How to Move to Germany as a Student

Germany is home to many of the best universities in the world and has a rich academic history, making it a fantastic place to study. With universities offering a wide array of courses in English, there are ample opportunities for international students looking to complete a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Germany.

So how exactly do you move to Germany as a student? Follow our checklist below…

German Student Visa

Unless you are an EU/EEA citizen, you will need a German Student Visa in order to study at a German university.

The German Student Visa permits you to live and study in Germany as well as work part-time for the duration of your study programme.

To find out how to apply, see our guides:

Health Insurance

It is compulsory that you take out German health insurance when studying in Germany. Without a suitable policy, you will not be permitted to enrol at a German university. Adequate health insurance is also a key prerequisite for obtaining a German Student Visa.

For students in Germany, our favourite German health insurance is TK Student Health Insurance. To find out why this policy is well suited, see our German Health Insurance Guide.

Accommodation

When arriving in Germany as a student, a priority will be finding suitable accommodation. To ensure you have a roof over your head from day 1, we recommend that you book a short-term, furnished apartment before arriving in Germany.

Once in Germany, you will then have plenty of time to navigate Germany’s vast rental market and secure a longer-term place to call home.

To explore your options, including how to find a room in a flatshare, see our German Apartment Hunting Guide.

Once you have found suitable accommodation in Germany, it is essential that you complete your address registration (Anmeldung). For further guidance, see our German Anmeldung Guide.

Banking

When studying in Germany, you will no doubt want easy access to your money while avoiding foreign transaction fees, slow money transfers and costly ATM fees.

The best way to achieve this is by opening a German bank account, which can be opened online in just a few minutes. In particular, we recommend opening an account with N26 or bunq, two market-leading online banks that are perfectly suited to students in Germany.

For further tips, see our Banking in Germany Guide.

German liability insurance

Personal Liability Insurance

While optional, everyone in Germany should have personal liability insurance, which covers you in the event of personal injury or property damage to a third party. Without this, even fairly innocuous accidents and mishaps can have grave financial consequences.

When it comes to personal liability insurance providers, our favourite policy is with Feather. For further information about the benefits of private liability insurance and why you should have it when living in Germany, see our Private Liability Insurance Guide.

Working as a Student

You are permitted to work part-time on a German Student Visa. The visa allows you to work either 120 full days or 240 half days per year.

For advice on how to find a job in Germany, see our German Job Hunting Guide and German Job Board Guide.

Once you have found a job, your employer will require a number of documents to fully onboard you as a German employee. This includes your:

For full details on how to get hold of all these documents, see our Starting Work in Germany Guide.