How to Apply for the Germany Language Visa at the Immigration Office in Berlin

This page looks at how, when and where to apply for the Germany Language Visa in Berlin. It covers all the main visa application requirements and details how to book and attend a Germany Language Visa appointment at the immigration office in the German capital.

 
Germany language visa
 

The Germany Language Visa is a fantastic way to learn German and experience German culture. If you just want to spend a shorter period in Germany, feel you lack the language skills to land your dream job in Berlin or just want some extra time in Germany to search for suitable employment or prepare your next Work Visa application, the Germany Language Visa might be the perfect option for you.

❗ Note: We endeavour to keep our visa information up to date. However, before applying, we recommend always cross-referencing our information with the official application information from the Berlin immigration authorities.

 
 

Who is this page for?

🌍 Citizens of Israel, New Zealand, the United States, Australia, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada can apply for the Germany Language Visa after entering Germany. If you are from one of these countries, you can enter Germany for 90 days without a visa and then apply for the Germany Language Visa at the Berlin immigration office during this period.

🛑 Citizens of all other countries must apply for the Germany Language Visa before entering Germany. For further details, see our guide on applying for the German Language Course Visa from overseas.

What is the Germany Language Visa?

The Germany Language Visa allows you to live in Germany for 3 to 12 months on the condition that you are enrolled in an intensive German language course. By 'intensive', we mean at least 18 to 20 lesson hours per week. And be aware that language courses that are only held in the evenings and/or weekends are not sufficient.

Note: The Germany Language Visa does not permit you to work in Germany.

It is one of the simpler visas to apply for in Berlin and is a great option if you want to learn the language or extend your stay in Germany while you scope out your employment options.

Which language schools and classes in Berlin meet the requirements for the Germany Language Visa?

🎒 Below, we have listed language schools in Berlin who are familiar with the visa process and offer courses which are at least 18 teaching lessons per week. We recommend that you get in touch with them to make sure they sign you up for an appropriate course for applying for the Germany Language Visa and request that they prepare you a language school contract required for your visa application.

For further options, see our comprehensive list of German language schools in Berlin.

How to apply for the Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

1️⃣ Move to Berlin. Enter Germany visa free for up to 90 days, officially register at an address (Anmeldung) and sign up for an intensive language class in Berlin.

2️⃣ Apply for the Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

3️⃣ Collect your Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

1️⃣ Move to Berlin. Enter Germany visa-free for up to 90 days, officially register at an address (Anmeldung) and sign up for an intensive language class in Berlin.

After entering Germany, you have 90 days to complete two key things before you can apply for the Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin:

🏠 Anmeldung in Berlin

In order to apply for any form of visa at the immigration office in Berlin, you first have to officially register at an address in the city. This process is known as Anmeldung. Without an Anmeldung certificate (Anmeldebestätigung), the immigration office will likely not accept your visa application.

If you need to quickly register at an address in Berlin, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.

🎒 Sign up for an intensive language class in Berlin

This must be for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months, and must include at least 18 lesson hours per week. For some good options, see our recommended language schools above. These language schools will all be able to prepare a suitable language school contract for your Germany Language Visa application.

Once you have completed both of these requirements, you can move on to step 2 and start preparing your Germany Language Visa application.

2️⃣ Apply for the Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

As stated earlier, if you are from the United States, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea or the United Kingdom, you can apply for the Germany Language Visa after entering Germany.

Essential documents for your Germany Language Visa application in Berlin

To be issued a Germany Language Visa, you must submit the following documents at your appointment at the immigration office in Berlin:

✅ A valid passport

Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months longer than the intended stay, have at least 2 free pages, and not be older than 10 years old.

✅ One current biometric passport photo

Guidelines recommend a 35mm x 45mm frontal shot with neutral facial expression and closed mouth, looking straight into the camera with a light background. You can obtain a biometric photo from the silver photo booths at the main train stations in Berlin. There are three photo booths located at Alexanderplatz train station.

Here is a useful map of all places you can obtain passport photos in Berlin.

✅ Travel/expat health insurance

This must be a travel/expat health insurance policy that is recognised in Germany and has a minimum of €30,000 medical coverage with repatriation included. Bring the policy confirmation and policy wording showing what is covered. The health insurance policy should be for the full period that you wish to apply for the Germany Language Visa, i.e. if you are applying for one year, your health insurance policy must also be for the full year.

It is essential that you have insurance cover that is recognised in Germany. For this, our favourite option is Feather's expat health insurance policy. We are big fans of Feather’s expat policy because:

  1. It is accepted and approved by the Berlin immigration office.

  2. It meets all the requirements for the Germany Language Visa.

  3. It is well priced can be paid for and cancelled month to month.

However, if you are planning to travel around Europe a lot while on your Germany Language Visa, then World Nomads may be a good alternative to Feather. While Feather’s expat health insurance provides medical insurance, World Nomads also provides travel-related cover (baggage, cancellations, theft, etc.).

✅ Proof of main residence in Berlin

To apply for any visa at the immigration office in Berlin, you must first be officially registered at an address in Berlin, a process that is called Anmeldung. For full details of how to register your address and receive your address registration certificate (Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung), check out our Anmeldung page.

While registering at an address in Berlin sounds simple, there are currently far more people searching for an apartment than there are apartments available that offer Anmeldung. If you need to quickly register at an address in Berlin, then you may be interested in booking a furnished apartment with Smartments. Smartments provide well-located, studio accommodation and offer Anmeldung so long as you book for at least 14 nights. By opting for Smartments, you can get registered within days of arriving in Berlin.

✅ Proof of funds

In order to receive a Germany Language Visa, you must be able to demonstrate that you have sufficient financial means to support your life in Berlin.

There are three different ways you can show proof of funds for the Germany Language Visa. These include:

  1. Providing a bank statement of a blocked account (Sperrkonto) with a balance of at least €11,959 if you are applying for the full year.

    To open a Sperrkonto, we like Fintiba as it can be opened from overseas and is a quick online process with relatively low fees compared to the other banks that offer this type of account. The fee is €89 to open the account and €4.90 per month thereon. While Deutsche Bank/Sparkasse also offer blocked accounts, the set-up process can take significantly longer.

    For further details, check out our guide on blocked accounts in Germany.

  2. Submitting a letter of support from your parents. The letter should be a typed signed letter stating that they will support you financially during your time on the Germany Language Visa.

    This letter of support should be notarised. Along with the letter of support, you must also show their proof of income in the last six months. A recent bank statement or their most recent tax return is sufficient. It is often easier to provide a letter of support/proof of income from your parents than to open an escrow account. While a letter of support is accepted by the immigration office in Berlin, we recommend you check this with your local German embassy or consulate if applying overseas.

  3. Submitting a declaration of commitment by a third party. Third parties living in Germany with sufficient creditworthiness (who agree to cover the applicant's subsistence expenses) can submit a declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung). You can read more about this here.

✅ Language school contract  ​

Before applying for the Germany Language Visa, contact a language school in Berlin and request to enrol. In order to receive a contract from a language school to apply for the Germany Language Visa, you often need to pay a 20% deposit upfront for the courses you choose to enrol in. However, this is often refundable less an admin fee.

Always let the language school know that you intend to apply for the Germany Language Visa so that they draw up a suitable contract for your application.

Your language school contract must specify at least 18 lesson hours per week and show booked language courses for at least 3 months. The Germany Language Visa can be issued for between 3 months and 1 year depending on how long your course is.

✅ Completed 'Application for Issuance of a Residence Permit' form (Antrag auf Erteilung eines Aufenthaltstitels)

You can download the form here.

N.B! These are the standard documents for applying for the Germany Language Visa after arriving in Berlin. If you are instead wanting to apply for the Germany Language Visa before arriving in Germany, see our guide for applying at a German consulate or embassy.

How do I book a Germany Language Visa appointment at the immigration office in Berlin?

  • Once on the booking platform, click on the ‘Book Appointment’ button to start the process.

  • Select the visa you wish to apply for. You will then be shown a calendar with available appointments:

 
Berlin language visa appointment.JPG
 

Available appointments show up in blue. Select an available appointment from the calendar and enter your personal details in the appointment booking form to complete the booking.

If there are no appointments currently available, you will be shown the following message:

Visa appointment confirmation Berlin.JPG

If you are shown this message, you need to wait for the next batch of appointments to be released by the immigration office. Visa appointments are released sporadically throughout the week so we recommend checking the appointment booking platform multiple times a day from around 7 a.m.

  • As and when you successfully secure an appointment, you will receive a booking confirmation in your inbox that details when and where to apply for the Germany Language Visa:

 
Germany language visa appointment confirmation
 

The booking period for Language Visa appointments in Berlin is generally 1–3 months. Therefore, once you have successfully scheduled your visa appointment, be aware that your appointment date may be up to 3 months away.

📅 For more detailed instructions, see our website guide or YouTube guide on how and when to book a Language Visa appointment at the immigration office in Berlin.

Where to Apply for the Germany Language Visa in Berlin

🧭 As mentioned, your visa appointment booking confirmation will detail the time and location of your Germany Language Visa appointment.

In all instances, the Germany Language Visa is processed at the immigration office located at Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin.

Here is a picture of the immigration office at Keplerstraße 2. When arriving at the address, go down the short driveway and the entrance will be on your left. There will be a security guard present to point you in the right direction.

 
Ausländerbehörde in Berlin
 

​​Processing of the Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

📄 Once you have successfully booked an appointment at the immigration office, you will be emailed a visa appointment booking confirmation detailing the date and time you must attend your immigration office appointment. The confirmation will also include your appointment Waiting Number (Vorgangsnummer):

 
Vorgangsnummer for Germany Language Visa appointment
 

When arriving at the immigration office at Keplerstraße 2, 10589 Berlin, bring a copy of your appointment confirmation to show the security guard. Go to the waiting rooms specified on your appointment confirmation and wait for your Waiting Number to be displayed on the screen.

When your number is displayed, it will be accompanied by a room number, which is where your visa will be processed. All you are required to do is go to your designated room and hand over all of the application documents listed above to the immigration office caseworker. The caseworker will then process your application.

At the end of your appointment, you will be required to pay at the machine located in the corridor using the plastic pay card you are provided with. The Germany Language Visa costs €100 and must be paid for in cash or with a German EC card.

Will the Germany Language Visa be provided on the spot at the immigration office in Berlin?

📅 In most cases, no. Your physical Germany Language Visa will take 4 to 6 weeks to be prepared from the date of your appointment. You will be contacted by the immigration office once your German Language Visa is approved and ready for collection.

In some circumstances, your Language Visa will be mailed to your registered address. If this is the case, you will not be required to return to the immigration office to collect your visa.

3️⃣ Collect your Germany Language Visa at the immigration office in Berlin

As mentioned above, you will be required to collect your visa from the immigration office in Berlin. This will be 4 to 6 weeks after your initial appointment. You should return to the immigration office with your passport and your address registration certificate.

🎉 At this point, you will be issued your Germany Language Visa - hooray!

If you have questions specific to the visa, you can also message the relevant department at the immigration office. For the Germany Language Visa, you should email B1@lea.berlin.de or B2@lea.berlin.de.