Visa & Enrolment

Information on student visa

To find out whether you need a visa, check the website for the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany: www.auswaertiges-amt.de

The site also has a list visa requirements provided by Federal Foreign office: Visa Navigator

With a conditional acceptance (Vorzulassung) or letter of acceptance from the WHZ, you can apply for a student visa (Visum zum Zwecke des Studiums). To find out which other documents you'll need for your visa application, contact your local consulate.

Please note:
Applying for a visa in some countries may take a significant amount of time. Therefore, please take care of an appointment in time, if necessary, even before you have received an admission letter.
In many cases, you can apply for a so-called Student Applicant Visa with the transfer notification letter you receive from uni-assist.

Student visas are normally issued for the length of three months. If you are enrolled as a student at the WHZ, you must apply within four weeks of your arrival for a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) for the purpose of studying (Application form) at the Foreigner's Authority responsible for your area. Since September 2011, the immigration authorities have issued a so-called "electronic residence permit" in the form of a chip card. An electronic residence permit costs 120€ and the application process takes approximately 6-8 weeks.

Steps for enrolment

Once you have received your admission to the WHZ, please take the following steps:

• Log on to your new university account and add your information.
• Pay the semester fee and tuition fee (if applicable). You will find the information you need on your university account.
• For non-EU citizens: Submit a valid residence permit (study visa, permanent resident's card) to the Department of Student Affairs (Dezernat für Studienangelegenheiten)
• It would be helpful, if you could already provide the DSA with an address in Germany (e.g. your dorm address or that of a friend).
• Take care of your health insurance for visa purposes and study purposes. In most cases you need both a private insurance for your visa and health insurance from a German statutory insurance company for enrolment.

Health insurance

To start your degree program in Zwickau, you will need a recognized health insurance plan for enrolment (an international/travel health insurance plan is not sufficient). In some cases (e.g. EU citizens) your existing health insurance plan may be recognized in Germany. However, in many cases, it is cheaper and recommended to take out insurance for your studies directly in Germany and with a German statutory health insurance provider before your arrival.

Contact your home-health insurance provider and find out about your options. There may also be some package deals for international students available. Do your research before you decide! Whether you can use your existing health insurance plan, are privately insured, or whether you take out insurance with a German health insurance provider, you will need confirmation of its validity in any case. This confirmation can only be transmitted directly by a German statutory health insurance provider to the university. Therefore, inform a German statutory insurance company of your choice that you will study at "Westsächsische Hochschule Zwickau" and ask them to transfer a digital notification (M10-Meldung). Also, provide them with the sender number of our university: H0000911. Potential statutory health insurance providers are, for example, AOK, TK, Barmer or many others.

You can find more information on health insurance on the website of Studentenwerk Chemnitz/Zwickau

https://www.swcz.de/en/social-services/frequently-asked-questions/studies-and-insurances/

Semester Fee/Tuition fee

The semester fee is a contribution to those institutions that organize various aspects of student life: the Student Council (Studentenrat), which represents the interests of students at the university, and the Students' Union (Studentenwerk), which manages the student residences, the cafeteria and various information centres.It also includes the semester ticket.

For some Master programmes the payment of additional tuition fees is required.