Frequently asked questions

The most important first step is registering your address at the Bürgeramt or town hall of your city – generally within two weeks of moving in. You will need your passport with the visa and the landlord's confirmation of residence. The registration certificate is then required for almost everything else, such as opening a bank account and obtaining your residence permit. Moondo accompanies you through this step as part of our after-arrival services.

After registering your address, we help you open a current account – it is needed for the monthly payout of EUR 992 from your blocked account, for rent and for health insurance, among other things. We also help you choose and activate a German SIM card or mobile plan so you are reachable from day one. Both are part of Moondo's after-arrival services.

Initially, the private health insurance from your visa procedure applies. Once you are enrolled at a university, students generally switch to statutory health insurance. We support you with this transition and with choosing a health insurance fund as part of our after-arrival services.

This visa has a maximum age limit of 25 years. You need German at level B2, proven by an ALTE-certified certificate (ECL, Goethe-Institut, ÖSD, telc or TestDaF), plus your legalised Tunisian baccalauréat or another higher-education entrance qualification. Unlike the study visas, the application is submitted in person at the visa section of the German Embassy in Tunis, not via TLScontact.

According to the embassy's official checklist (as of October 2025), you need a blocked account with EUR 947 per month for the duration of your stay, or alternatively a formal declaration of commitment. Health insurance coverage for the entire duration of the stay is also required.

The Chancenkarte (Sections 20a and 20b of the German Residence Act, introduced on 1 June 2024) allows you to come to Germany for up to one year to look for a job or pursue qualification-recognition measures. During this time you may take on secondary employment of up to 20 hours per week and complete trial work periods. There is no guarantee of finding a job – the Chancenkarte only provides the legal framework for the search.

There are two routes: skilled workers whose qualification is fully recognised as equivalent in Germany receive the Chancenkarte without the points system (route A). Otherwise (route B) you need a higher-education degree or a vocational qualification of at least two years, language skills (German at least A1 or English at least B2) and at least 6 points in the points system – points are awarded for qualification, work experience, language skills, previous stays in Germany and a partner holding their own Chancenkarte, among other criteria. We assess together with you which route applies to your profile.

According to the embassy's official checklist (as of July 2025), you must prove own funds of at least EUR 1,091 per month – EUR 13,092 for twelve months. Accepted proofs are a blocked account (only with an official opening confirmation stating the total amount and the monthly available amount), bank statements, an employment contract or binding offer for secondary employment, or a formal declaration of commitment under Sections 66 and 68 of the Residence Act. The visa fee is EUR 75, payable in Tunisian dinars.

For the first year you must prove EUR 11,904 in a blocked account in Germany. After arrival, the money is not released all at once but paid out to your German current account in monthly instalments of EUR 992. As an alternative to the blocked account, a formal declaration of commitment under Sections 66–68 of the Residence Act is possible, whereby a person in Germany covers the costs of your stay.

Our online courses are organised in four-week modules with three sessions per week. Modules A1.1, A1.2, A2.1 and A2.2 cost 350 TND each, modules B1.1 and B1.2 cost 450 TND each, and modules B2.1 and B2.2 cost 550 TND each. Several time slots are available, from morning to evening.

For study preparation you need private health insurance covering the entire visa period; policies limited to 90 days are not accepted. German providers or Tunisian insurers are possible, provided they meet the requirements. For direct study, you can switch to statutory health insurance once you enrol; for the Chancenkarte, private incoming insurance valid throughout the Schengen area for the entire stay is required.

The baccalauréat is first authenticated at the General Directorate of Examinations (Direction générale des examens) in Bab Bnet, Tunis – no fiscal stamps are needed for this step, which in our experience takes about two working days. It is then over-legalised by the Tunisian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, usually on the same day; fiscal stamps are required there. All time indications are experience-based estimates (as of July 2026) and can vary.

University degrees and transcripts are first authenticated at the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education (with fiscal stamps; usually about one working day) and then over-legalised at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, generally on the same day. Online appointment booking is available for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The time indications are experience-based estimates (as of July 2026).

Yes. All foreign-language documents must be submitted with a German translation. The translation is done after legalisation by a sworn translator, so that the legalisation notes are translated as well. Always submit the translations together with the legalised originals and clearly legible copies.

The embassy requires a remaining validity of at least six months; for the Chancenkarte the passport must also be signed and have at least two blank pages. However, we recommend a validity of at least one year so the passport covers the entire visa procedure and your first months in Germany. Also prepare a clearly legible copy or high-quality scan of the data page (page 2).

Log in to the customer portal and open the "Documents" section. There you can see which documents are required for your pathway and upload each file individually. Make sure your scans are clearly legible (ideally PDF). Our team reviews every document and either accepts it or requests a new version via the portal.

In the customer portal you can see the current status of your case at any time – from document review to the visa decision – including the respective next steps. You can send questions directly to our team via the portal; alternatively, reach us by email at contact@moon-do.com or via WhatsApp at +49 176 85637117.

In the "Fees" section of the customer portal you will find an overview of the amounts agreed with you, payments already made and outstanding items. This way you always keep track. If you have questions about individual items, contact our team via the portal or at contact@moon-do.com.

You can request deletion of your account directly in the portal's account settings. Your account will then be permanently deleted after a 30-day period; within this period you can cancel the deletion by logging in again. Statutory retention obligations (e.g. for invoicing data) remain unaffected.

Universities are more research-oriented, while universities of applied sciences (Hochschulen/HAW) are more practice-oriented. The study structure also often differs: at universities the bachelor's usually takes 6 semesters and the master's 4, while at universities of applied sciences it is often 7 plus 3 semesters – 10 semesters in total either way. Both degrees are recognised as equivalent.

As a rough guide: for the winter semester, applications usually run from 15 May to 15 July, and for the summer semester from 15 November to 15 January. Individual universities and degree programmes may have different deadlines – always check the information provided by the respective institution.

For German-taught programmes, universities usually require one of the following: DSH 2, TestDaF (level 4 in all sections) or telc C1 Hochschule. For English-taught programmes, IELTS or TOEFL are generally accepted. The exact requirements are set by each university.

uni-assist is the central service used by many German universities for international applications: it checks foreign certificates for university admission eligibility and forwards the application to the universities. For the study-preparation visa, the embassy generally accepts an applicant confirmation or documented correspondence with the university in addition to a conditional admission letter.

The process typically involves eight stages: learning German in Tunisia (at least A2, B1 recommended), preparing and legalising your documents, taking a certified language exam, enrolling at a language school in Germany, completing the VIDEX application and uploading documents for preliminary review, attending the TLScontact appointment in person, waiting for the embassy's processing, and finally preparing for departure. Processing usually takes around 8 to 12 weeks (approximate guide value as of July 2026 – official processing times can vary).

For the study-preparation visa you must prove at least level A2; we recommend studying up to B1 in Tunisia. Certificates from ALTE-certified providers are recognised, in particular ECL, Goethe-Institut, ÖSD, telc and TestDaF. Important: the course level in Germany must directly follow your proven level – skipping a level can undermine the plausibility of your application.

The higher your level on arrival, the fewer course weeks you need to book at the more expensive language school in Germany – which noticeably reduces your total costs. A well-documented learning path without skipped levels also strengthens the plausibility of your application towards the embassy.

The course in Germany may start no earlier than two months after the visa application is submitted – this is an embassy requirement. If the procedure is delayed, most schools allow you to postpone the start date for a fee. If the visa is refused, many language schools refund the course fees minus an administrative charge; the exact conditions depend on the individual school.

TLScontact is the external service provider through which the German Embassy in Tunis accepts study-related visa applications. At the in-person appointment you hand in your complete documents (original plus a clearly legible copy of each, without staples or paper clips) and your biometric data – fingerprints and a photo – are recorded. Also bring the VIDEX printouts with barcodes.

After you upload your documents, the preliminary review usually takes around 7 to 10 days. The TLS appointment is typically scheduled 2 to 3 weeks after validation. Both figures are approximate guide values (based on experience, as of July 2026) – actual times can vary depending on demand.

VIDEX is the official digital application form of the German Federal Foreign Office for national visas. We support you in completing it correctly based on your information and documents – responsibility for the accuracy of the information remains with you as the applicant. After submission you generate printouts with barcodes, which you sign and bring to the TLS appointment.