Funding

Means of Subsistence

As a rule, to be issued with a residence permit, you must prove that you have sufficient means of subsistence and adequate health insurance coverage. You should have no less than € 650.00 (June 2011) per month at your disposal, the maximum relief rate according to the Federal Education and Trainings

Photo: Emilian Robert Vicol (CC BY 2.0)

Assistance Act. If your accommodation costs are below € 133.00, the total amount is reduced by € 64.00. The Municipal Immigration Office generally requires financial documentation for the length of your residence permit (1 or 2 years).

You can prove your means of subsistence by presenting the following:

• documentation of your parents' income situation
• a formal obligation according to § 68 of the Law of Residence, or
• proof of relevant grants from German state means, or
• grants from a sponsoring organisation recognised in Germany, or
• state grants from your country of origin involving the Foreign Office, the German Academic Exchange Service or German grant organisations.

A formal obligation according to § 68 of the Law of Residence can be handed in to a German agency abroad or to the Municipal Immigration Office in Germany by your parents or siblings, for instance, or by other third parties. The guarantor guarantees your means of subsistence and must prove his/her financial ability to do so when handing in the formal obligation.

In special cases, financial means can be proved by bank statements, security payments into a blocked account, or by providing a bank guaranty.