National flag of Germany.
Credit: Reuters photo
Germany's gratis visa, a significant opportunity for Indian students, came into force from September 2025, specifically for short-term academic and school/college visit to promote student exchanges.
Every year, a growing rate of 50,000 to 55,000 Indian students migrate to Germany to pursue higher education, commonly in STEM fields, where a visa costing around standard Schengen (short-term) of €80 (around ₹7,000–₹7,500) for adults, is seen as a long-standing financial hurdle.
This comes to an end for short-term visitors, students, scholars or job seekers to Germany with the initiative of gratis visa.
For those not in the know, Gratis visa grants free-of-charge visa for a short-term educational program or career opportunity.
Since February 2017, the scan copy of Germany visa applications are submitted through Consular Services Portal (digital-di.de), replacing the older methods.
In addition to the free visa this year, the financial proof to apply for student visa require a bank statement of €11,904 up from €11,208 per year reflecting rising standard of living in Germany.
The DAAD scholarship (German Academic Exchange Service) welcome and support Indian students, providing advocacy to choose their study field and avail to explore career opportunities.
According to the Wissenschaft weltoffen report published in November 2024 by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), India tops international student list including 49,000 Indian students and 6,700 researchers currently in the country.