If you are from a country that is not a member of the European Union, you need a residence permit to study in Germany, even if you did not need a visa to enter the country.

To obtain or renew your residence permit, you need to make an appointment with the Hochschulservice (City of Oldenburg's Foreign Residents' Office). Please arrange your appointment well in advance (two months prior to expiration/ within 90 days after your arrival in Germany).

If you already live and are registered in Oldenburg, you can also apply online.

You can find the application form here.

The Hochschulservice will then contact you by e-mail and inform you about the further procedure. To avoid extra work, please do not write another e-mail to make an appointment. You will usually hear back from the Hochschulservice within 4 weeks.

1. A current confirmation of your health insurance. If you are enrolled in the public health insurance system, contact your provider and let them issue a letter to you which states that you are currently a member there; the health insurance card is not enough. If you have private health insurance, you need to extend your insurance so that it covers the entire period for which you want to have a residence permit. Then you need to show proof of this to the Hochschulservi ce (Foreign Residents' Office).
2. A proof of funding for your studies (copy of the document), e.g. a letter from your bank that confirms you have a locked bank account with a restriction ("Sperrvermerk") covering over EUR 11,208 per year (12 x EUR 934 per month), a formal obligation letter or a scholarship confirmation. If you can prove that the rental and incidental rental costs of your accommodation are lower than EUR 360, the amount of the funding proof will be reduced. With the increase of the maximum BAföG rate from 934 euros/month to 992 euros/month which is planned for the winter semester 2024/25, the amount for the proof of funding to be provided by international students will automatically increase, see § 2 Abs. 3 Satz 5 AufenthG. As soon as the law comes into force, which is expected to be before 1 September 2024, immigration authorities and embassies will use the new rate to calculate the amount needed to cover living expenses. To be on the safe side, blocked accounts should be closed for the amount of 11,904 euros/year.
3. Your national passport.
4. A current confirmation of enrolment (Immatrikulationsbescheinigung)
5. A fee of around EUR 100 (for the first residence permit) or up to EUR 93 or 98 (for each renewal). If you finance your stay with a scholarship, the Hochschulservice will check whether a fee exemption can be applied.
6. A biometric passport photograph

The Hochschulservice (Foreign Residents' Office) is situated in the New Town Hall building at Pferdemarkt 14 (rooms A018/ A019).

Fix an appointment via e-mail at hochschulservice@stadt-oldenburg.de