Language visas – nationals of EU / EEA / EFTA countries:

Citizens from the EU, the EEA and EFTA do not require language visas to study languages in Germany. Students from the following countries are only required to bring a valid passport or an ID card:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

However, certain limitations still apply to new EU member-states so we do advise you check the German Embassy or Consulate website for more information. On arrival in Germany you will need to register your new address either at the local city hall or with the police.

Language visas - nationals of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand & USA

Citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the USA do not need to apply for language visas in order to enter Germany to study languages here. Nationals of these countries can apply for a language course residence permit upon arrival in Berlin directly at the Immigration Office ( Ausländerbehörde Berlin). You are required to show that you are signed up to a course with at least 18 hours of classes per week*, that you can financially support yourself for the duration of your course and that you have health insurance. Once you have fully paid your course fees, we’ll send you a contract confirming your study at speakeasy to show the Immigration Authority Office.
*NB: some embassies require 20-hour courses. Contact the embassy in question directly to confirm the minimum requirement.

Language visas - nationals of all other countries

There are two types of language visas that you can apply for:

• Language Learning Visa – if you are intending to learn German and then return to their home country (more information)
• Residency for Study Preparation – if you’re intending to learn German as preparation for a recognised degree programme at a German University or Higher Education Institute at the end of your language course (more information)

Please note, the above language visas are a requirement for all citizens of non-EU/EEA/EFTA countries excluding Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and the USA (see above).
Please apply at the German embassy or consulate in the country where you are legally residing and do so as early as possible - the process can take up to 3 months. One basic requirement for the Residency for Study Preparation or the Language Learning Visa is that you have to be signed up to a course that has no less than 18 teaching-units of German classes per week. Once you have paid your course and contract fee in full, we will send you the original contract by mail so that you can take it with you to the embassy when you apply for your language visas. The contract will specify exactly how many hours of classes per week there are in your German course.

Applications - we can help

Here at speakeasy we are pleased to say that we have many visa students and most of their applications are successful! So let us help you with your application too! We will provide you with our useful tips for the all-important motivation letter, based on our years of experience.
If language visas are refused, we refund 80% of the course fee (minimum 100 EUR will be withheld) provided we have your bank details and the original refusal letter. If you need to change dates and need a new confirmation letter from us, a fee of 80€ will be charged.

Language visas - Financial Support and Health Insurance

Applications for language visas will require you to prove that you can financially support yourself for the duration of your course in Germany and that you are covered by health insurance. Please check with the German mission in your home country - for more details click here.
We will help as far as possible with regards to language visas applications, however, as immigration rules and regulations often change, please note we cannot take responsibility for students’ own applications.

Language visas – course payments

Don’t forget we can offer you help with the course payments – so for courses lasting at least 6 months, we can give you the option of paying half the course fee in advance and the other half in monthly instalments. Please contact us for more info.

We wish you the best of luck applying for language visas and look forward to seeing you in Berlin very soon!

Course prices 2016