General information

The following information applies to persons who want to take part in a German language course in Germany that does not serve to prepare for a course of study or vocational training (provided you have already concluded a vocational training contract and the language course lasts a maximum of six months). The intensive language course must last at least 91 days; the maximum duration is one year. There must also be daily lessons with at least 18 lessons per week. Evening and weekend courses are not sufficient. With a visa to take part in an isolated language course, you are allowed to pursue employment of up to 20 hours per week.

The legal basis for issuing a visa for the purpose of taking part in an isolated language course is Section 16f Paragraph 1 Sentence 1 of the Residence Act (AufenthG).

Basic information

• If you want to have an appointment to apply for an isolated language course visa, you need to register on the appointment waiting list of the German Embassy Nairobi and mention “isolated language course” as purpose of stay
• All application documents must be submitted in original with 1 copy.
• Please sort the documents in the order listed below.
• Documents not in the German or English language must be submitted with a certified German or English translation.
• The Embassy reserves the right to request additional documents in individual cases.
• Incomplete application forms as well as applications with incomplete documents will delay processing and may lead to rejection of the application.
• Processing time is as a rule ca. 2 months but can take longer in individual cases.
• Please do not contact the mission abroad 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.

For your application we require the following documents:

1. Passport and 1 copy of the data page. If you are a foreigner residing in Kenya, Burundi, Somalia, Eritrea, Sudan or the Seychelles, you have to show a valid residence permit for the country of residence.
2. 1 completed and duly signed application form including information provided to applicants pursuant to Section 54 of the Residence Act.
   • A digital application form to be completed online can be found on https://videx-national.diplo.de
3. 2 current, identical biometric passport photos with a white background
4. Letter of motivation in German
   • Please explain your private and/or professional motivation for the requested language stay with regard to your future life plans
5. Curriculum vitae in German or English, gapless
6. Confirmation of registration for an intensive German course at a language school in Germany
   • The confirmation letter must contain the following information:
     • Number of lessons per week
     • Costs for the language course and confirmation of whether these costs have already been paid
7. Proof of adequate financial means
   • Financing - To stay in Germany, each individual applicant must have at their disposal at least 1091 euros per month. Proof of these means is to be provided in advance when the application is submitted. For the minimum validity period of the language course visa of 91 days, a sum of 3,309 euros must be proven; for the maximum period of validity of 12 months, a sum of 13,092 euros has to be proven. Moreover, you have to provide proof of payment of the entire language course costs by submitting a confirmation from the language school.
   • In the case of financing in the form of a blocked account: Open the blocked account in good time BEFORE you apply for a visa. When applying for a visa, only the official confirmation of the opening of the account including information on the amount paid in and the amount available per month will be accepted. A confirmation which does not include this information is not sufficient. Proof of lodgement or transfer of funds without the aforementioned confirmation from the bank is not sufficient. Providers of blocked accounts can be found through an internet search
   • In the case of part-time employment: If you already have a specific part-time job offer in Germany, you can prove this with an employment contract or a binding job offer, which shows the weekly working hours and monthly earnings. Please note that you are allowed to pursue employment of up to 20 hours per week.
   • In the case of an undertaking by a third person to cover all costs: Proof in the form of a formal undertaking with the creditworthiness (“Bonität”) “proven” (“nachgewiesen”) pursuant to Sections 66 and 68 Residence Act in which a third person undertakes in writing to cover all costs.
8. University, training and/or school qualifications (KCSE), the transcript of records and confirmations from the university if a course of study was started but not completed. It is not necessary to present your primary school diploma (KCPE)
9. Proof of current knowledge of German: Please present a language certificate issued by a testing provider certified by the 'Association of Language Testers in Europe' (ALTE). In Kenya, the Goethe Institute and ÖSD currently issue recognized language certificates. The submitted language certificate must not be older than 12 months at the time of application. Taking different test parts from different ALTE certified providers is sufficient. Please also provide confirmations from language schools about participation in German language courses in your country of residence.
10. Proof of incoming health insurance coverage valid for the entire duration of stay in Germany
11. Visa fee in the amount 75 Euros, payable in Kenyan Shillings

This fact sheet reflects the legal situation at the time of drafting it. It is regularly updated but makes no claim to be complete. Authoritative version of the fact sheet is the German version.