Welcome
Visa for Research Stay/Scientists
If you would like to go to Germany for academic research purposes you can apply for a visa for research stay.
General Information
The official website of the Federal Government of Germany Make it in Germany contains a lot of helpful information about working and living in Germany.
Foreign researchers generally require a national visa to enter Germany for a planned scientific stay in the country if they wish to work in Germany
To meet the requirements for research stay visa you will need to provide the following:
- have a doctoral degree (PhD) or a suitable university degree that allows access to doctorate programmes and
- have been selected by a research institute in Germany in order to engage in research for which such a qualification is normally required
- you need the research agreement
Note: If you are enrolled at a German university or research institute to complete a full-time study programme leading to a doctoral degree (PhD) as the primary activity you do not qualify for a research stay visa.
If you are taking part in a full-time study programme, please read the information under Study Visa for doctorate students.
Required Documents
To apply, you will need the following original documents plus one set of copies to present at your appointment at the Embassy. We highly recommend to use the information sheet as a checklist and bring it as a print out for your appointment.
Please pay attention that all Tanzanian documents issued by an authority of the state needs to be legalised.
Please sort the individual sets in the order listed below.
In your application form (VIDEX) you enter all the information about your entry and your stay in Germany. You must complete this form and print it out once, sign and date it.
If you are a minor, your legal representatives must sign the application and declare their consent.
A recent biometric photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm with a light background)
Information on biometric photos can be found here
Your passport must be signed and valid for at least one year from the date your visa is issued.
Please note that the document must still have at least two blank pages (if the decision is positive, your visa will be affixed here later).
Do you not have Tanzanian citizenship?
If you are not a Tanzanian citizen, please provide us with your Tanzanian residence permit.
Proof of your residence in Tanzania can be, for example, a copy of your electricity bill, water bill or gas bill.or a rent contract.
For non- Tanzanian nationals: Tanzanian residence permit
Contract of employment or
Proof of a specific job offer with a detailed job description or certificate of enrolment from the host German university or
a hosting agreement for the realisation of a research project with the hosting German university/institution. The research agreement/relevant contract needs to contain certain information. You can find a specimen here.
The applicant must have at least EUR 1027 net per month at his/her disposal for his/her stay in Germany if no employment relationship is established. Proof can be provided in the following ways, for example:
- Employment contract or
- Scholarship award from a German academic or intermediary organisation (e.g. DAAD, Alexander-von-Humboldt Foundation, DFG, public university) or
- Scholarship approval from a Brazilian academic or intermediary organisation (e.g. CAPES, FAPESP)
If an employment relationship is envisaged, proof of at least the statutory minimum wage of EUR 12/hour must be provided. Proof of financial resources for the entire duration of the stay must be provided at the time of application
For financing via blocked account: Open the blocked account in good time BEFORE applying for a visa. When applying for a visa, only the official opening confirmation stating the total amount paid in and the monthly amount available will be accepted. A confirmation without stating these amounts is not sufficient.
This document can be, for example, the degree certificate of your degree programme / doctorate.
Please note that a legalisation is required for the use of Tanzanian documents. This confirms to the domestic authorities that the document was actually issued by an official Tanzanian authority.
Further information on legalisations
You can use the Anabin database to check whether your university degree is recognized in Germany. The anabin assessment of your university degree must be “Equivalent ‚Entspricht‘” or “Equivalent ‚Gleichwertig‘”. Print out the search result in the database and bring the printout with you.
Are you unable to meet this requirement? Please contact the German authority responsible for the recognition of foreign degrees: KMK
You can use the Anabin database to check whether your foreign university is recognized in Germany. The anabin rating of your university must be “H+” or “H+/-”. Print out the search result in the database and bring the printout with you.
Are you unable to meet this requirement? Please contact the German authority responsible for the recognition of foreign degrees: KMK
Persons with statutory health insurance cover are adequately insured from the first day of work. Please provide proof of your statutory insurance cover.
If you arrive before the statutory health insurance cover begins, you must take out appropriate supplementary insurance.
If a long or permanent stay is planned, some travel health insurance policies may exclude insurance cover in their terms and conditions. This restriction may also apply to an “incoming” insurance policy, so please ensure that your supplementary insurance policy provides adequate cover. Further information here.
In certain cases, additional documents may be required. You will be notified of this directly via the international portal as part of the preliminary check of the online application.
Processing time:
Due to the regular need for approval from the authorities in Germany, you should generally allow eight weeks for your visa application to be processed (calculated from the time you submit the complete application documents to the diplomatic mission abroad).
Please do not request a status update – these will not be answered but ignored.
Fees
Appointments
Appointments are made via an online system. It is not possible to make an appointment by telephone. You can find all information here