• You are in Berlin and you need to apply for or extend your residence permit to study?

Public access to Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (Berlin Immigration Office) is currently restricted and only possible by appointment! Please note that express appointments are NOT offered anymore! Here you can find further information.

ATTENTION: New from 19 September 2023!

It is NO LONGER POSSIBLE to contact the State Office for Immigration (LEA) via the email address B1B2B3_ @lea.berlin.de!!!

If you have not been able to book an appointment online, you must submit your application for a residence permit to study before the expiry date of your residence permit/ visa FROM NOW ON BY USING THE FOLLOWING FORM (only in German - Betreff: Aufenthalt zur Ausbildung): https://www.berlin.de/einwanderung/ueber-uns/kontakt/formular.1279374.php. Please find instructions regarding the form below.

Please note that due to the war in Ukraine, the LEA needs 6 weeks to 8 weeks to process your application!

- You are currently abroad and your residence permit has expired? OR You have been abroad for more than six months, but your residence permit is still valid?
Please contact us at the following e-mail address: aaa_ @udk-berlin.de.

Please note that visas are only intended for entry into Germany. If you are admitted to UdK Berlin and want to study here, you must apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying within 90 days of your arrival in Germany / in the Schengen area. The Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (Berlin Immigration Office) of your place of residence is responsible for issuing your residence permit.

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

- They moved to Berlin from abroad,
- They moved to a new flat within the city, or
- They moved to Berlin from another city in Germany.
 
This is also obligatory for students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (Meldepflicht)!

VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS!

International students need an Anmeldung to apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying.  If you ddon't have any Anmeldung yet and your residence title/visa/the 90-day period is about to expire, you still need to apply! In this case, you can submit ental agreement and a confirmation of occupancy from the landlord instead (+ appointment confirmation for the Anmeldung if available) with all required documents. But you still have to send the Anmeldung later to get a residence permit.

• UK nationals, who were already living in Berlin BEFORE 01.01.2021, keep their rights (studies, wokr, etc.). They will be issued with a so-called GB residence document by the Landesamt für Einwanderung (Berlin Immigration Office) as proof of their right of residence. Please find more information here.
• FROM 01.01.2021 onwards, UK nationals can travel to Germany/ Schengen area visa-free with their British passport BUT must apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying within 90 days of their arrival in Germany / Schengen area.
   

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

PLEASE NOTE that citizens from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway do not need a residence permit, but must register their new address (Anmeldung) at any Berlin Bürgeramt (registration office) within 14 days of arriving in Berlin.

Public access to Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung (Berlin Immigration Office) is currently restricted and only possible by appointment! Please note that express appointments are NOT offered anymore! Here you can find further information.

ATTENTION: New from 19 September 2023!

It is NO LONGER POSSIBLE to contact the State Office for Immigration (LEA) via the email address B1B2B3_@lea.berlin.de!!!

If you have not been able to book an appointment online, you must submit your application for a residence permit to study 4 to 6 weels before the expiry date of your residence permit/ visa FROM NOW ON BY USING THE FOLLOWING FORM (only in German - Betreff: Aufenthalt zur Ausbildung): https://www.berlin.de/einwanderung/ueber-uns/kontakt/formular.1279374.php

Please note that due to the war in Ukraine, the LEA needs 6 to 8 weeks to process your application!

- You have just arrived in Berlin

International students at UdK Berlin who travelled to the EU withouth a visa, must apply for a residence permit for the purpose of studying  within 90 days of their arrival in Germany/Schengen area (see list of countries here). The required documents are listed on the website of the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung - see above regarding appointment.

- You have a residence permit for study preparation

You must change your residence permit for study preparation into a residence permit for the purpose of studying right after admission, even if your current residence permit only expires after the date of your Immatrikulation (enrolment) - see above regarding appointment.

- You would like to extend your residence permit for the purpose of studying

For the extension of a residence permit for studying, a study forecast called Studienprognose is required by the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung. You can obtain this document from your contact person at the Immatrikulations- und Prüfungsamt(it costs approx. 10€).

ATTENTION: New from 19 September 2023!

It is NO LONGER POSSIBLE to contact the State Office for Immigration (LEA) via the email address B1B2B3_ @lea.berlin.de!!!

If you have not been able to book an appointment online, you must submit your application for a residence permit to study before the expiry date of your residence permit/ visa FROM NOW ON BY USING THE FOLLOWING FORM (only in German - Betreff: Aufenthalt zur Ausbildung): https://www.berlin.de/einwanderung/ueber-uns/kontakt/formular.1279374.php

- You received an appointment after your residence permit expired / You have not received any answer after sending the online form and your documents

In this case your residence permit is still valid until your appointment at the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung. This means that you can continue your studies until then.Please print out the confirmation of your appointment / the automatic reply to your e-mail and put the copy in your passport.

PLEASE NOTE that you cannot travel abroad in the period between the expiration date of your residence permit and the date of your appointment at the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung!

All information regarding residence permits, appointments online and forms can be found on the website of the Berlin Landesamt für Einwanderung.

- You want to change your study programme at UdK / You have transferred from a German university to UdK.

If you intend to change your study programme at UdK, you must inform the Landesamt für Einwanderung in Berlin as soon as possible. If you have previously studied at another German university, you must submit a new application for a residence permit to study at the Landesamt für Einwanderung of your place of residence.

-  You are planning to go abroad (Erasmus+, internship, etc.)

If you take part in an exchange abroad (Erasmus+, Promos etc.) or do a compulsory internship outside Germany, you are not allowed to stay for more than 6 months abroad,  otherwise you will lose your residence permit. If you are planning to stay abroad for more than 6 months, please contact International Student Services as soon as possible.

- You are planning to quit your studies / you are “exmatrikuliert”

If you are planning to quit your studies at UdK Berlin, please contact International Student Services as soon as possible. If you are no longer enrolled at UdK Berlin (exmatrikuliert) and not enrolled at another university, you will automatically lose your residence permit, even if it expires at a later date. Please note that your residence permit is linked to your student status!

- The 120/240-day-rule

- International students are allowed to work 120 full days or 240 half days per calendar year (full day from 4,1 hours onwards!).
- You are not allowed to work more than 20 hours a week. This rule also applies to EU students!
- Attention: you can work more than 20 hours a week during Lecture-free periods or on weekends/ during the night (10 pm-6 am) but maximum during 26 weeks or up to 182 working days per calendar year!

Exception: The working hours of Studentische Hilfskräfte (student assistants) are not counted towards the 120 days. This also applies to compulsory internships.

- Self-employed activities or Honorarverträge 

Good news! Since 1 January 2023, self-employed activities have been automatically permitted when issuing or extending a residence title for study purposes. Please note that the 120/240-day rule also applies to self-employed activities!

• Consultation on work-related issues

Students@Work advise on questions of labor and social law and give support if you have problems with your job. Here you find more information on their services.