – just like all local HTWG students – be insured under a German health insurance plan.

Exchange students under the age of thirty benefit from German statutory health insurances with reduced premiums of about 70 € per month, all students above this age must join a private health insurance. There are different health insurance companies in Konstanz, all have the same premiums. HTWG has good experiences with AOK Health Insurance which has an office close to HTWG. One of AOK´s special services is that they send your insurance membership certificate to your home country if that is needed for your visa application. No documents or advance payments are necessary, you can catch up on everything once you register with them in Konstanz.

All insurances run for complete semesters, which means six months for spring and fall semester each. Only exception: If you can´t attend the orientation program in September and therefore arrive in Konstanz at the beginning of October, you only pay from October to the end of February.  

Please make sure you have travelers or international health insurance until you buy your student health insurance in Konstanz during the orientation program / the beginning of the semester. On no account should you spend time in Germany without health insurance coverage as doctors’ fees and medical costs are extremely high!

If you take long-term medication, please inform yourself about the German laws surrounding bringing the medication with you, and if you can receive the required prescription in Germany at all! Please be aware that sending medicine in the mail is forbidden under German law and that any sent medication will get stuck at customs.

Please respect the recommended arrival days of the International Office (see “academic calendar”) when planning your journey to Germany. Moving into the student residence halls is only possible from Monday to Friday from 8 am to 8 pm (except for public holidays!). Once you have booked your flight, please inform HTWG´s International Office about your flight details.

The closest international airport is Zurich in Switzerland, which is about 60 kilometers away from Konstanz. The station of the SBB (Swiss Train Company) is found directly in the airport on the bottom level. There are hourly trains direct from Zurich Airport to Konstanz. A ticket in second class costs approximately 30 Swiss Francs.

From Stuttgart Airport (Germany), you must take the S-Bahn (underground subway) to the main train station in Stuttgart. A train leaves from the main station at least every two hours to Konstanz and you will have to change trains in Singen. The train ride is about two and a half hours. The ticket costs approximately 45 €.

From Frankfurt Airport (Germany), you can catch a train at the bottom level of the airport leaving every two hours to Konstanz. The train ride takes five to six hours and the ticket costs around 80 €.

For more information about the German train system, schedules and prices, visit www.bahn.de. In order to arrive at Konstanz Main Station, please choose “Konstanz” or "Konstanz Bahnhof" from the available destination list.

Once you applied for a room in one of the student residence halls, the International Office has reserved a single room there for you. As HTWG does not owe the residence halls, your landlord Seezeit will contact you directly as soon as all rooms are assigned.

The cost of housing for your study term at HTWG in Konstanz ranges from 230 – 300 € per month depending on your residence hall. You will also be required to pay a 400 € security deposit, which will be reimbursed to you upon departure, provided no damage has been done to the room. Furnished kitchen facilities are available in the dorms for preparation of meals. HTWG and the University of Konstanz also have cafeterias where meals are available at a reasonable price.

You will be able to use your MasterCard and Visa debit card at most ATMs (Geldautomat) in Germany. You should inform your bank before you leave that you will be spending some time in Europe, so they will not freeze your account. It is also important to realize that many smaller shops and grocery stores do not accept credit cards in Germany, so it is wise to always carry enough cash with you to cover your purchases. Traveler checks can only be cashed at major banks in Germany and are not accepted in stores and restaurants.

Because room rent, health insurance rates and many other expenses can only be debited directly from a German bank account, it is essential that you open a bank account here in Konstanz. The International Office will assist you with the formalities during the orientation program.

The International Office provides an orientation in March and September to all inbound international exchange students. During this program we will provide you with valuable information concerning your stay in Konstanz and introduce you to our institution, the city and its surroundings. We are very positive that this orientation program will help you to settle in smoothly. The dates are available in our Academic Calendar, the detailed orientation program is available here.