Before you come to Germany, there are some bureaucratic hurdles to tackle.

Letter of Admission
You need the Letter of Admission (Zulassungsbescheid) from Georg-August-Universität Göttingen before you can apply for your visa. You automatically receive it after your application has been accepted by the university. Ph.D.-candidates who were offered a position will additionally receive a draft employment contract.

Passport
Make sure that you hold a valid passport.

Financial Requirements
You must ensure well in advance to have arranged for sufficient funds to cover your
living expenses during your stay, as you will already have to provide evidence for your
visa application.

Visa
Please check if you require a visa to enter Germany for study purposes. EU and EFTA citizens do not need visa. Citizens of other countries must contact the German embassy or consulate in their country of residence to check visa regulations prior to their travel to Germany. Please consult the website of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany (Aus wärtiges Amt) to find out the requirements for your visa application. Do not enter Germany with a tourist visa. Note that processing the visa application will take up to several months.
www.auswaertiges-amt.de.

Health Insurance
It is mandatory to have health insurance during your entire stay in Germany. There -
fore, please be advised to take out a travel health insurance for your trip first, so that you are covered during the first one or two weeks of your stay in Göttingen. We re commend degree students to sign a contract with a German statutory health insurance (Gesetzliche Krankenversicherung). Currently premiums amount to some 50 Euros per month.

Students older than 30 years cannot sign with a statutory health insurance but have to apply for coverage with a private insurer. Visiting students need to ensure that they are adequately covered by a valid health insurance. For short-term visitors, travel in surance is generallythe best option.