If you intend to enroll in a German language course, you can apply for a visa after setting an appointment via our contact form.

If you intend to study or do a vocational training (Ausbildung) in Germany directly after the language course, please read the information on visa for students or vocational training. The following information is for language courses that are not followed by studies or a vocational training.

Only intensive language courses fulfill the requirements of § 16f Abs. 1 AufenthG. There need to be daily classes and 18 hours of language instruction per week. Evening or weekend classes are not sufficient. The language course needs to aim at teaching comprehensive knowledge of the German language and the duration of the course needs to be clearly defined. Please note: An „Integrationskurs“ is not a language course as per the requirements of the residence act.

Prior knowledge of the German language is not necessarily required. However, the question whether you have already made first efforts to gain a basic knowledge of the German language based on the possibilities available in Portugal, can be of importance when checking the plausibility of the purpose of the intended stay in Germany.

With a language course visa, it is possible to engage in gainful employment for up to 20 hours per week. 

 For the application, please prepare all documents listed below and send us a message via the contact form to set an appointment. Please mention your nationality and the visa type (language course §16f AufenthG) in your message. After checking the documents you will be assigned an appointment.

At the time of your visa appointment you have to submit the following documents in person (original plus one copy):

• completed and signed application form for a long-term visa 
• 1 recent biometric passport photograph
• your national passport - Please note: The passport has to be valid for a minimum of 3 months after the expiration of the visa (example: when issuing a 12 months visa, the passport must be valid for at least 15 months), needs to have at least two empty pages and must have been issued during the last 10 years. 
• residence permit for Portugal
• Confirmation of fully paid language course registration
• A gap-free curriculum vitae
• Letter of motivation with detailed explanation on why you wish to attend a language course in Germany and your career plans afterwards
• Information on your educational /job qualifications (e.g. school certificate/university degree)
• If you already have knowledge of the German language, please provide a proof (e.g. language certificate)

• Proof of financial means (1091 euros/month): 

  • formal Sponsor Letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) by a sponsor in Germany. This may be obtained from the local authority in Germany (Ausländerbehörde)

  or

  •  fixed-Deposit-Account (blocked bank account “Sperrkonto”) in Germany. Information on providers that offer this service worldwide is available on the Federal Foreign Office website.

  or

  •  proof of official scholarship
• Evidence of health insurance equivalent to German statutory health insurance (gesetzliche Krankenversicherung) 
• Visa fee 75,- euros

Please note that in individual cases additional documents can be required.