Residence permit - training and studies

Foreigners can be granted a renewable residence permit for the purpose of applying to study, preparing for studies (e.g. language course) and studying at a state or state-recognized university or comparable educational institution. Studying must be the main purpose of the stay; distance or part-time studies are not sufficient.

After successfully completing the course of study, the residence permit can be extended for up to 18 months in order to look for a job appropriate to the degree.

A residence permit may be issued in individual cases for the purpose of attending language courses that are not preparatory to studies or for school attendance. If the Federal Employment Agency agrees, a residence permit can also be issued for the purpose of company training and further education.

The Immigration Office of the City of Jena has changed its processing procedures. In order to shorten waiting times for appointments and residence permits, all applications will in future be checked without a personal appointment. It is therefore no longer necessary to book a personal appointment.

Please send us the relevant application forms and all necessary documents either by post or electronically by e-mail to: antrag-abh@jena.de.(link sends email) Please do not send us any original documents.

We will contact you directly if we have any queries. Therefore, please make sure that you can be contacted by post or, if necessary, by e-mail or telephone if you have any queries.

If a personal appointment is necessary after final examination of your application, you will receive an appointment from us at short notice.

• completed application form
• passport
• Proof of residence (e.g. rental agreement, in the case of a subletting agreement also a declaration of consent from the owner)
• Proof of health insurance
• Training contract or certificate of duration of studies (available from the Student Service Center or the International Office of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena or from the Head of the Student Secretariat of the Ernst Abbe University Jena)
• Proof of how the education/study is financed (e.g. declaration of commitment, proof of scholarship, blocked account, bank statements for the last two months, ...)
• Declaration on student financing, if applicable
• Signed instruction sheet
• If applicable, declaration of consent to the storage and use of your e-mail address and telephone number

• Law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (Residence Act - AufenthG)
• Ordinance on the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Employment Ordinance - BeschV)
• Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)