It’s now even more expensive for SA students to study in Germany
South African students who study in Germany will now have to fork out even more as part of their visa requirement to live in the country.
More expensive visa requirements to study in Germany
For South Africans and other nationalities outside of the European Union studying and working in Germany, one of the required steps to obtain a German visa is securing a certain sum of money to show German authorities you have the necessary funds to support yourself during your stay in Germany.
This sum of money will now see an increase, according to Study in Germany, rising from €11 208 (around R223 000) to €11 904 (around R237 000) per year, all deposited into a Blocked Account.
What is a Blocked Account?
This German Blocked Account, also known as a Sperrkonto, is a bank account (for international students and job seekers) where you can deposit a fixed amount of money.
This money is then locked and released in monthly installments to the account holder, proving you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in Germany.
This requirement is also based on the BAföG rate, Germany’s financial aid program for students, where the deposit is the minimum you must have in your blocked account to demonstrate you have the financial means (Finanzierungsnachweis) for a student visa.
The new requirement will kick in from September this year.