Route: studying in Berlin

Study visa (§ 16b), blocked account, work while studying, study-applicant visa (§ 17).

Legal basis: § 16b AufenthG. You apply for a national visa before you travel, at the Embassy in Tunis (Visa and Embassy). Students with a German or European public scholarship book directly at TLScontact.

Steps

1. Check what your Tunisian certificates are worth: Admission.
2. Learn German (or English for English-taught programmes): Learning German.
3. Apply to the university, directly or through uni-assist. Berlin public universities charge no tuition.
4. Prove funding: blocked account (€11,904 a year, €992 a month), a scholarship or a declaration of commitment. Open the account before the visa application; the Embassy accepts only German blocked accounts. Sending money: Money and transfers.
5. Apply for the visa. Then After arrival.

Fees and work

• Visa fee €75, not refundable; no fee for publicly funded scholarship holders.
• Health insurance is compulsory; statutory student insurance starts with enrolment, so you need cover before. Student rate and semester fees (roughly €300 to €380 at Berlin public universities, including the transport ticket): check the insurer and the university page.
• Working while studying (§ 16b (3)): up to 140 full or 280 half days a year, plus student jobs at the university.

Study-applicant visa (§ 17)

Without admission yet, § 17 allows up to 9 months to look for a study place. You must show the school and language requirements for starting a degree and €1,091 a month (§ 2 (3) AufenthG). Whether the Embassy in Tunis issues this in practice, and via which channel: not confirmed.

After your studies: up to 18 months to look for a job matching your degree (§ 20). No agent can get you a visa: Avoiding scams.