Legal conditions for studying in Germany
Legal conditions for studying in Germany
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Immigration and residence in Germany For studying in Germany international students will need a residence permit. For getting the residence permit international students will have to apply for a visa for studying in Germany before entering the country (Aufenthaltsbewilligung zu Studienzwecken). A visa will be issued by the German Embassies or Consulates in the home country.

For getting a visa via the German Embassy candidates may need a "Letter of Acceptance" (Zulassungsbescheid) from Pforzheim University. In addition the embassy may ask for an official statement how you will cover the costs of living in Germany. For all question concerning the visa please contact directly the German embassy or consulate in your home country. Further information is provided under http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de

Members of the following countries may enter Germany without a visa: all countries of the European Union, all countries within EFTA, residents of Australia, Israel, Honduras, Japan, Canada, Monaco, New Zealand, Switzerland, San Marino, United States of America. Students of these countries (excluded the EU countries) will have to apply for a visa at the local Foreigners Office (Ausländerbehörde der Stadt Pforzheim) after arrival.

Merkblatt zum Aufenthaltsrecht des DAAD
http://www.daad.de/ imperia/ md/content/ de/deutschland/downloads /info_aufenthaltsrecht _zuwanderung.pdf

Materialien zum Ausländerrecht
http://www. aufenthaltstitel.de/ index.php
oder
http://www.info4alien.de/
Financial statement for studying in Germany Within the applicaton process for getting a visa the German Embassy/Consulate will have to check that candidates will be able to cover the costs for studying in Germany. An official financial statement should indicate that (especially for the first year of studying) a sufficient total of money is available. Normally the embassy/consulate will ask to prove a total of min. 585 Euro per month; that is a total of 7.020 Euro per year. Some embassies may ask for a total above that.

The requested financial statement is normally accepted via:
a) a formal obligation of the parents to cover the costs for studying in Germany and to pay a min. of 585 Euros per month for the whole study period. Hereby the parents will have to declare their financial situation in detail (proof of the monthly income, assets on bank accounts etc.) and the embassy will have to authenticate the financial statements.

b) the formal obligation of a third party, that is an official statement that a person (not directly related to the family) will cover the costs of studying in Germany. This formal obligation (Verpflichtungserklaerung) is part of the visa process and will be checked by the embassy. After arival in Germany this obligation will be requested by the local authorities (normally the Foreigners Office of the city).

Quite often the financial statement will be realized via an installment to a bank account. For getting the visa the embassy will ask for the account book with a min. of 7.050 Euro. After arrival the money has to be transfered to a German bank account and quite often the bank account in Germany will limit the total of a monthly rate (for example to a maximum of 600 Euros per month)

Scholarships: in case a students will get a scholarship he/she will have to prove the official confirmation letter of the scholarship organization. The confirmation letter will have to state min. the total of the payment of the scholarship organization and the lenght of the program.

Please note: in some countries the embassies/consulates may have introduced different processes / requirements for getting a visa.
  
Working while studying The following information is for students with a limited residence permit (normally for the study period) for Germany. These are most of the international students from outside Europe. Students with an unlimited residence permit will not need a work permit.

For students with a limited residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) the Federal Aliens Act (Auslaendergesetz) defines under chapter 28 the regulations for working in Germany. A secondary employment (beside the enrolment at a university) is possible only as employee. Self-employed work or working as independent contractor etc. is not accepted. Within a calendar year (January - December) the workload as employee may not exceed 3 months(or 90 days) of the year. Normally the student visa (sealed in the passport) outlines this regulation. For working less than 90 days full-time (and this equivalent to 180 days part-time with an average of 4 hours a day) students will not need an additional work permit.

In case an international student is working beside the study period he/she is responsible to document, that the total working time did not exceed 90 days per year. For this reason it is highly recommend to keep a kind of record (book) that lists all working hours and the employer.

In principle the workload in a company should not affect the study progress. Related to the German tax regulations the company should require an income tax card. Tax cards will be issued by the local authorities.
 Merkblatt des DAAD zur Erwerbstätigkeit
http://www.daad.de/ imperia/md/content/de/ deutschland/downloads /info_ erwerbstaetigkeit _zuwanderung.pdf

Changing a study program (subject and/or location)

 For all students with a limited residence permit (Aufenthaltsbewilligung) is the purpose of the residence determinated by the subject of the study program (see chapter 28.5.2.4 of the administrative regulations within the Federal Aliens Act). In case an international student will change the subject within his/her studies this change will cause also a change the purpose for the residency.

International students may change the study program and/or the subject and/or the location for studying within 18 months after arrival only. All changes after this period of 18 months will have get authorization by the local authorities (normally the Foreigners Office of the city). The local authorities may accept the change of a study program or the location only in case the already completed courses will be recognised by the new study program or new university. An official statement of the new study program or new university for getting the academic recognition of courses is required, In addition the local authority will require a statement, that the total of the study period will not exceed more than 18 months. The authorization of the local authority is also requested in case an international student will change the university only (for example he/she will continue the same subject of the study program at the same location but a different university).		  
Staying in Germany before studying

Persons interested in studying in Germany may get a visa for learning the German language and/or for an orientation period. The status of this visa is called "Studienbewerber" and may be issued for a maximum stay of up to one year. For getting a visa as "Studienbewerber" applicants will have to meet similiar conditions than for getting a visa for studying... "Studienbewerber" may not work while staying in Germany and also the option to work 90 days per year is not included in this visa.

  
Staying in Germany after studying After getting the degree of an university foreign students may stay one more year in Germany (for example as orientation period to work in Germany). Since 2007 in this period students may work as outlined in the regulations for studying (90 days per year).