Germany student visa work rights
What a Germany student visa permits you to work, during term and outside it, as published by the authority. Work rights are a visa condition rather than a guideline — breaching them risks the visa itself, not a fine.
At a glance
| Visa | Nationales Visum zu Studienzwecken — the national "D" visa for study under Section 16b of the Residence Act. It is NOT a Schengen visa: it covers a stay longer than 90 days, and after you arrive and register you convert it into a residence permit (Aufenthaltstitel) at the local Ausländerbehörde. The same visa type covers a Studienkolleg preparatory course and a language course taken to prepare for a degree — but not a language course taken for its own sake, which is a different visa and a common misfiling. |
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The permission, as published
Section 16b(3) of the Residence Act entitles a student to employment of up to 140 full working days per year, and a day of under four hours counts as a half day — which is where the familiar "140 full or 280 half days" comes from. It is ONE account, not two allowances: mixing full and half days draws on the same total. Work as a student assistant or research assistant at your own university (HiWi) does not count against it at all, which makes those jobs structurally more valuable than the hourly rate suggests. Going over the limit is a breach of your residence status rather than an employment matter, so it is not something an employer can authorise for you.
Treat the hours as a hard limit
- The limit is on hours worked, not on income. Two jobs are counted together.
- Term time and vacation are usually different, and "vacation" means the institution's official dates rather than when your teaching stops.
- Self-employment and freelancing are restricted or prohibited on several student routes, and are easy to breach unknowingly.
- Your employer may not know the rules. The obligation is yours.
A breach is a visa matter. It can end the current visa, affect a later work route, and follow you into applications to other countries, which is a very large consequence for a few extra hours.
Budgeting around part-time work
Part-time earnings are a supplement, not a funding plan. Most routes set the financial requirement on the assumption you will not be earning, and the first months are the hardest: you arrive before you find work, and the costs arrive first.
- Budget as though you earn nothing for the first three months.
- Check the local minimum wage and what the permitted hours actually produce after tax.
- Count travel and the time cost against study, which is what you are there for.
Work rights — FAQs
2 questions
The permitted hours are quoted above from the official source, and term time usually differs from vacation. It is a visa condition, so treat it as a hard limit.
Several routes allow it during official vacation periods. Check the published permission above — "vacation" means the institution's official dates.
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Sources
Checked against these sources on 10 November 2026.