From Auswärtiges Amt
“The visa decision is made by the German consular post in Vietnam. Research-visa applications typically require the consent of the foreigners-authority responsible for your future research location. Incomplete applications can prolong processing or lead to a refusal. False or incomplete information can constitute grounds for expulsion.”
What you need
- You must show a signed hosting agreement or equivalent contract with a German research institution or university (stating the type of research activity, the position, the duration of stay, the financing, and the inviting institution); proof of qualification (doctorate or a degree giving access to doctoral programmes); a written cost-undertaking declaration (waived for research institutions predominantly funded from public means or where there is a special public interest); proof of financial means; a passport; and travel medical insurance covering until you start work.
Checklist
8 01
Application and identity
- Application form for national visas, completely filled out and signed by the applicant (online application form „VIDEX") *
- Two recent biometric passport photos (45 mm x 35 mm) (photo specifications template). Please glue only one photo onto the application form and bring the second loose *
- Valid passport (or a recognised substitute travel document) with at least two empty pages. Note that the passport's validity must exceed the visa's validity by at least three months *
02
Research agreement and qualification
- Signed hosting agreement (sample available here) or equivalent contract with a German research institution / university, in original. The contract must contain: the type of scientific activity; the position to be filled; the duration of stay; the financing of the stay (either the salary amount, or the scholarship amount and the source of funds); the inviting institution. Where applicable, proof that the research institution is recognised by BAMF *
- Proof of qualification: doctoral degree, or a university degree giving access to doctoral programmes *
03
Financing and cost undertaking
- Written cost-undertaking declaration covering costs incurred by public authorities up to six months after the end of the hosting agreement — this can be waived where the research institution's activity is predominantly publicly funded or where there is a special public interest
- Proof of sufficient financial means through the hosting agreement / equivalent contract, a blocked account, or a scholarship. For the stay in Germany the applicant must have at least 1,091 EUR per month available where no employment relationship is established. Proof can be provided via the hosting agreement / equivalent contract. Where an employment relationship is foreseen, at least the statutory minimum wage must be shown. At the time of application, financial means must be shown for the entire duration of the stay *
04
Medical insurance
- Proof of adequate medical insurance for entry, valid from your intended entry date until you start work *
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