Germany is a nice study location for Nigerian students; it has about 380 universities with 20 in the top educational rankings in the world. Thirteen of its universities are focused on engineering and natural sciences, while other top public research universities are particularly strong in sciences, business administration, arts, medical and applied sciences.

The country is characterized by a serene environment with cold weather, beautiful landscapes of forests, mountains and beaches, trendy skyscrapers in cities like Frankfurt, and a fast-paced business hub with bubbling night scenes.

Another good reason is that German universities charge low to no tuition fees, but only a small amount is paid to cover administration costs. If you’re interested in studying in Germany, I recently combined a list of the top universities in Germany, which you can read up on here.

After getting an unconditional offer of admission to study in Germany, you should apply for a student visa as soon as possible, at least 4 months before you’re due to arrive in the country. Nigerian students who intend to migrate to Germany can process their applications for the Germany student visa at the German consulate in Lagos.

Here’s a checklist for all supporting documents required to process your Germany student visa:

• Online application form (2), you must complete and print out the form inclusive of your Questionnaire answered according to section 54 (6) of the Residence Act, and your immigration declaration in accordance with section 54 (2) of the Residence Act. Click here to download the forms.
• International passport with six months travel validity
• Biometric data page of your passport
• Two passport photographs with white background, in dimensions of 35mm x 40 mm with 70-80% close up, with one attached to the application form and one loose
• Admission letter from a German university indicating that you’ve been offered provisional admission
• Transcripts of academic records
• Preliminary school certificates including a direct access card to verify results i.e. WAEC, FSLC
• Bachelor degree or Masters degree as the case may be
• Curriculum vitae
• Proof of English proficiency, this could either be IELTS iBT, TOEFL or PEARSON
• German language proficiency, if you’re studying in German, you’ll need to prove that you can understand the language, this can be TestDaf, DSH, etc
• Proof of financial sufficiency, this is done by opening and crediting a Blocked account with the Deutsche bank via the German Consulate, the confirmation number and details should be sent along with your application.
• The total amount required for crediting the account is €8,000 You can also present sponsorship and scholarship declaration letters. Click here for information
• Health insurance certificate to cover your stay in Germany
• Biologically old documents to verify your identity i.e. vaccine card, baptism certificate
• Declaration of documents authenticity
• Birth certificate from the National Population Commission or age declaration from the head of your family
• Visa application fees of €60 (N20,976), this is payable in Naira according to exchange rates only in cash at the time of visa application submission. Click here for confirmation.
• One self addressed, prepaid courier envelope for documents return

Germany Student Visa Application process

Germany visa appointment at the German consulate is booked online via email to student@lago.diplo.de. To begin; you must include your block account information, admission letter and passport data page. Applicants are required to arrive in person at the German consulate from Mondays – Fridays at 9:00 AM with complete forms, original documents and two photocopy of all supporting documents. Visa application processing time is usually 6-8 weeks depending on individual cases.

Germany High Commission in Lagos

15, Walter Carrington Crescent,
P.O.Box 72800,
Victoria Island,
Lagos, Nigeria

Telephone: +234 1 280 99 66
Email: info@lago.diplo.de
Website: www.nigeria.diplo.de

How To Open A Blocked Account For Your Germany Student Visa Application

For every Nigerian student processing a visa to study in Germany, you’ll definitely get to the financial resource (“blocked account” or Finanzierungsnachweis in German) phase where you have to prove that you can support yourself financially throughout your academic duration in Germany; it is the quickest way, as an applicant to prove that you have about €8,700 per annum, with the maximum that you can withdraw in a month being €670, all at your disposal for one year. This is one of the most vital documents for self sponsored international students wishing to study in Germany.

Blocked Account (Sperrkonto) is an account required for personally financing your studies and living costs in Germany. These finances may include costs like rent, university administration fees, enrollment fees and your everyday living expenses like food, clothes, groceries, etc. The blocked account for Germany can be opened via the Deutsche bank or various other German banks like Sparkasse or Volksbank who allow foreign students to operate accounts with their institutions. But my main focus for this article is the Deutsche bank.

How Do I Open A Blocked Account In Germany From Nigeria?

In order to begin the application process to open a blocked account with the Deutsche bank from Nigeria, you must have already gotten provisional admission into a German university or institute (Click here for article on the best 12 schools in Germany), a PDF copy of this document will suffice.

Your next line of action is to complete the application forms (Note that there are different application forms varying according to age (18 year older, or up to 18 Years)) for the account using PDF Adobe reader in your PC and print out two copies. Note that you must leave the date, place and signature columns empty; these will be filled in front of the German diplomatic officer. To obtain an application form, you can visit the website of the Deutsche Bank.

After that, make an appointment with the German consulate in Abuja to verify your account opening details and signature. Click here to book your appointment.

You must include the following when attending your interview:

• Completed account application form inclusive of your signature
• International passport with six months validity for travel with 2 black and white copies of the bio data page
• Two copies of your admission letter from your university or institute
• A prepaid envelope from a top courier company i.e. DHL, FedEx, or UPS
• Evidence of the source of your income like Nigerian bank statement
• Verification fees of €20 paid in cash only in Naira at the embassy
• After certifying your form, date and signature by the German Embassy as it is instructed.
• Attach your international passport photocopy, school admission letter, Nigerian bank statement, signature and date included.
• Send the application forms along with all supporting documents via courier to the Deutsche Bank Address in Germany.

Deutsche Bank
Privat- und Geschäftskunden AG
Spezialservice Ausländische Studenten
Alter Wall 53
20457 Hamburg
Germany

You will be informed directly by post (ensure that you include your registered postal address if any) and email about your account number, IBAN and BLZ of your new account when it has been successfully opened. This process can take about 2-3 weeks.

Then, you should transfer at least €8040 + €50 (as per bank charges for account opening, also create allowance for your Nigerian bank transfer fee). The Deutsche Bank will inform you and the Germany Embassy about your account details.

Once you have arrived in Germany, you should visit a Deutsche bank branch with your international passport to fill a service order to lift the block on your account and activate. The banking officer will provide you with a Eurocheque-Karte or EC card for ATM machine and Login details for internet banking.

In a case where you’re not granted a visa to Germany, you’ll be required to provide an original letter of authorization stating your visa status and a signed application to close the account sent to the above.

Block Account Application Time

You are advised to apply early enough for your block account, in fact as early as you receive your admission letter as the opening/verification process may take up to 8 weeks, which may take a chunk of time required for applying for your Germany student visa (you can read up on Germany student visa application here).

Germany High Commission in Abuja

15, Lake Maracaibo Close,
Maitama,
Abuja, Nigeria

Telephone: +234 9 220 80 10
Email: info@abuja.diplo.de
Website: www.nigeria.diplo.de

We also recommend the following websites which contain useful information:

http://www.studying-in-germany.org/

Visas to study in Germany

Health Insurance for Students

https://www.mastersdegree.net/masters-degree-germany/

Schools in Germany

RWTH Aachen University
University of Augsburg
University of Bamberg
University of Bayreuth
Berlin University of the Arts
Free University of Berlin
Humboldt University of Berlin
Technical University of Berlin
University of Bielefeld
Ruhr University Bochum
University of Bonn
Brandenburg University of Technology
Braunschweig University of Technology
University of Bremen
Jacobs University Bremen
Chemnitz University of Technology
Clausthal University of Technology
University of Cologne
Darmstadt University of Technology
Technical University of Dortmund
Dresden University of Technology
University of Duisburg-Essen
University of Düsseldorf
Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt
ESCP Europe Wirtschaftshochschule Berlin
University of Erfurt
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
University of Duisburg-Essen (Campus Essen)
University of Flensburg
Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main
Viadrina University (Frankfurt an der Oder)
Freiberg University of Mining and Technology
Zeppelin University (Friedrichshafen)
University of Freiburg
University of Giessen
University of Göttingen
University of Greifswald
University of Hagen (distance learning; open university)
University of Halle-Wittenberg (also in Wittenberg)
University of Hamburg
HafenCity University Hamburg
Hamburg University of Technology
Helmut Schmidt University (University of the Bundeswehr, Hamburg)
Hertie School of Governance (private institution with university status, awards PhD)
University of Hannover
University of Heidelberg
University of Hildesheim
University of Hohenheim
University of Heilbronn
Technical University of Ilmenau
University of Jena
Kaiserslautern University of Technology
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
University of Kassel
University of Kiel
University of Koblenz-Landau
University of Konstanz
University of Leipzig
University of Lübeck
Leuphana University of Lüneburg
University of Magdeburg
University of Mainz
University of Mannheim
University of Marburg
Technical University of Munich
Ludwig Maximilians University of Munich
Bundeswehr University Munich
Ukrainian Free University Munich (private university; awards PhD)
University of Münster
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
University of Oldenburg
University of Osnabrück
University of Paderborn
University of Passau
University of Potsdam
University of Regensburg
University of Rostock
Saarland University
University of Siegen
German University of Administrative Sciences Speyer
University of Stuttgart
University of Trier
University of Tübingen
University of Ulm
University of Halle-Wittenberg (also in Halle)
University of Vechta
University of Weimar
Witten/Herdecke University
University of Wuppertal
University of Würzburg