Welcome
Visa for an internship
Information about various internships in Germany.
General Information
Do I need a visa?
Usually, the answer is yes.
However, if you intend to stay not more than 90 days, you would apply for a Schengen Visa at our external Service provider TLS.
The residence permit required for stays of more than 90 days must be applied for before leaving for Germany and in dies time.
The documents required to apply for a residence permit are generally the same as those required to apply for a visa.
Requirements
Study-related internship:
You are enrolled at a Tanzanian university (if you are pursuing part-time or distance learning studies, these studies must take up significantly more than 50% of your current living situation). You will need an original certificate of enrolment as proof. Please have the relevant form (Federal Employment Agency website) completed by your university and send it to your employer in Germany together with a copy of your passport.
- You have already completed at least 4 semesters of study
- The intended internship is directly related to your university degree programme
- The internship is limited to a maximum duration of 12 months
- The internship salary is at least €939 gross per month for a working week of 40 hours. If no salary or a lower salary is paid, you will need a fomal letter of obligation (‚Verpflichtungserklärung‘) or proof of sufficient funds to cover your living expenses.
As an internship involves taking up work, prior agreement from the ZAV is required for taking up work - even if the internship is unpaid.
Your internship provider in Germany must submit the application for approval to the ZAV Student Placement Service. Your employer can find the application form, information on the procedure and the necessary documents as well as the contact address of the ZAV in the information sheet “Study-related internships in Germany for students from abroad” on the website of the Federal Employment Agency.
As soon as the employer has received the certificate of agreement from the ZAV (ZAV certificate), they will forward it to you so that you can submit the visa application.
Government internships, EU-funded internships and internships as part of official exchange programmes
Internships for specialists and managers who receive a scholarship from German public funds or who are funded within the framework of official EU programmes such as LEONARDO, SOKRATES, TACIS, ERASMUS etc., as well as internships within the framework of the international exchange programme of associations and public institutions or student organisations (e.g. specialist internships for students from foreign universities and universities of applied sciences) do not require approval from the ZAV. You can submit the visa application directly to your diplomatic mission abroad.
Internships organised by the Federal Employment Agency with a maximum duration of 9 months
This includes, for example, interns placed by the ZAV (e.g. hotel management students placed in the hotel industry) for whom the ZAV has issued a confirmation of placement.
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.
Information Sheet
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
Signed internship agreement :
The contract needs to contain certain information: description of the aim and duration of internship; role and duties of the intern; working hours; nature of contract and payment/monthly salary
Letter of motivation in German stating the professions and where you are looking for an apprenticeship.
Curriculum Vitae
Please provide us with your CV in English or German. Please use the Europass format.
Information on the Europass format: Europass.
Proof of enrolment in university degree of other professional training (see above)
e.g. hotel booking, signed letter of invitation, etc.
If your internship salary is less than €939 gross per month, additional proof of funding must be submitted, e.g.
- Payment of a security deposit of currently €9,024 into a blocked account in Germany, from which only 1/12 of the deposited amount may be paid out each month. Further information on this can be obtained directly from the bank in Germany (only applies to internships in connection with ongoing studies)
- Formal letter of obligation (‚Verpflichtungserklärung‘) from an inviting person in Germany (the declaration of commitment can be signed at the foreigners authority responsible for the place of residence of the inviting person).
- Scholarship confirmation (e.g. DAAD, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, DFG, InWEnt, political foundations, public universities)
In the case of financing in the form of a 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. The deposit or transfer receipt without the bank confirmation is not sufficient.
Your internship provider in Germany must submit the application for approval to the ZAV Student Placement Service. Your employer can find the application form, information on the procedure and the necessary documents as well as the contact address of the ZAV in the information sheet “Study-related internships in Germany for students from abroad” on the website of the Federal Employment Agency
Further information can be found here.
After your application has been checked, these documents will be requested by email if your application is granted
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.
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