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Visa for Researchers (Section 18d Residence Act)
If you are a visiting researcher at a German University and were provided a hosting agreement, you may be eligible for a visa as per §18d Residence Act. If you plan on taking your family along, you may bring them to your appointment without registering a separate appointment for them
Basic Information
- All documents must be submitted twice, sorted into two different sets in the order as mentioned in the checklist below
- Certificates, diplomas, etc. must be presented in the original and attested by the HEC. Your original documents will be returned to you once your application has been processed.
- Processing time is as a rule ca. 2 months, but can take longer in individual cases.
- Flight reservations are not required to apply for a visa – please only book when you have received your visa.
- The German Embassy Islamabad reserves the right to request further documents.
- Missing documentation delays the procedure and can result in your application being rejected.
- Please do not contact the Embassy to check the status of your application during the normal processing period. Such inquiries are extremely time-consuming for the visa section and can thus not be answered.
General Information on Research Visas
Researchers are third-country nationals who
1. have a doctoral degree or a suitable university degree that allows access to doctorate programmes and
2. have been selected by a research institute and are allowed in the national territory of a member state
3. in order to engage in research for which such a qualification is normally required.
Note: This includes doctorate students unless they are enrolled at a German university to complete a full-time study programme leading to a doctoral degree as their primary activity. If you are taking part in a full-time study programme, please apply for a student visa instead.
Use the following checklist to make sure your application documents are complete. All documents listed here are to be submitted in two identical sets in the requested form and order. The documents needs to be submitted in A4, complete and not stapeled.
Visa application checklist – Researcher | |
| Missing | |
| Application form, including recent (2 weeks old) biometric passport photos (+ one additional passport picture) | |
Proof of adequate financial means: This can be the work or research contract or the scholarship confirmation letter. You need to have at your disposal at least 1027 € per month. If you are financing your stay through a work contract, proof oft he statutory minimum wage of 12€ / hour must be provided. Please note that if you want to take your family with you, the financial means must be sufficient! | |
Invitation letter from the institute you will be joining as a researcher | |
Hosting Agreement as per §18d German Residence Act | |
| Proof of qualification: Doctoral degree or university degree that allows access to doctorate programmes attested by the HEC (all pages, original and in copy) | |
| Your Curriculum Vitae | |
| Passport copies: Copies of Page 1 and 2 of all your passports starting with the most recent one you want to travel on. If you lost a passport, please provide police certificate regarding the loss instead | |
| ID card copy | |
| Travel Health insurance | |
| If applicable: Information about any previous visa refusals. If you have been refused a visa, please supply us with a written explanation and the refusal letter | |
| Applicants declaration | |
| Declaration as per § 54 (2) S. 8 in combination with § 53 Residence Act | |
| Printout of the appointment confirmation e-mail; including the provided booking code (e.g. “isla_9729717”) | |
| FEE | |
| Visa fee of 75,- €. Payable in PKR. |
Additional content
If you are a visiting researcher at a German University and were provided a hosting agreement, you may be eligible for a visa as per §18d Residence Act. If you plan on taking your family along, you may bring them to your appointment without registering a separate appointment for them.