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Visa to do a language course or attend school
General information
For preparatory language courses for subsequent studies at a German university please refer to the information for student visas.
- It must be an intensive language course: Daily lessons with at least 18 lessons per week. Evening and weekend courses are not sufficient
- The language course must be aimed at acquiring comprehensive German language skills
- The duration of the language course must be limited in time
What documents must be submitted during the application process?
To apply for a visa at the embassy, you will need the following documents in the original with one set of copies. Please sort the individual sets (original + one set of copies) in the order listed below.
Please do NOT staple the application documents!
A current biometric passport photo (3.5 x 4.5 cm with a light-coloured background) according to the photo sample table of the Federal Ministry of the Interior. The photo should not be older than three months.
Personally signed passport (original with one copy of the passport data page), with at least two completely empty pages and sufficient validity.
If you do not have your habitual residence in Switzerland, the German Embassy in Bern is not responsible for processing your application.
Proof of admission to the intensive language course (intensive = every working day with min. 18 hours per week) or school with one copy
Proof of financial means with one copy: To stay in Germany, each individual applicant must have at their disposal at least 947 € per month (12 month). Proof of these means (blocked account , a formal obligation by a third person in Germany or prove of scholarship.
Detailed motivation letter in German or English language curriculum vitae in German or English language with one copy.
Health insurance in line with EU standards (covering the entire Schengen area, minimum coverage of 30,000 €, valid from the day of entry for for the entire duration of your language course.
Information sheet with check list to download
The German Embassy Bern reserve the right to ask for additional documents at any time during the processing of your application.
Postage expenses of 7 Swiss Francs
and
Visa fee of 75 Euro payable by cash in Swiss Francs or in Euro by Visa or MasterCard (information here).
Appointment booking
Please book an appointment here to submit your application. New appointments are regularly activated in the appointment system. Unfortunately, there are no additional appointments.
To submit your application, please appear in person at the visa section of the embassy (Willadingweg 78, 3006 Bern) at your pre-booked appointment. Please book one appointment per person. The visa office will accept your complete application documents and the fee and take your biometric data. It is not possible to submit an application without an appointment.
Processing time
In this visa category, most applications are typically processed within 4 weeks (calculated from the day you procided all documents).
During the application process
Please do not contact the mission abroad to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such inquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa department and cannot be answered. We will contact you by email as soon as the decision has been made. In principle, all communication can only take place with the applicant themselves, a legal representative or an authorized person.
Decision about the application
You will be informed as soon as the embassy has decided on your application. Your passport is required for the visa to be issued.
Please check your visa label as soon as you have your passport with the visa in your hands. You should inform us immediately of any errors so that we can issue a new visa.