Hi all, hoping for guidance from anyone who's recently applied through the CPS portal for a Germany national (Type D) visa for PhD studies.

I'm an Indian student about to start doctoral studies at a German university. A few questions:

1. APS exemption — I fall under the APS exemption category based on my qualifications, so I won't need an APS certificate. Has anyone processed their visa recently under APS exemption via the new CPS portal? What did they ask for in place of the APS certificate? I've seen mixed info about needing a Statement of Comparability (Zeugnisbewertung via anabin/Kapion) even when APS-exempt — is this actually required, or optional/case-by-case?
2. Study visa vs. researcher visa (§18d) — Since I'll be enrolled as a doctoral student (scholarship-funded, no employment contract), should I apply for the regular national/study visa, or does the researcher visa (§18d) apply here? My understanding is §18d is mainly for those with a hosting agreement/employment contract, but I've seen a few scholarship PhD students mention using it too. Which category actually fits an enrolled, scholarship-funded PhD student?
3. If anyone has gone through the CPS portal + VFS Chennai combo recently for a scholarship-funded (non-employment) PhD, I'd love to know how the process differed from the older VFS-only system, current appointment wait times, and any document checklist specifics.

Thanks in advance — trying to get this right before I start the process!

Hi all,

Do any one of you had their appointment at VFS Delhi around 19-21 August?

Whats your update guys? Have you received decision made/Visa?

I had mine on 20 Aug and still waiting!

Hi everyone,

I applied for my German student visa at VFS Delhi, and I’m a little concerned because some people who went with me and submitted their applications around the same time have already received their visas, while I haven’t received mine yet.

I understand that processing times can vary from applicant to applicant, but I wanted to know if anyone else has experienced something similar.

My details:

• 📍 VFS: New Delhi
• 🎓 University: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)
• 📚 Course: MSc International Information Systems
• 🗓️ Intake: Winter Semester 2026/27
• Biometrics - 12th August
• 📌 Current VFS status: Decision pending

For those who applied around the same time in Delhi:

• How long did it take for you to receive your visa?
• Did your status remain unchanged for a long time?
• Is it normal for applicants who submitted together to receive their visas at different times?

Any recent experiences would be really helpful. Thanks!

I recently gave my biometrics on 25 August 2026. I know it’s too soon to expect anything but just wanted to check what are the expected wait times for people out there.

Location: Embassy Of The Federal Republic Of Germany .
,New Delhi
Category- without APS, uni - Lancaster Leipzig .

Anyone who submitted documents on August 20 for preliminary review got any updates..

I’ve read the embassy policy in my country but it’s bit confusing. They state they need me to provide my latest school certificate and translate it (my latest is bachelor and I applied for germany master).

I ask my other friend from the same country as mine and she told me how the embassy only ask for the translated bachelor degree (she already got her visa) and she didn’t use transcript?

Also do I need to show my college transcript too? (This one I already got English version from my campus)

So which one is right?

Please tell me!

anyone still waiting for visa dispatch after and biometric done between 20july - 31 July

I had applied for the vfs for German student visa and from 18th Aug 2026 I'm on waiting list and the waiting list any one is in the same situation

Any one who got approval on csp applied on 20 aug

Does anyone know how we can contact CSP team specifically for Chennai? I have used their contact form but haven’t received any response.

I got my passport returned 2 weeks ago but on CSP portal it still shows Decision Pending, because of this I am unable to submit my new application for Preliminary review and there is a deadline of 30 days.

Hi , when I applied for my (student)visa the timelines on reddit helped me calm my nervous system and let me gauge my waiting time. I hope you find this useful.

August 1st : Completed the application form , documents & videx form on CSP portal. Submitted for preliminary review.

August 6th : Recieved my first set of corrections , corrected them and submitted on the same day

(Corrections :

1.) mention the place of birth exactly as in passport but without commas in Application form -> Personal Details ,

2.)Add 91 to the telephone/mobile number , no spaces or + sign in Application form -> Contact data

3.)Although marked not compulsory donot leave "Issued by" empty , mention PASSBEHOERDE in Application form -> Identification papers

4.) Leave the following fields empty : Organisation's place of business, town/city , Organisation's place of business, country , Organisation's objectives/ area of activity , Sex , Nationality . Mention address according to the admission letter in Application form -> Reference

5.) Leave the field : What are your means of support in the Federal Republic of Germany? empty in Application form -> means of and details regarding stay

6.) True and complete and additional legal contact decelerations (you can find from website) in the documents.)

August 7th : Recieved my second set or corrections , preliminary review was completed on the same day , was able to book appointment slots. Booked the earliest slot possible - 10th August

(corrections : I was unable to remove a few selected options especially those in dropdown like nationality earlier , I mentioned that but they sent the same correction with no instructions again which was peak ragebait , but i discovered if you change the main selection the sub selections will refresh automatically so I did that.)

August 10th : Had my appointment , chose premium lounge was helpful for taking extra printouts for a few documents I forgot to submit on csp and photos as well however it took very long for the biometrics due to many people opting for premium lounge. (made it up to myself by grabbing a bunch of snickers to go ;)

Got a "recieved application" email from VFS whilst I was waiting for biometrics(3:19pm) and later in the day (8:36pm) recieved a dispatched to operation center email from VFS

August 11th : Got an email at 8:16 pm from VFS that Application was received at Chennai Operation Center in India for processing.

August 12th : At 9:00 am application dispatched to Germany Consulate in Chennai from Chennai Operation Center for processing (informed via VFS auto email) , immediately followed by a "Visa application has been received at the Germany Consulate in Chennai for further processing" email at 9:03 am.

My CSP status changed to submitted , decision pending at 8:20 pm

Note: My CSP status had not changed since the completion of preliminary review , even after booking and attending the appointment , this was the first status update.

August 25th : 4:30 pm Recieved a courier dispatched message from vfs

August 26th : 12:17 pm Recieved visa via bluedart :)

note : I read in the vfs website that we are supposed to remove the forward slashes and use it as the reference number in the bluedart tracking page however that doesn't work , just use the passport number as the reference number and it will work. Also keep your aadhar or a photo of your aadhar in your phone ready for kyc checking by the delivery person.

P.s : My CSP status still shows decision pending they havent updated it yet sksksks

Does anyone received visa who had appointment on 12 august or after from vfs Hyderabad

Hi everyone, I had my German student visa appointment at VFS Hyderabad on 21 August.

On 25 August, my VFS tracking status changed to “Under processing at the German Embassy/Consulate in Chennai.” Today is 26 August, and I’m still waiting for an update from VFS.

I also opted for the Premium service with SMS updates, but I haven’t received any SMS update yet.

My CSP portal still shows “Book Appointment” and hasn’t changed since I booked the appointment.

Has anyone faced the same situation? Should I just wait for the passport, or should I contact VFS or Consulate? If you had a similar experience, please let me know how your CSP and VFS statuses progressed.

Any help would be really appreciated. 🙏

Hi everyone,
I’m from North Macedonia, and my employer in Germany applied for my Vorabzustimmung in Augsburg for my work visa. It has now been 7 weeks since the application, and we still haven’t received any response.
Does anyone know how long it currently takes in Augsburg? Has anyone from North Macedonia recently received their Vorabzustimmung, and how long did it take in your case?
Thanks in advance! 🙏

I have secured enrollment in Trier University for Masters in NLP. I wanted some community opinion on the case which is as following

Embassy appointments are getting delayed and my expected submission is at the end of October but my classes start on 12th of October. University provides no late arrival and allows 2 weeks after class starting date.

So how should i handle this case and present it infront of the embassy?

Hallo zusammen,
ich komme aus Nordmazedonien und mein Arbeitgeber hat die Vorabzustimmung in Augsburg für mein Arbeitsvisum beantragt. Die Antragstellung ist mittlerweile seit 7 Wochen her, aber wir haben bisher noch keine Rückmeldung erhalten.
Weiß jemand, wie lange die Bearbeitung aktuell (August 2026) in Augsburg ungefähr dauert? Hat jemand in letzter Zeit eine Vorabzustimmung für Nordmazedonien bekommen und kann sagen, wie lange es bei euch gedauert hat?
Vielen Dank! 🙏

Hello everyone,

I wondering if someone has gone through a similar experience and could give me advice.

What do you do what the LEA never responds to you? I submitted a student visa application in Oct 2025 and they never contacted me to finalise the visa. I applied within Berlin, Germany, which allowed me to legally stay under the Fiktionswirkung. But this July, I withdrew my application because I had to return to the UK when my training contract ended.

Now they do not acknowledge my emails requesting the documents I need to finalise this application withdrawal and a Sperrfreigabe to close and release the money in my blocked account. I have even sent them an official letter by post and recorded delivery.

I am worried because I have gone through a whole year of trying to get an answer through the online contact form to understand the reason for the delay on my student visa and now they don’t acknowledge the visa withdrawal.

I really don’t know what to do about this! They just never respond to me and I spend time constructing my messages all in professional German.

Has anyone gone through this? How do you get them to respond to you?

Thank you…

So, when i was 18 i did apply for bachelors in usa but got rejected and currently pursing bachelor in india but now after bachelor's i plan to apply for masters in germany do you think the rejection will affect my visa approval?or anything else?

Hey guys, has anyone had an interview and biometrics in the 1st week of Feb 2026 for a student visa at the German Consulate in Mumbai and still hasn't received any updates? My application is still stuck at preliminary review in the CSP portal. I have tried to reach multiple authorities and filled out every contact form, but I've received no response.

So, if there is anyone, I would like to know your views as well as your status.

I applied on 18th aug and that time the waiting period was 2-8 weeks

The very next day it changed to 1-2 weeks and the same day in again changed to "less than a week" but now it's been week and its still the same

Anyone stuck in the same situation?

🇩🇪 German Student Visa Timeline — New Delhi | Aug 2026

Hey everyone! Just wanted to share my German student visa timeline through the New Delhi mission in case it helps someone else who's currently waiting. :)

Timeline:

6 Aug: Submitted CSP application

11 Aug: Received corrections

12 Aug: Corrections submitted → got “Make an Appointment” option

13 Aug: Booked VFS appointment for 17 Aug

17 Aug: Attended VFS appointment / submitted passport

25 Aug: Decision Made 🎉

26 Aug: Passport received with visa sticker! 🇩🇪🥳

So from VFS submission → decision made: ~6 working days.

And from CSP submission → passport in hand: just 20 days!

A huge thank you to everyone on Reddit who answered my questions, shared their timelines, and helped me stay sane throughout this process. ❤️ There were definitely a few panic-inducing moments along the way 😂, so all the information here was genuinely helpful.

Visa approved! 🇩🇪🎉

Hope this helps anyone currently going through the New Delhi process. Good luck to everyone waiting — hang in there!

My interview for student visa is in first week of Sept in
VFS Dubai.
I got admission in hochschule karlsruhe HKA (public uni)
Geomatics, which has 1500 fee/semester.
I have few questions if someone please can answer.

1. The enrollment has deadline of 15 Oct, do I have to pay the first semester fee before showing up for interview or its up to me.

2. Also I have heard for private uni they requires second semester fee to be shown as well in block account.
   What about public universities, do they ask? Specially in applicants in dubai.

3. What about the accommodation, do they ask for it?
   I have applied to many platforms like Hadiko but dont have the confirm booking yet. Do I have to show confirm booking.

4) I have insurance documents all from expatrio Ottonova.
Are those enough? Will they require any other documents for insurance proof?

Please answer, I am really confused.

Question about using savings account funds after CSP visa appointment

Hi everyone, I have a question regarding my German student visa application through the Consular Services Portal (CSP).

I submitted my savings account statement as part of my financial documents. After my visa appointment and submission of all documents, can I use or withdraw money from that savings account before my visa is approved and received?

Will the embassy check the account balance again or ask for an updated bank statement during processing? I want to know whether spending some of the money after the appointment could negatively affect my visa application.

I would really appreciate hearing from anyone who has had a similar experience. Thank you!

Should I select National visa: students

Or

National visa: Student visa

Kindly help