Updated on 18 April 2024

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 book an appointment on the website of the Berlin Immigration Office  (LEA) 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 on site.

If you cannot find an appointment online, please proceed as follows:

1. Compile documents:
   For an extension, you must submit a study forecast and a copy of your visa/residence permit.
   List of required documents: https://service.berlin.de/dienstleistung/305244/en/
2. Open the online form + select the subject "Aufenthaltserlaubnis zur Ausbildung (Studium...)": www.berlin.de/einwanderung/ueber-uns/kontakt/formular.1279374.php
3. Enter personal details + upload documents in a PDF file
4. Print out the confirmation of contact with the Immigration Office and keep it in a safe place. The confirmation certifies that your residence permit is still valid until your appointment at the Immigration Office. This means that you can continue to study or work until then.
5. Wait until the Immigration Office contacts you and invites you to an appointment. The processing time can take up to 8 weeks. If you have not heard from them after 2 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 Immigration Office. If you are planning to travel, please mention this in the online form and upload your travel tickets, invitation etc. along with the other documents.

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 a new address within the city, or
- you moved to Berlin from another city in Germany.
 
This is also obligatory for students from the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (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, apply for a residence permit to study anyway.
• Send the tenancy agreement + landlord's confirmation of residence (+ confirmation of appointment for registration, if available) with all necessary documents via the Immigration Office online form (see above).
• Submit the "Anmeldung" at a later date in order to obtain the residence permit.

• Anmeldung nachreichen, um die Aufenthaltserlaubnis zu erhalten.

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 work (freelance) is also permitted.
• As a student, you are not allowed to work more than 20 hours per week.This rule also applies to students from the EU.
• Exceptions: The working hours of student assistants are not counted towards the 140 days. This also applies to compulsory internships.
• Advice on labour and social law issues is available from Students@Work.