Visa and insurance for internships abroad

On this page you will find information about visa and insurances for your training period abroad.

Visa

If you are not from Germany or the European Union, please check the visa information given by the Federal Foreign Office of your home country.

Students from EU member states do not need a visa or a separate work permit to do an internship in an ERASMUS programme country. All that is required for entry into the country is a valid travel document (a valid passport, for example). One exception to this rule is Turkey.

For stays outside the ERASMUS programme countries, a visa and work permit are normally required, however. The regulations for internships vary widely among the individual countries. You therefore need to obtain the relevant information about the regulations in your specific destination country (for example, from embassies or consulates). In most cases, it is not possible to enter the country on a tourist visa and then convert this to a visa for the purpose of the internship after arrival. Depending on the particular host country, it can take up to several weeks to process your enquiries and the actual visa application. Please ensure that you start arranging these matters in good time.

Detailed information on the entry requirements for the individual countries is available on the website of the Federal Foreign Office. Important medical advice for your destination country can also be found here. Always ensure that you allow sufficient time for any vaccinations needed. Some vaccinations must be repeated at intervals of several weeks or several months, for instance, in order to provide reliable protection.

Insurance

Students who wish to do an internship abroad must ensure they have sufficient insurance cover. Some funding programmes (for instance, the Erasmus internship programme) will require you to have particular insurance cover.

Please note that you are personally responsible for ensuring you have sufficient insurance cover during your stay abroad. Neither Nordhausen University of Applied Sciences nor any other institution involved in implementing your exchange/funding is liable for the consequences of you being insufficiently insured or not insured at all.

For your existing insurance policies, make sure you find out in advance what services are covered abroad and for what period of time, and then take out any additional insurance that may be required. There is a wide range of insurance providers that offer suitable cover.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), for instance, provides insurance packages specifically for student internships. For further details and related links, see the DAAD website.

Health insurance

The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is valid for a stay within the EU. Germany has also concluded social security agreements with various countries outside the EU. In these cases, students have to obtain proof of health insurance from their German health insurance provider. Please note, however, that existing insurance cover may be insufficient, in particular if return transport or special medical interventions are necessary. Normally, only treatment that is a medical necessity will be covered. It might therefore be a good idea to take out additional private health insurance.

In any case, for stays outside the EU or in countries that have no social security agreement with Germany, students will have to arrange private health insurance cover for the duration of their stay. Simple travel health insurance for holiday trips is normally insufficient for longer studies or an internship abroad.

Accident and liability insurance

In advance of an internship abroad, it is important to talk to the internship organisation to find out to what extent your organisation’s accident and liability insurance will cover you as an intern. Unlike in Germany, many companies abroad do not have occupational accident and liability insurance for their employees. You are therefore strongly recommended to take out private insurance.

It is advisable to clarify with your insurer whether and to what extent you will be covered in your destination country. Also bear in mind that some international insurance policies are limited to a particular length of stay (six to eight weeks, for example), making them insufficient for studies abroad. In this case, you should take out additional insurance for the duration of your internship. Since many providers do not cover injuries at the workplace, it is particularly important to ensure that this cover is explicitly included in your policy.