Visa Service
Students
- § 16b of the Residence Act for the purpose of studies or
- § 20 (3) of the Residence Act to look for a job after successfully completing their studies (18 months).
For capacity reasons and due to the high number of applicants, we will only be able to offer counselling (via e-mail and in Zoom consultation hours). We offer multilingual counselling and support you with questions and problems. |
You can submit your application with the complete documents directly to the LEA department. The date of application counts. There are different options:
- Contact form Kontaktformular - Anfrage an die Referate B 1 und B 2 (Fachkräfte, Aus- und Weiterbildung, Schulbesuche, Studium, Wissenschaft) - Berlin.de
- Mail to Landesamt für Einwanderung (LEA), Friedrich-Krause-Ufer 24, 13353 Berlin (or put the application into the mail box there)
- E-mail B1B2[at]lea.berlin.de
- Booking an appointment, information
Here you can find helpful links and information:
- Services for which you can book an appointment - Berlin.de
- Residence permit for the purpose of studying - Berlin.de
- Residence permit for job-seeking qualified skilled workers – Issuance - Berlin.de
Procedure for the electronic submittance only for doctoral candidates and scholarship holders:
1.2 Residence permit to seek employment according to § 20 AufenthG
Doctoral candidates and researchers
- § 18d Residence Act for research
- § 18b (2) Residence Act - Blue Card
- § 20 Residence Act for job search for specialists (6 months) or
- § 7 Residence Act - residence permit
General Information
- Please contact us in good time before the expiry of your visa or residence permit, as longer processing times must be expected due to the current situation. The procedure cannot be accelerated.
- As soon as the application for a residence permit has been submitted to the LEA (in person or by e-mail), a fiction takes effect. This means that the residence continues to apply with the same conditions and is legal even if the visa or the residence permit has expired (including the ancillary provisions of these documents, in particular with regard to the type and scope of permitted gainful employment). See § 81 (4) of the Residence Act.
- However, it is not possible to travel abroad after the residence permit has expired. If this is absolutely necessary, a fiction certificate must be applied for.
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A fictional certificate cannot be applied for on the basis of an entry visa or in the case of visa-free entry.
Applicants from § 41 countries (visa-free entry) can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days and return to Germany without any problems.
NEWS
Information from the Berlin Immigration Office for refugees from Ukraine
Information from HU Berlin
Humboldt-Universität stands with Ukraine — Press Portal (hu-berlin.de)
On the situation at the State Office for Immigration (LEA)
Limited customer service at the LEA is possible again, but not without booking an appointment in advance. ► Book appointments online
► Information on the booking procedure