A residence permit for study

A section 16b residence permit lets you study full-time at a state or state-recognised higher-education institution or a comparable institution. It can also cover certain preparatory courses. The notices for 2026 and 2027 set the standard amount you need to show for living costs at 992 euros a month, or 11,904 euros for a year. If you can prove that your rent and related housing costs are below 380 euros a month, the amount you need to show is reduced by the difference. Check the current notice before applying.

In short

• If you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, you do not apply for a section 16b permit in order to study.
• A residence permit for vocational training is a different route. See the vocational-training guide.
• The permit covers full-time study and certain preparatory measures named in section 16b. Part-time admission is a separate, discretionary case, so check the right application route.
• For 2026 and 2027, the Interior Ministry’s notices set the standard amount for living costs at 992 euros a month, or 11,904 euros for twelve months. The 19 August 2026 notice (BAnz AT 31.08.2026 B1) sets that full twelve-month amount. If you can prove that your rent and related housing costs are below 380 euros a month, the amount in section 13 (2) number 2 of the Federal Training Assistance Act, the monthly amount you need to show is reduced by the difference. You can show the resulting amount with a blocked account, a scholarship, or a declaration of commitment. Check the current notice before you pay.
• The permit is usually issued for 2 years, and an extension is usually for 2 years. It should not be shorter than 1 year, except that a course of less than 2 years is issued only for the length of the course. Section 9 does not apply while you hold this permit.
• The permit allows up to 140 counted working days a year. Qualifying student auxiliary activities are not counted. A required internship is part of the study purpose; check its classification and any other placement with your immigration authority. After you successfully finish the degree, section 20 allows a separate permit to look for work for up to 18 months if your livelihood is secured.

What you need to know

This page is for people who are not covered by EU free movement. If you are an EU, EEA, or Swiss citizen, use that page. You do not apply for a section 16b permit in order to study.

Under section 16b, the permit is issued for full-time study after admission to a state or state-recognised higher-education institution or a comparable institution. It also covers preparatory measures and a compulsory internship. A preparatory language course counts when you are already admitted and admission depends on the course. A Studienkolleg counts when you can show you have been accepted.

You only need separate proof of the language of instruction if your admission decision did not already test it and the preparatory measure will not teach it. Some programmes ask for a language level, often B2, to be proved to the mission. That is a programme requirement, not one national level for every course.

Section 5 generally requires you to have a secure livelihood, a confirmed identity and the visa needed for your stay. The Interior Ministry’s notices of 13 August 2025 and 19 August 2026 (BAnz AT 31.08.2026 B1) set the standard amount for this permit at 992 euros a month for 2026 and 2027. That comes to 11,904 euros for twelve months.

The Consular Services Portal lists a blocked account, a declaration of commitment and a scholarship as ways to show you have the money. A blocked account is usually opened for one year, according to the Federal Foreign Office, unless your planned stay is shorter.

If you can prove that your rent and related housing costs are below 380 euros a month, both notices reduce the monthly amount you need to show by the difference. The 380-euro figure comes from section 13 (2) number 2 of the Federal Training Assistance Act.

A BAföG reform had its first reading in the Bundestag on 15 October 2026 and is not yet law. If enacted, it could change the amount, so check the current notice before relying on it. If you do not yet have admission and want to look for a place, you need a different permit with its own funding rules.

The permit and its extensions are usually issued for 2 years. It should not be shorter than 1 year; if your course lasts less than 2 years, however, the permit is issued only for the length of the course. It is extended when you can still complete the purpose of your stay within a reasonable time. The authority can ask your institution about this. The general settlement rule in section 9 does not apply while you hold a section 16b permit. See the settlement page for later options.

What to do

1. Confirm the admission is for full-time study, or for the preparatory measure section 16b names. A part-time admission is a different, discretionary case in the same section. Do not file it on a full-time form.
2. Ask the German mission for the place where you live now whether you need a visa before you travel. A university letter does not replace that check.
3. Show how you will cover your living costs. The Consular Services Portal lists a blocked account, a declaration of commitment, or a scholarship. A blocked account is usually opened for one year, unless your stay is shorter, according to the Federal Foreign Office. At the 2026 and 2027 standard rate of 992 euros a month, twelve months comes to 11,904 euros. If you prove that rent and related housing costs are below 380 euros a month, the amount you need to show is reduced by the difference. Check for a later notice before relying on these figures. Before paying a provider, confirm that the mission accepts your proof and read the fee and refund conditions.
4. Register your address after you move in, then book an appointment with the Ausländerbehörde where you live. Your registration certificate does not replace your residence permit. Appointment availability is local. The official fee follows the federal Residence Ordinance and any applicable reduction or exemption; ask the office which category applies.
5. Check the work limits in section 16b. The permit allows up to 140 counted working days a year, and qualifying student auxiliary activities do not count toward that limit. Part-time work is counted in your favour: a day of up to 4 hours can count as half a day, and a week of up to 20 hours during the lecture period can count as 2.5 days. Outside the lecture period, a week’s work can also count as 2.5 days regardless of how its working time is distributed. Each week uses the more favourable count. Check that your permit covers the particular job before you start.

Section 16b includes a compulsory internship in the study purpose and excludes qualifying student auxiliary activities from the workday account. Berlin’s immigration authority gives examples of such activities: research-assistant roles at universities or scientific institutions and study-related tutoring in student residences. It says unrelated cafeteria work does not qualify. Munich’s immigration guidance says an internship prescribed by the course or examination rules does not count against the 140 days; Berlin says other internships are permitted within the 140-day account or with its permission, whether paid or unpaid. These are the authorities’ descriptions of the activities they handle. Before starting, ask your own Ausländerbehörde to classify the specific role or placement, using the course rules and job details.

Before accepting or changing a job, use Student jobs for payroll classification, multiple jobs and personal health cover. The immigration day-counting rules stay here: a Werkstudent insurance assessment does not itself give permission to work.

Common mistakes

• Using 11,904 euros after a later notice has replaced it, or assuming that amount still applies after a housing reduction. The 2026 and 2027 notices both set the standard amount at 992 euros a month, or 11,904 euros for twelve months. If you prove that rent and related housing costs are below 380 euros a month, the monthly amount is reduced by the difference. The BAföG bill from the October 2026 first reading is not yet law. Check the current notice.
• Assuming every course demands the same language certificate. Section 16b asks for a separate proof only when admission did not test the language and the preparatory course will not teach it.
• Treating the Meldebescheinigung, or the student card, as permission to stay. The Aufenthaltstitel is the permission.
• Expecting a settlement permit on the student title itself. Section 16b says section 9 does not apply to it. Time in study can count later, at half, toward a settlement permit. The settlement page explains that clock.