UK Graduate Visa to Germany: Blocked Account, Timeline and Costs

The quick answer

If you're a non-EU national living in the UK on a Graduate visa, you can apply for a German student visa from here, as long as you have a German university admission and you apply before you leave the UK. You apply to the German Embassy in London, or the Consulate General in Edinburgh if you live in Scotland (German Missions in the UK).

The money you must show is at least €992 for each month of your stay, up to 12 months, so €11,904 for a year. That's the figure on the official Make it in Germany funds table, dated January 2026, and it matches what the German missions in the UK ask for. The visa fee is €75 and most applications are decided within about 2 weeks of your biometrics appointment.

Tuition at most public universities is free, but the master's itself still costs money. Below are the costs, the order to do things in, and how to work backwards from your UK visa end date.

Why this question keeps coming up

Most of the people who contact us about Germany are not British. They came to the UK to study, they're now on a Graduate visa, and the end date is getting closer. The Graduate visa can't be extended, and from 1 January 2027 new Graduate visas for bachelor's and master's graduates last 18 months instead of 2 years. I covered that change in our post on the 18-month Graduate visa.

My position is simple. For a graduate with a realistic budget and a course that fits, Germany is one of the strongest next steps from the UK. But it only works if you start early enough, and the blocked account is where most plans fall apart.

Step 1: Can you apply from the UK?

The German Missions in the UK handle student visas for people who live here and have not yet left the UK. If you're not British, you'll need to show your current UK permission, for example your eVisa share code. Applications sent to the wrong mission can't be processed:

• Embassy London: England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Falkland Islands.
• Consulate General Edinburgh: Scotland.

This is the most important timing point in the whole post. If your Graduate visa ends and you go back home before your German visa is sorted, the London embassy is no longer your mission. Plan to finish the German visa while you still live here legally.

British citizens are in a different position: they don't need a visa before travelling and apply for the residence permit in Germany. Our Germany guide covers that.

Step 2: The blocked account, explained properly

A blocked account (Sperrkonto) is a German bank account in your own name. You pay in the full amount before you apply, and once you're in Germany you can only take out a set amount each month. The Federal Foreign Office explains that the point is to stop the money being spent all at once at the start of your stay. It's usually opened for one year.

The key facts:

• How much: at least €992 a month, for up to 12 months, which is €11,904 for a year (Make it in Germany, January 2026). The German Missions in the UK state the same monthly figure and say it's subject to change, so check it again before you transfer anything.
• It's your money. It isn't a fee. It's your own living money, paid back to you month by month.
• Which provider: the Federal Foreign Office no longer keeps a list of providers and doesn't recommend any. Compare the provider's own fees and how quickly it issues the confirmation you need for your visa file.

You don't have to use a blocked account. The German missions in the UK also accept a scholarship, the maintenance part of a UK student loan, or a formal declaration of commitment (Verpflichtungserklärung) from someone living in Germany. You can combine these if the total adds up. They say clearly that no other evidence of funds is accepted, so a UK bank statement on its own won't do.

Where people get stuck: the funds have to be in place before you upload your visa file, and international transfers take time. Don't leave it until the week before.

Step 3: The visa, from upload to decision

The German Missions in the UK now run student applications through the Consular Services Portal. The order is:

1. Get your documents ready and check them yourself first.
2. Upload them on the Consular Services Portal.
3. The visa section checks your upload and asks for corrections online. They ask for corrections only once, so the first upload needs to be close to perfect.
4. You're then sent to book an appointment.
5. At the appointment you show your original documents, give your fingerprints and photo, and pay the fee.
6. Final checks are done after the appointment. Most applications are processed within about 2 weeks after biometrics, though some need approval from other German authorities and take longer.

Two dates matter here. The visa is not issued more than 3 months before your travel date, so you can't sort it a year in advance. And the national visa fee is €75, paid by card at the appointment (visa fees). If you apply through TLScontact, it charges its own service fee on top.

The documents they ask for

From the university studies page:

• a passport issued in the last 10 years, valid for at least 6 months, with 2 blank pages next to each other, plus a copy of the photo page;
• your current UK residence permit or visa (for example your share code), plus a copy;
• two biometric photos, 35 × 45 mm;
• your German admission letter (Zulassungsbescheid);
• proof of funds;
• your CV;
• payment of the visa fee.

You also need health insurance. The missions say it must match the minimum level of German statutory health insurance, and that travel insurance is not enough for any national visa (health insurance requirements).

Before all of that: admission, and possibly APS

You can't start the visa without an admission letter, and that's usually the slowest step. If any of your earlier school or university qualifications are from India, China or Vietnam, you may also need an APS certificate before you apply to a university (TUM's APS page). Check this first, even if your most recent degree is from the UK, because it adds weeks.

Working backwards from your UK visa end date

This is how I'd plan it with a graduate sitting in front of me in Birmingham. Write down your Graduate visa end date, then count back:

Only the last three rows have official timings. The first depends on the university, and it's the one people underestimate. My advice: if you're on a Graduate visa with less than about six months left, an October start at a public university may already be out of reach, and you should look at which universities still have places for the next intake. Many private universities start in January, May and September, which can close that gap. Our Germany guide explains the trade-off between public and private.

What a master's in Germany actually costs

Here's a year at a public university using official figures. Tuition at private universities is set by each university, so I've left it out rather than guess.

So in your first year, before tuition at a private university, plan for the €11,904 in your blocked account (which becomes your living money), two semester contributions, the visa fee, and the cost of moving: flights, a rental deposit and your first weeks before the account pays out. DAAD's living-cost figure includes health insurance, rent, food and transport, but Munich and Frankfurt cost more than the average and smaller towns cost less.

On health insurance, DAAD explains that students under 30 pay a reduced statutory rate, and that once you reach 30 you pay the standard contribution. If you choose private insurance as a student, you generally can't switch to statutory insurance later during your studies. That catches people out, so ask about it before you sign anything.

Most master's degrees in Germany are two years, and the visa money only covers the first 12 months. Budget for the second year from the start.

Working while you study, and the 18 months after

During your course you can work up to 140 full days or 280 half days a year, or up to 20 hours a week as a working student, with full-time work possible in semester breaks (Make it in Germany, 2/2026). That helps with living costs, but it won't pay for everything.

After you graduate, you can apply for a residence permit to look for work, valid for up to 18 months, and you can take any job while you hold it. It can't be renewed. You'll need proof you finished your degree, health insurance and proof you can support yourself, and you apply before your study permit runs out (Make it in Germany).

Once you have a qualified job offer, you move onto a skilled worker permit or an EU Blue Card. In 2026 the Blue Card needs a gross salary of at least €50,700 a year, or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations and for graduates within three years of finishing their degree (Make it in Germany, January 2026). Our Germany guide sets out how that leads towards permanent residence.

Nobody can promise you a job or a permit at the end of this. What Germany gives you is a written route and time to use it.

Is Germany the right move for you?

Germany suits you if you can put together around €12,000 for the first year (more for a private university), you're happy to learn some German for life and work there, and your subject is one German employers hire for, such as engineering, IT and data, or business.

It's a harder fit if the money isn't there yet, or if your UK visa ends in a few weeks. In that case Spain or Malta may be more realistic, and you can compare them on our Spain page, Malta page or across all eight countries on Europe destinations. If you're not sure where you fit, the Find my route checker gives you a starting point in a couple of minutes.

What to do this week

1. Write down your UK visa end date and count back the stages above.
2. Check whether you need an APS certificate.
3. Shortlist courses with an intake you can still make.
4. Work out where your €11,904 will come from, and how long the transfer takes.

If you want us to check what's realistic for your dates, grades and budget, send us your details or message us on WhatsApp at +44 7852 878789. We're based in Birmingham, and we'll tell you straight if Germany isn't the right fit.