The APS certificate
The Akademische Prüfstelle (APS) is part of the cultural department of the German Embassy in Hanoi and has checked Vietnamese school and university documents since 1 January 2007. It checks whether your documents are genuine and plausible. For a study visa you normally need the APS certificate first; uni-assist also asks for it. Not needed for doctoral candidates, holders of public scholarships (for example DAAD, MOET or German foundations) and degrees from non-Vietnamese universities (APS page).
Which procedure
| Your situation | Procedure | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| School leaver, applying for a bachelor's or Studienkolleg | Undergraduate procedure (grundständiges Verfahren): documents only, no interview. You also need a TestAS result (in English or German). Documents can be submitted at any time. | 150 USD ("currently", per Embassy) |
| Studied at a Vietnamese university (in progress or completed), applying for further studies or a Master's | Procedure for further studies: written preparation, then an interview of about 15 minutes in German or English | 250 USD ("currently", per APS) |
| Digitally signed certificate (DigZert) | The certificate is issued only in digital form; the Embassy page names a fee of 20 USD for it. APS describes such a fee only for additional certificates; whether it is charged on top of every procedure is unclear – ask APS. | 20 USD |
The fee is paid in advance to the Embassy's account at Vietcombank and is not refunded. Check the current amounts on the undergraduate and further-studies pages before you pay.
Interview dates and deadlines
- Interviews take place in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, in May and November.
- Documents must arrive by the end of February (May interview) or the end of August (November interview).
- The interview checks whether what you say matches your documents. It is not a language test. If you fail, you can retake it after 6 months, paying the full fee again, at most twice.
Good to know
- The APS certificate is valid without time limit.
- For uni-assist the provisional school certificate is accepted only up to one semester after graduation; after that you need the final certificate (uni-assist, Vietnam).
- What your THPT certificate and university years are worth is explained on Admission.
- A pure language-course visa is no way around APS, see Language course.
A question this page does not answer? Contact us. Free orientation only, no legal advice for individual cases.