Source: https://www.euraxess.de/germany/information-assistance/entry-conditions-and-visas/faq-visa-and-entry
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 06:58:44+00:00

Document:
On what basis are foreign researchers required to provide proof of health insurance cover when entering the country?
According to § 5, para. 1, no. 1 of the Residence Law, eligibility for being granted a residence title is dependent on one's livelihood being secured. According to § 2, para. 3, clause 1, livelihood also constitutes adequate health insurance cover.
Will changes to the project content or to the objectives of a research project result in the forfeiture of a researcher's residence permit which has already been granted?
No. A modification of project content or a change to the objectives of a research project will not result in the forfeiture of a residence permit, nor does it require a new hosting agreement for the same researcher, provided that the researcher's work still qualifies as 'research' as defined in the Researcher Directive and in the Ordinance on Residence.
As a host university we regularly send invitations to foreign guest academics to assist their visa applications. What legal obligations arise as a consequence if, for instance, the amount of the fellowship, or the sponsorship period are stated?
A secure means of subsistence during the guest academic's stay in the host country is an important precondition for issuing a visa and residence permit. Whether someone is able to cover their living expenses in the host country depends on the amount of the fellowship and the sponsorship period.
In any event, the facts regarding the amount and the sponsorship period must therefore be accurate. If this is not the case, it can lead to a refusal of the application or an early termination of the stay in the host country. Moreover, the guest academic and responsible officials at the host university would face being penalised by the immigration authorities for giving false information during the application process. The amount and the sponsorship period of the fellowship should therefore only be disclosed if there has been a binding decision on these matters and only by the office responsible for awarding the fellowship.
I am a Chinese researcher in the medical field and have been made an offer to do a doctorate in Germany. At the same time, I should like to practise as a physician. What formal steps are necessary?
You should apply for a visa and residence permit for conducting doctoral studies and working as a visiting physician right from the start. You should enclose the relevant offers from a German medical institution with your application.
In order to work as a visiting physician you will also have to apply to the relevant authorities in the respective Land for a (temporary) licence to practise medicine.
It is not possible for Chinese nationals to acquire an unlimited licence to practise medicine because this right is reserved for German nationals and the citizens of other Member States of the European Union, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, or stateless foreign nationals recognised in Germany.
Our university is employing a guest academic from Russia in a project running for two years. Is it possible to get a residence title valid for more than one year?
The length of time for which a residence title is granted is strictly at the discretion of the Immigration Office. Usually, it is issued for one year with the option of extending to cover the continued duration of the project.
If a residence permit is issued for the purpose of research the law requires it to be issued for a "minimum duration" of one year. Thus, Immigration Offices cannot be forced to set a time frame of more than one year for the residence permit year from the outset.
I'm a researcher from India and would like to spend 36 months researching at a university in Germany. Can I get a visa for the entire duration immediately? Or do I have to apply for a 90-day visitor's visa first and then get an extension in Germany?
A 90-day visitor's visa does not entitle you to enter the country for a period of more than 90 days, nor to enter the country for the purpose of employment. It is essential to apply for a visa in India from the word go covering the intended research position. Once you have entered the country the relevant residence permit will be issued on the basis of the visa, usually for 1 year with the option of extending at a later stage.
I am a scientist from Pakistan and have a three-month visa for Germany. I should now like to get a longer-term visa for a research position. What do I have to do?
Application may only be made if you have concluded a hosting agreement with a recognised German research establishment. Apart from this, the immigration authorities may require you to leave the country in-between and submit the application from Pakistan.
I am planning an extended research stay in Germany. My wife is French and I am British. Our two-year old daughter is an American citizen. Do we have to apply for a visa and residence permit for our child?
Citizens of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland have the right to stay in Germany for purposes of research under EU freedom of movement legislation. This right extends to members of their family which means they are allowed to enter Germany. Members of the family are defined as the marital partner and children under the age of 21, even if they are citizens of a third country. So it is not a problem if the child of a British and a French citizen has American citizenship.
You do not have to apply for a residence permit. Once you have provided the required information, family members of those who have freedom of movement but are not citizens of the European Union will be issued with a residence card (for family members of European Union citizens) automatically within the first six months. It is valid for five years. In this context, this essentially means proving that the child is related to its parents.
Family members who are not citizens of the European Union do, however, require a visa to enter the country if there is a regulation to this effect. American citizens do not need a visa to enter Germany on principle.
If, incidentally, the martial partners and children of European Union citizens are citizens of third countries and are therefore required to obtain a visa in order to enter Germany they are not required to apply for the visa at a German foreign mission in their own countries in advance. On principle, the family members of citizens who have freedom of movement in the European Union are entitled to be issued with a fast-track visa in the form of a visa stamp entered in their passports at the border.
If a researcher with German nationality returns to Germany accompanied by foreign family members, they also basically have the right to a residence permit which, however, is subject to different regulations under the Residence Law.
I come from Canada and have a fellowship to come to Germany on a research visit. Will my partner automatically get a residence title, too? Would it make any difference if I had an employment contract instead of a fellowship? Does it matter whether I am married to my partner or not?
Husbands and wives can get a residence title if their livelihood in Germany is secured. To this extent, the size of the fellowship or salary may be relevant. Unmarried partners will not be granted a residence permit unless they can provide their own reasons for staying in Germany.
We are a research institution in Belgium and would like to employ a researcher from India on the basis of a longer-term contract. However, the researcher will actually be carrying out her work permanently with our partners, a research institution in Germany. The researcher has an employment contract and a residence permit in Belgium. Is she allowed to work in Germany for an extended period, i.e. 12 months or longer? And what happens if she also has to spend shorter periods (3 months or even longer) in other EU countries in the context of her research project or travel to meetings and conferences for odd days?
If the Indian researcher has a Belgian residence permit "for the purpose of research" she has the right to be issued with a visa or residence permit for every other EU Member State in which she wishes to carry out parts of her research project, i.e. Germany, too. For a research stay of this kind in Germany lasting up to 3 months within a 12-month period it is not necessary to have a residence permit. However, if the research stay is going to last longer than 3 months she will only be issued with a residence permit if she has concluded the relevant hosting agreement with a recognised research institution in Germany.
If the Indian researcher does not have a Belgian residence permit "for the purpose of research", but another type, e.g. for the purpose of employment, she cannot invoke European regulations on freedom of movement for researchers from third countries. It then becomes more difficult to obtain a residence permit for Germany.
We should like to invite a professor from Serbia to a scientific conference in Germany as a guest speaker. The professor will then travel to another conference in Barcelona. What sort of visa must he have?
Like Germany, Spain is a signatory of the Schengen Agreement. In order to enter Germany and Spain it is thus sufficient to apply for 1 Schengen visa.
A researcher from a non-EU country holds a residence permit for a stay in Ireland. He wants to travel to another EU-country short-term in order to attend a conference. Which residence law regulations apply? Would the case be different if the residence permit had been issued by France?
Ireland is not a Schengen state. A residence permit for Ireland does not entitle you to travel to another EU country. As a matter of principle, the researcher therefore needs a visa in order to attend a conference in another EU country.
If the residence permit had been issued by France, the researcher would be within the limits of the Schengen Area. As a matter of principle, he could then travel to any other Schengen state for up to three months on his French residence permit. He would thus not need a visa to attend conferences in any Schengen state. The EU member states Bulgaria, Cyprus, United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland and Romania, however, are not part of the Schengen Area. For conferences in these five states, the holder of a French residence permit would, as a matter of principle, also require a visa.
Our institute is employing a Chinese doctoral student as a member of the academic staff ('wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter') on a part-time basis. So far, he had a residence permit for the purpose of pursuing gainful employment (§18 of the Residence Act). When he recently wanted to extend his permit, the Immigration Office discovered that his previous residence permit had been issued wrongly because the main purpose of his stay was to take a doctorate. He was then issued with a new residence permit for the purpose of studying (§16 of the Residence Act) although he is in part-time employment. This is to his disadvantage as he loses his right to child allowance, and the period spent on the doctorate cannot be credited if he applies for a settlement permit at a later stage. What are the criteria for determining the main purpose of the stay?
The criteria used to determine the main purpose of the stay are contained in § 16, sub-section 2, line 1 of the Residence Act. Section 16, sub-section 2, line 1 of the Residence Act states that, as a rule, during a study visit residence permits should not be issued or extended for any other purpose, unless legal rights obtain. Taking a doctorate is defined as studying in the sense of § 16 of the Residence Act. The object of the regulation contained in § 16, sub-section 2, line 1 of the Residence Act is to prevent permanent residence being obtained in contravention of the purpose of the act via the backdoor entitled "studying". Thus, according to § 16, sub-section 2, line 1 of the Residence Act, "studying" is defined on principle as the main purpose of the stay.
However, according to § 16, sub-section 3 of the Residence Act, even a residence permit for the purpose of studying does allow for the pursuit of gainful employment of up to 90 full days or 180 half-days per year; part-time student jobs are also permitted.
In May, a German university intends to employ a researcher of Russian nationality, who is currently resident in Italy, for a period of 3-4 years. However, as she will be sent, or rather, delegated to a research centre in Switzerland for the duration of her contract she will not actually need to come to the German university. She will be resident in Switzerland. This raises some legal issues for us in respect of social security, tax and residence. In which state is she registered for tax and social security purposes? In which country does she acquire pension rights? How and where should she contribute towards her healthcare insurance? Does she actually need a German residence title?
As a foreign national, you only need a work and residence permit for the country in which you reside in order to fulfil the obligations of your employment contract. The location of the employer's headquarters is irrelevant here. The researcher therefore only requires a residence title for Switzerland and not for Germany. She is registered for tax, social security and healthcare insurance purposes in the country in which she carries out her employment, Switzerland. There is no requirement for her to be registered in Germany for tax or social security purposes. The German university should therefore pay her salary without deducting income tax.
The researcher is responsible for her own income tax affairs in Switzerland. In respect of social security it should be noted that she will be working for an employer not domiciled in Switzerland. Accordingly, the employee is responsible for the payment of any relevant social security contributions herself. In Switzerland this type of contribution is known as ANobAG ("Arbeitnehmer ohne beitragspflichtigen Arbeitgeber"). The salary should be paid to the researcher without deducting the employee’s social security contributions. The employer's share of the social security contributions that the employee is required to pay herself may be subsidised by an additional payment from the employer. Depending on the length of her employment in Switzerland the researcher may acquire an entitlement to a Swiss pension.
Does she have 90 days to look for a job after her current residence title has expired in December or must she leave the country on the day her residence title expires at the latest?
You are required to leave the country on the day on which the residence title expires at the latest. According to § 18 of the German residence act there is no provision for a 90-day period to look for a job when the title has expired. However, if application for a new residence title is made before the residence title has expired the existing residence title continues to be valid until a decision has been made by the immigration authorities. The applicant is given a so-called "Fiktionsbescheinigung" (a probationary permit). In exceptional cases, in order to avoid undue hardship, this may even be granted if the application was submitted late. In either case, however, a concrete job offer must have been made.
As the researcher is American the immigration authorities may grant her a discretionary extension of 90 days even if she does not have a concrete job offer and does not exit the country. This is because the USA is one of a group of privileged countries whose citizens may enter Germany for an extended period without a visa and have three months to apply for the necessary residence title.
If she finds a job and has to apply for a new residence permit, does she have to submit the entire paperwork that was required for the first residence title or is there less paperwork involved in submitting a new application or seeking an extension?
Extensions of or re-applications for a residence permit are subject to the same regulations as initial applications. The amount of paperwork is more or less identical.
Roughly how long does a new application/extension take? Can an employer employ and pay her even if the process of granting a new residence title is still ongoing?
The process of extending or re-applying usually takes about three months. If the application package is incomplete or raises questions the process can take longer. But the new employer may only employ and pay the researcher once the new residence title has been granted specifically for the new job.
If someone fails to de-register at the end of a stay in Germany will s/he have to pay a fine if s/he wishes to stay in Germany again or is there a margin of discretion which allows you to avoid having to pay the fine? How much would the fine be?
According to Federal and State (Länder) Registration Laws you are obliged to de-register with the registration authorities if you move out of one residence and do not move into a new residence in Germany.
If you fail to de-register you have committed an offence. The decision to prosecute this offence is at the due discretion of the prosecuting authorities which usually initiate administrative fines proceedings immediately.
Administrative fines proceedings may be suspended if it can be proven that the person in question acted in good faith. Lack of knowledge of registration regulations is not usually a safeguard against the imposition of an administrative fine because as the registrant you are duty-bound to inform yourself about the requirements. If the registrant is a foreigner s/he could try to plead that s/he was not cognisant of all the details of German registration requirements and was unaware of the obligation to inform her-/himself about them.
In most Länder the framework of fines for offences against registration obligations ranges up to 500 EUR. In the case of failure to de-register, an administrative fine of 50 EUR to 120 EUR is usually imposed. However, in accordance with the length of time succeeding the de-registration date, the fine increases by the month. Thus if a considerable period has elapsed between the failure to de-register and the new stay in Germany, the amount could be twice as much.
Incidentally, when changing place of residence within Germany it is not necessary to de-register, merely to register at the new place of residence. The new registration authorities will inform the previous registration authorities about the de-registration internally.
An international PhD student will shortly be completing her doctorate in Germany. She would like to remain in Germany and is currently looking for a job. In order to do so, she will be applying for a work permit according to § 16 section 4 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz/AufenthG). As she was employed by the university for four years during her PhD, she is entitled to unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld I). Can the fact that she has received unemployment benefit disadvantage her later if she applies for a settlement permit?
One of the preconditions for being granted settlement permit according to § 9 AufenthG is that one has to have held a residence permit for five years and have a secure livelihood.
According to § 2 section 3 AufenthG, a foreigner's livelihood is secure if s/he can support her-/himself, including sufficient health insurance, without resorting to public funds. However, public funds which are based on payment of a contribution are an exception to this rule and include unemployment benefit. The fact of having received unemployment benefit will, therefore, not disadvantage the PhD student if she applies for a settlement permit according to § 9 AufenthG.
There is, however, another disadvantage: The time spent studying or in vocational training in Germany is not accredited fully to the required five-year minimum period of holding a residence permit, but according to § 9 section 4 no. 3 AufenthG, only counts half.
Disclaimer: All FAQ and the information on which the answers are based are carefully monitored. However, we cannot assume any responsibility for contents. All the contents are of a general nature and cannot deal conclusively with every individual case. They are not necessarily complete, comprehensive or absolutely up to date. They neither constitute legal advice nor legally-binding information and cannot be a substitute for expert advice.

References: § 5
 § 2
 § 16
 § 16
 § 16
 § 16
 § 16
 § 18
 § 16
 § 9
 § 2
 § 9
 § 9