Mobility within the EU for the Purpose of Studying – EU Directive 2016/801

Regulations on mobility within the EU applying to students of non-EU nationality (third-country nationals) coming to the EU for the purpose of studying have been eased.

General and detailed information on “Mobility in the EU” is available online on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) under "Studying throughout Europe".

If you wish to study at KIT under an exchange program and have already been issued a residence permit for studies in another EU member state, you can come to study at KIT without having to apply for a visa for Germany. In this case, you have to submit additional documents to KIT. Then, KIT can apply for a confirmation for your stay here. The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees will issue you with a certificate confirming your entitlement to stay. The certificate is declaratory and not mandatory for entry.

Mobility within the EU is facilitated under the following conditions (not valid for Ireland, the United Kingdom and Denmark)1

  • Studies in an EU member state with a residence permit of this EU member state for the purpose of studies
  • Studies at KIT under an exchange program (ERASMUS, bilateral exchange program, double-degree program, etc.)
  • Studies at KIT for a maximum of 360 days
  • A residence permit of an EU member state that is valid for the duration of studies at KIT (if necessary, have the residence permit extended in due time before the mobility!)
  • Submission of the additional documents to KIT at least 40 days prior to entering Germany.

Note: If the documents submitted are incomplete or the mobility conditions are not fulfilled, you are not permitted to come to KIT for studies!

 

Residence permit for research purposes

A German residence permit for research purposes also enables you to spend a limited period researching and teaching in other EU States (with the exception of Ireland, Denmark and the United Kingdom).

Equally, if you hold an equivalent residence title issued by another EU Member State, you can work for a limited period in a scientific or research capacity at a research facility in Germany. The conditions vary depending on how long you intend to stay in Germany.

 

Documents to be submitted:

Submit all documents in PDF format (original document and its translation into German in one PDF document) and name it with your family name and the document type: e.g. Family name_Pass.pdf. Submit the documents to mobility-rest∂intl.kit.edu.

1. Completed notification form (Link)

  • Document title: Family Name_Mitteilungsformular.pdf
  • Information for completion:
  • Section 4: Name der Hochschuleinrichtung: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie (KIT), Adresse des KIT: IStO, Adenauerring 2, D-76131 Karlsruhe
  • Zuständige Kontaktperson am KIT: Yvette Haas, phone: 0721/608 44917
  • Section 5: Zustelladresse: IStO, Adenauerring 2, D-76131 Karlsruhe

2. Copy of the residence permit of the EU member state (validity for the duration of the stay at KIT)

  • Document title: Family name_Aufenthaltstitel.pdf

3. Copy of the passport

  • Document title: Family name_Pass.pdf

4. Proof of financial resources in the amount of EUR 934 monthly (Link)

  • You have to prove that you have EUR 934 for every month of your studies at KIT (i.e. EUR 5604 for six months).
  • Document title: Family name_Lebensunterhalt.pdf

According to the General Administrative Regulations and the Visa Manual, subsistence can be proven as follows:  

  • Scholarship 
  • Payment of a security deposit into a blocked account at a financial institution which is permitted to carry out banking transactions in Germany and from which only a portion of the total amount paid in divided by the number of months of stay may be disposed of each month (e.g. one seventh of the amount paid in for a stay of seven months) 
  • Declaration of commitment 
  • A written confirmation from the parents (details in the letter: amount, period, date and signature) and a copy of the passport. Evidence must be provided of how the student receives the money (e.g. bank statements with corresponding transfers). 
  • Education loan 

According to § 2 Para. 3 Sentence 5 AufenthG, the livelihood of students is deemed to be secured if they have a monthly amount equivalent to the BAföG maximum rate (943 EUR).  

5. Health insurance certificate (copy of EHIC)

  • Document title: Family name_KV.pdf

6. Admission letter

  • Document title: Family name_Zulassung.pdf
For information: The contact data of your contact person at KIT can be found in your admission documents. You will be informed by electronic mail as soon as your admission documents are available.

All documents, apart from the passport and the residence permit, must be submitted in German or English. If necessary, the BAMF can accept easily understandable, foreign-language documents and decides whether the documents submitted meet the requirements.
For study stays of more than 360 days in Germany, you usually need a visa for entry and a residence permit for study purposes for the further stay.

 

Extension of Residence permit. 

Please note that the planned period of stay must not exceed 360 days. 
However, if you plan to stay longer than 360 days in Germany, you must apply for a visa for study purposes. 

If you wish to extend your stay, you must submit the following documents again: 

  • completed notification form  
  • copy of the extended residence permit from the EU state 
  • proof of sufficient means of subsistence, including health insurance 
  • admission for the planned semester as well as the agreement between the universities. 

 

 

[1] If you study in Ireland, the United Kingdom or Denmark, you have to apply for an entry visa with the German embassy when you want to study at KIT. These EU member states do not take part in the simplified mobility scheme.