Student Visa from Romania: Sperrkonto and Documents

By the GoGermany Editorial Team · 2026-07-27

Do you need a student visa Germany Romania guide: EU citizens skip the visa, third-country nationals need a Sperrkonto. Amounts, documents and timelines.

Germany is one of the most popular study destinations for people living in Romania, thanks to its tuition-free public universities and a jobs market that rewards graduates. But whether you actually need a student visa depends entirely on the passport you hold, not on where you live right now. This guide covers both paths for the student visa Germany Romania question — the fast track for EU citizens and the full Sperrkonto file for everyone else — with real euro amounts and the documents German offices genuinely check.

Do Romanian citizens even need a student visa?

If you hold a Romanian passport (or any EU/EEA passport), the honest answer is no. As an EU citizen you enjoy freedom of movement (Freizügigkeit), so you can move to Germany, enrol at any university, and even work without a visa, a Sperrkonto, or an embassy appointment. You do not need a residence title at all.

What you do need after you arrive is straightforward:

• Anmeldung — register your address at the local Bürgeramt within about two weeks of moving in.
• Health insurance — enrol in statutory insurance (TK, AOK, Barmer) or a student-plan; you cannot enrol at university without proof.
• Immatrikulation — complete your enrolment with the university once you have your admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid).
• A German bank account — a normal current account is fine; no blocked account is required.

That is the whole difference. A Romanian student in Cluj or Bucharest can skip the most stressful part of the process that students from outside the EU cannot avoid.

Who the Sperrkonto and full visa file is really for

The rest of this guide matters most to third-country (non-EU) nationals living in Romania — for example, international students already studying in Bucharest, workers, or family members holding a Romanian residence permit who want to apply for Germany through the German Embassy in Bucharest. If that is you, you apply for a national (D) visa for study and must prove you can finance your first year. That proof is almost always a Sperrkonto.

Working while you study — the rules differ by passport

Your right to earn money in Germany also depends on your passport. Romanian and other EU citizens can work without any hour limit, subject only to the practical demands of their degree. Third-country nationals on a student residence permit are capped at 140 full days or 280 half days per year of paid work, or up to 20 hours per week during term. Either way, a part-time job is a realistic way to top up the Sperrkonto's €992 a month, but never plan your budget around it — the blocked account exists precisely because German offices want proof you can live without relying on uncertain income.

The Sperrkonto: how much and how it works

A Sperrkonto (blocked account) shows the German authorities you can cover your living costs. The figure is tied to the BAföG rate and for 2025 it is €11,904 for one year — €992 released to you each month.

• Open it before your visa appointment with a provider such as Fintiba, Expatrio, Coracle, or Deutsche Bank.
• Setup fees run roughly €49–€89, plus a small monthly service fee.
• You transfer the full year's amount in; the provider releases €992 per month once you are in Germany.
• If you are funding from Romania, remember to budget for the RON-to-EUR conversion — €11,904 is roughly RON 59,000 depending on the day's rate.

Run your numbers with the Sperrkonto Calculator, and sanity-check your monthly budget in your target city with the Living Cost Calculator — Leipzig or Dresden are far cheaper than Munich.

The blocked account is not a one-off. When you renew your residence permit after the first year, the Ausländerbehörde will again want proof of funds — usually a fresh Sperrkonto, a scholarship, or a Verpflichtungserklärung signed by a sponsor in Germany. Keep this in mind so the second year does not catch you out. Most students top up the same account rather than opening a new one, which keeps the setup fee down.

Documents checklist for the Bucharest application

Bring a complete, well-ordered file. German missions reject incomplete applications outright:

• Valid passport (plus copies of the data page).
• University admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid) or a conditional/Studienkolleg admission.
• Sperrkonto confirmation for €11,904, or an alternative proof of funds (scholarship, formal Verpflichtungserklärung).
• Health insurance — travel/incoming cover for entry, then statutory insurance once enrolled.
• Academic transcripts and prior diplomas, with certified translations.
• Language certificate — German (TestDaF, DSH, Goethe) for German-taught programmes, or IELTS/TOEFL for English-taught ones.
• CV and a short motivation letter.
• Two biometric photos and the completed VIDEX application form.
• Visa fee of €75, payable at the appointment.

Convert your Romanian grades to the German 1.0–4.0 scale with the German Grade Calculator, and tick off every item using the Document Checklist before you book.

Timeline and booking your appointment

Appointments for national student visas run through the German Embassy in Bucharest. Book as early as your admission allows — slots fill quickly around the September and April intakes. Plan for 6 to 12 weeks of processing after your appointment, so open the Sperrkonto first, then queue for the interview. If you receive admission late, ask whether a later intake is possible rather than travelling on a tourist stamp.

For the full generic process from admission to landing, our German Student Visa Step by Step: Documents, Fees & Timeline guide complements this country page well.

Common mistakes to avoid

• EU citizens paying for a Sperrkonto they never needed. If your passport is Romanian, do not let an agency sell you a blocked account.
• Underfunding the blocked account. It must be the full current-year figure; last year's amount gets refused.
• Uncertified translations. Diplomas and transcripts need certified German or English translations.
• Booking the embassy appointment too late. This is the single biggest cause of missed intakes.
• The wrong health insurance. Travel cover gets you the visa; you still must switch to statutory insurance to enrol.

Your next step

Whether you breeze in as an EU citizen or assemble a full Sperrkonto file as a third-country national in Romania, the winning move is to prepare early and finish your enrolment fast. Once you arrive, plan how to turn your studies into a career — our guide on From Student Visa to Work Permit in Germany: How to Switch shows the path from lecture hall to Blue Card. Start today: model your budget with the Sperrkonto Calculator and build your file with confidence.