Researchers without a Hosting Agreement might be eligible to apply for a work visa as guest researcher depending on their invitation.

Upon submission of all the required documents, the application process will be continued and the application form and the supporting documents will be forwarded to the appropriate Aliens Authority (Ausländerbehörde) at the applicant’s intended place of residence during his/her stay in Germany. The processing usually takes approximately two weeks but may take longer in some cases. As soon as the application has been approved, the Embassy / the Consulate will issue a national visa for the first 3 - 6 months of the intended stay. A final residence permit for the whole duration of stay will be issued upon arrival in Germany by the Aliens Authority.

A visa in order to live in Germany is a “national visa” and does also entitle you to enter the other Schengen countries for the duration for up to 90 days for tourist purposes.

Required documents:

Please prepare one set with all of the following documents in the given order.
Incomplete documentation may result in the rejection of your application.

• Valid national passport with at least two blank visa-pages and one copy
• Application form fully completed including declaration Section 54 (2) 8, duly signed

• return-envelope with your address:
  • For applicants at the Embassy in Tokyo: Letterpack PLUS (600 yen) – self addressed; Currently, only the return of the passport by post is possible.
  • For applicants at the Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe: If you wish to receive your passport in return by mail, you can return it by takkyubin cash on delivery. In this case, please enclose a self-addressed return DIN A4 envelope.
  

• One passport photographs, not older than three months with a bright background and frontal view of the face
• Copy of your passport’s data page
• Copy of your Japanese residence card – if applicable
• Curriculum vitae of professional career, including certificates, diplomas, etc.
• Hosting Agreement/Contract original from a German university or public research institute (more details under #1)
• University degree, original and copy, AND if applicable: official translation into German or English
• Visa fee: 75 EUR in Japanese Yen according to the official exchange rate on the date of application)
  The German Embassy in Tokyo accepts Mastercard or Visa credit card (must be activated internationally and additional fees of your bank may apply.)
  Please note that cashless payment at the German Consulate General Osaka-Kobe is not possible.

AFTER YOUR APPLICATION HAS BEEN APPROVED​​​​​​​

• Proof of health insurance

#1 Hosting Agreement / Contract
[According to Section 18 d Aufenthaltsgesetz (German Residence Act)] 

A Hosting Agreement or a corresponding contract for the execution of a research Project shall be concluded between a researcher and a research institution, irrespective of whether the research institution is a research organization recognized by the Federal Office for the execution of the special admission procedure for researchers in the Federal Republic of Germany or not.
The form of the Hosting Agreement contains all required information which must also be reflected if there is only a corresponding contract. The Hosting Agreement must be completed in German and can be supplemented in English. It must contain the signature of both parties.

Please note: In individual cases, you may be required to provide additional documents.

Please note that the German Embassy Tokyo / Consulate General Osaka-Kobe reserves the right to ask for additional documents at any time during processing. Submission of the above mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa is granted.

Additional Information:

This page has been prepared with utmost care. It is intended to provide a point of reference to our clients but may not be fully applicable to every individual case. If you have further, more specific questions which are not answered by the information contained here nor on our website, please contact the German Embassy / the Consulate General serving your prefecture. The German missions in Japan cannot accept any responsibility for inaccuracies contained in this page.