General Information

Locations for Research and Training

As a cooperation between four institutions, the IMPRS-GM activities are distributed across four cities. Your workplaces are located at the institutions where you are under contract.
The coordination office is located at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology (MPI) in Halle (Saale). A large part of the curriculum, including regular courses and teaching modules, also take place at the MPI, too, while the annual Spring School rotates between the participating institutions.

Visa Regulations

If you are not a German citizen, check the website of the German Federal Foreign Office to find out whether or not you need a visa to enter Germany. Some general guidance is provided below.

EU and EEA citizens
If you are a citizen of the EU, or a non-EU country in the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland), you do not need either a visa or a residence permit to enter and work in Germany.

You do need to register your residence at the local residents’ registration office within two weeks of moving to Germany.

Citizens of all other countries
For most other countries, you need to apply for a visa at an embassy or consulate in your home country prior to entering Germany. Please take into consideration that processing your visa application can take up to three months. When you apply for a visa, you must indicate the purpose of your stay. You need to make sure that you apply for the correct visa, as there are different types. Your visa should allow you to come here for study and research, e.g.:

The following types of visas are not suitable:

  • Tourist visa: as a doctoral student you should not enter the country with a tourist visa because this cannot be converted into a residence permit after your arrival.
  • Schengen visa: if you enter Germany with a Schengen Visa, you will not be able to apply for a residence permit that allows for employment.

Please note: If you have a spouse who will be coming with you and wishes to work while in Germany, make sure this is stated in your spouse’s visa application; otherwise, they will not be able to apply for a work permit after arrival in Germany.

Citizens of certain third countries can enter Germany and stay for up to three months without a visa. After arrival in Germany, you will need to apply for a residence permit that allows for employment as a doctoral student.

For more information on visa regulations, please see the websites of the German Federal Foreign Office and the German Rectors’ Conference.

Support with Visas and Residence Permits

The IMPRS cannot directly facilitate or help with applying for visas or residents permits outside of Halle. Those employed at the MPI but enrolled in other universities, such as Leipzig or Erlangen, need to liaise with the international office of their university.

Residence and work permits are processed by the immigration office in the German city where you live. Students affiliated with the MPI and enrolled in Halle but residing in a different location (e.g., Berlin or some other city) need to independently navigate the visa and permit application procedure.

► Find out more about registration and enrolment at university.

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