Studying abroad Visa / Health / Security

Passport

For a study stay outside the EU you need a passport. Please check if your passport is valid for six months beyond the time of your stay abroad. If not, apply for a new passport in time, because you cannot apply for a visa without a valid passport.

Visa

Inquire early about the visa process required for your host country.

Information and application documents can be obtained from the relevant embassies and consulates general. Further information can be found under the link “Auswärtiges Amt Reise- und Sicherheitshinweise” .

We strongly recommend taking out additional private health, accident and liability insurance for abroad, even if your host university offers campus health insurance. Partner universities sometimes offer student health insurance as part of enrollment, which you can use in addition to your health insurance.

It is generally possible to participate in the DAAD's group insurance for health, accident and liability insurance.

When taking out international health insurance, make sure that you are already insured while traveling. Please also check your health insurance coverage abroad to see if treatment of infectious diseases in a pandemic situation are covered.

If you already have liability insurance, check to see if it covers claims abroad.

Please make sure that the accident insurance is valid for the entire period of your stay (including travel within the country as well as arrival and departure) and that important activities (e.g. internships, jobbing, hobbies such as climbing) are not excluded for you.

Check, for example via the homepage of the German Foreign Office in the section "Travel and Safety Information", whether and which vaccinations are recommended for your host country.

The Federal Foreign Office regularly publishes travel and safety advice and information as well as travel warnings.

Inform yourself before your stay as well as during your stay abroad about the current situation either via the Federal Foreign Office homepage or via the Federal Foreign Office travel app. It is also possible to have your name put on the Crisis Prevention List called „Elefand“.

• Travel advice contains information in relation to entry requirements of a country, health and criminal law and customs regulations. This information is regularly checked and updated.
• Safety advice draws the attention of travellers and German residents living abroad to potential risk through travel. It may be recommended not to travel or to limit travel if it isn’t absolutely necessary to do so. This information is also regularly checked and updated.
• Travel warnings contain an urgent message from the Federal Foreign Office to refrain from travelling to a particular country or region within it. These warnings will only be issued if absolutely necessary and if lives could be put in danger through travel to the at risk area. Travel warnings are only rarely made. German residents living in the affected country or region will be requested to depart.