If you are from an EU country:
You do not need a visa to enter and study in Germany.

If you are from a non-EU country:
Please check whether you need a visa to enter Germany on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

To apply for a student visa, you will usually need the following documents:

• Proof of valid health insurance

• Proof of sufficient financial resources (e.g. a blocked account, further information here)

• Letter of Acceptance from Hochschule Hannover

• If applicable, proof of English or German language skills

Important: make sure to apply for a student visa, not a tourist visa. You cannot begin your studies in Germany with a tourist visa.

Visa processing can take approximately 4–6 weeks or longer. We recommend booking an appointment at your local German consulate or embassy as soon as you receive your Letter of Acceptance from the Incoming Team.

International students from a non-EU or non-EEA country must provide a proof of financing. To do so, most immigration offices require a blocked account. You can find out about alternatives to the blocked account here. 

Proof of financing is one of the most important requirements for the student visa and residence permit for study purposes in Germany.

As of January 2025, students from a non-EU or non-EEA must show proof that they have financial funds of 992 EUR for each month of their stay in Germany. If you are studying at HsH for one semester, this amounts to 5952 EUR. If you are studying at HsH for two semesters, this amounts to 11,904 EUR.

If you are entering Germany without a visa (as an exchange student from one of our partner universities or as a Free Mover), you will need to provide proof of sufficent financial funds when applying for your residence permit. You can find more information in the section below.

Students from EU countries do not need a residence permit. 

Students from non-EU countries who entered Germany without a visa, or with a visa that does not cover the entire duration of their stay, are required to apply for a residence permit. 

If your visa is valid for the full length of your exchange in Germany, you do not need to apply for a residence permit. However, if your visa is not valid for the entire duration of your stay, or if you entered Germany without a visa, you must apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Office (Ausländerbehörde) in Hannover. 

In such cases, be sure to submit your application at least 6-8 weeks before your visa expires, or as soon as possible if you entered Germany without a visa. For all students who enter Germany visa-free, you must apply for a residence permit within 90 days (3 months) after your arrival. The Incoming Team will send an email to you during the Welcome Weeks with all important information about what documents you need to submit, as well as a link to the online application form.

Our student tutors in the Incoming Team are also on hand to assist you through the application process - where possible.

Health insurance is mandatory for studying in Germany. To enrol at HsH, you need valid health insurance for study purposes.

• EU students: a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is accepted and usually sufficient for 1–2 semesters.
• Students from Türkiye: an AT-11 certificate is accepted.
• Non-EU students: please check with the German consulate in your home country whether you need health insurance before applying for a visa. In any case, you must take out German health insurance after arrival.

You can choose between statutory and private health insurance.
We strongly recommend that you obtain statutory health insurance:

• Student-friendly rates (approx. 135 EUR/month, as of Jan 2025)
• Covers all necessary treatments with no cost limits
• Accepted for enrolment at HsH

Private health insurance is only accepted if it offers similar coverage. Be aware:

• It may not cover all treatments
• You must pay upfront and request reimbursement
• Not always accepted for enrolment

Important: travel health insurance is not sufficent health insurance coverage for studying in Germany!

If you study in Germany, you must have health insurance. In order to be enrolled, HsH must receive an electronic notification from a health insurance provider that you are adequately insured.

This is what you need to do to request the electronic notification:

Please send a copy of your EHIC, GHIC or AT-11 and your current address to a German health insurance company and ask for an electronic notification (known as M10) to Hochschule Hannover.

The health insurance company will ask for a "sender number" (Absendernummer) so that they can send the electronic notification to the university. The Absendernummer for Hochschule Hannover is H0000380. It is important that you provide this number, otherwise we will not receive the notification, and this may delay your enrolment at HsH.

You can find a list of statutory health insurance providers here. If you require assistance or advice, feel free to contact the Incoming Team.

Finding a place to live in Germany can be challenging due to a general housing shortage. We recommend starting your search as early as possible.

Our Housing Guide provides essential information, including useful search platforms and explanations of common terms used in housing ads. The Incoming Team will send the Housing Guide to students who are accepted for an exchange semster/year at HsH.

Student residences offer furnished rooms or small apartments, usually located close to campus. However, these rooms are in high demand, so it is best to apply as soon as possible. Students can apply through the Incoming Team once they have been accepted for an exchange. We will send an email and link to our accommodation application portal as followed:

• Summer semester: mid-October—end of October
• Winter semester: mid-May—end of May

You can find an overview of all dormitory accommodation from Studentenwerk Hannover here.

Another option is to live in a shared flat (Wohngemeinschaft or WG), where several students share an apartment. This option is often more affordable than renting your own flat and is a great way to meet and connect with other students in Germany.

HsH students (Outgoings) who spend a semester or two abroad sometimes sublet their rooms to exchange students. This is known as subletting (Untervermietung). The Incoming Team shares information about available sublets with students who have been accepted for an exchange at HsH. It is then up to you whether you choose to contact the student offering the sublet. Please note that any agreements regarding the rental contract, deposit, or other arrangements must be made directly between you and the outgoing student. The Incoming Team is not directly involved in this process.

All students, including exchange students, are required to pay a semester contribution. Please note that this is not a tuition fee, it is a contribution that supports various student services and facilities.

The semester contribution helps finance the services provided by the Studentenwerk (Student Services), including access to:

• Affordable meals in university canteens and cafeterias (known as Mensa)
• Student housing (dormitory accommodation)
• Childcare facilities
• Support and advisory services
• The General Students' Committee (AStA), which represents student interests and organises events

The semester contribution also includes the Deutschlandsemesterticket; the semester ticket allows you to use all local and regional public transport in and around Hannover as well as throughout the whole of Germany at no extra cost. Once you have been enrolled, you will receive an activation link that will enable you to download the semester ticket directly to your smartphone (as a QR code).

Before the semester begins, all exchange students are required to prepare a Learning Agreement that outlines the courses they plan to take during their stay at Hochschule Hannover. This document must be approved by both your home university and the faculty of study at HsH.

You can explore the available course offerings from the various faculties of HsH here:
Course offering for exchange students

Each faculty has designated a contact person - known as an International Faculty Officer - who is responsible for helping to put together and review the Learning Agreement. It will then be passed on to an International Coordinator in the faculty, who will sign your Learning Agreement. 

You can find the contact details of all International Faculty Officers at the bottom of this page. Please make sure to reach out to the appropriate person for your faculty if you have any questions or need guidance on course selection.

If you are coming to HsH as a Free Mover, you may not be required to submit a Learning Agreement. However, we strongly recommend that you check with your home university in advance to confirm whether the courses you take at HsH can be recognised as part of your studies.

Citizens moving to Hannover, EU citizens as well as non-EU citizens, have to register at the Citizen Office of the city of Hannover. Please make sure to:

• Register within 2 weeks after your arrival in Hannover
• Bring along your passport, and the document "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung“, a confirmation of your landlord that you have moved into the apartment and have signed an rental contract
• Schedule an appointment online with the citizen office

Appointments at the citizen office can be booked online:

Citizen Office

A draft of the form "Wohnungsgeberbestätigung" can be found here:

Form

All students enroled at Hochschule Hannover receive a student account and an email address. With this account IT services such as WIFI (eduroam), the learning platform moodle are available as well as access to PC’s and printers on campus can be. Individual user names and passwords will be issued by the IT Service Department. Information concerning courses, exams and events during the semester will be sent to your student email address. Therefore please do make sure to check your emails.

Further information on the IT Services available as well as an explanation how to log into the WIFI network on campus can be found here:

IT Services

At the end of your stay the faculty will issue a Transcript of Records stating the courses you completed during your stay and the ECTS you achieved.

All faculties have appointed contact persons responsible for Learning Agreements and Transcripts of Records. You may find the relevant contact data at the bottom of this page.