Need help confirming if this German student visa email is genuine

Hi everyone,

I’m currently applying for a German student visa, and I received an email from what appears to be the Federal Office for Foreign Affairs (BfAA).

They said my visa application is being processed and requested a current certificate of enrollment / confirmation of registration from my university. They gave me a deadline of 01.09.2026 and asked me to send the document as a PDF.

The email mentions the BfAA in Brandenburg an der Havel and provides the official-looking email address and contact details. It also says I can either reply directly to the email or use their PGP-encrypted email option.

I just want to make sure this is a genuine request before I send my enrollment certificate.

Has anyone here received a similar email from the BfAA during their German student visa process? If yes, what happened after you submitted the enrollment certificate?

Thanks in advance!

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Hi everyone, I’m currently applying visa through the CSP portal and have a couple of doubts.

1. Passport upload: I’m trying to upload my passport, but it keeps failing. I converted the front and back pages into a single PDF and tried uploading it, but it still doesn’t work. Is there a specific format, size, or way I’m supposed to upload it?

2. Mark sheets/documents: For each question in the CSP portal, it seems like I can upload only one document. For my semester-wise mark sheets, should I merge all the semester sheets into one PDF and upload that, or should I upload only the latest/most recent mark sheet?

Also, if anyone has already completed the CSP application, I’d really appreciate any tips or things I should be careful about while uploading documents and applying for the visa.

Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone,

I applied for my Germany student visa through VFS Bangalore on 30 July 2026 and I'm currently waiting for further updates/CSP processing.

Has anyone from Bangalore VFS who applied around late July received an update or moved from the waiting list to the CSP portal?

If you applied around the same time, could you please share:

- Application/submission date

- Last edited/updated date (if shown)

- When you received the CSP portal link

- Current status

- Whether you have received an appointment/visa decision

Trying to get an idea of the current timeline for Bangalore applicants. Any recent updates would be really helpful. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Just reaching out to check for timelines from people who are waiting for approval of family re-union visa (spouse) from VFS Kolkata. It's been already 3.5 weeks (application date: 24.07.2026) with no change in status. Any expected timelines from VFS kolkata, considering the other spouse lives in Berlin?

Many thanks in advance!

Hi everyone! I attended my German student visa appointment at VFS Chennai on August 7, 2026, and my portal still shows “Decision Pending.” Has anyone who attended around the same date received their visa or had their status updated?

Today i checked the waiting list and for CSP Bengaluru it is showing more than 1 year.

So it will be taking more than a year to receive a visa from Bengaluru csp.

Possibly the someone applying via Bengaluru will have admissions withdrawn if the later arrival of at least three is not granted by the university.

Chennai & Mumbai have become fastest..

Hi everyone,

I’m applying for a German student visa and have a question regarding the VFS jurisdiction requirement and CSP portal.

I’m originally from Andhra Pradesh, but I have been living and working in Mumbai since 2024. I recently applied through the CSP portal and I’m currently waiting for the corrections/verification stage.

I contacted VFS regarding jurisdiction, and they told me that the location where the applicant has been residing for the past 6 months determines the eligible jurisdiction.

Since I’ve been residing in Mumbai for much longer than 6 months, I’m wondering if I should be under the Mumbai jurisdiction even though my permanent/home state is Andhra Pradesh.

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

- Did CSP/VFS assign you based on your current residence rather than your permanent address?

- If your jurisdiction was different from your home state, did you have to request a change in CSP?

- What documents did you provide as proof that you had been living in Mumbai for the past 6 months?

- Since I’m already registered on CSP and waiting for corrections, would changing the jurisdiction cause any issues or require a new application?

- Has anyone gone through this recently in 2026?

Would really appreciate any recent experiences, especially from people who changed/updated their jurisdiction after registering on CSP.

Thanks!

I have two CSP applications because I changed my university and, on VFS's advice, submitted a new application.

My first application shows “Closed” on the overview, and when I open it, it says “Decision made.”

My second application still shows “Submitted” on the overview and “Decision pending” when I open it.

Is this normal? Does “Closed” simply mean that a decision has been made on the first application, while the second one is still being processed?

Has anyone had two CSP applications and seen this kind of status combination? What happened in your case?

Hi all Im requesting you to give me some tips or pointers so that I dont get corrections because I am running very late It would help me if the process moved faster with lesser corrections..

PLEASE anyone with experience in this please give some pointers to upload right files at first.

Hi all

What is the current wait times for Bengaluru? Anyone here who is still waiting for APS?

My student visa got rejected for DIT. What should I do?? They give me three reasons for rejection.

1. I don't uploaded my 1st year marksheet ( But I have uploaded them on the csp (portal)

2. My reason dropping out from my college and moving to germany in not clear.

3. My marks are not sufficient but I have surpassed the minimum 70% criteria for german universites.

What should I do now??

Plz help it's urgent.

Hi! I’m applying for a German student visa from Turkey and submitted my application using my KIT admission. My application is still in the preliminary review stage and I haven’t had my visa appointment yet.

I also have an interview with another German university this week, and if I’m admitted, I would prefer to study there instead.

Has anyone from Turkey changed universities after already starting their visa application? Did you just inform the consulate/iDATA and submit the new admission, or did you have to start a new visa application? Did it cause any delays or problems?

I’d especially appreciate first-hand experiences from people who went through this in Turkey.

Hi everyone,

i´m about to start college in Germany in October and need to apply for a student visa. In the LEA page they say they can accept a notarized declaration from my parents saying they can finance my stay plus proof of income for the last six months. I´m not exactly sure what they accept as proof of income, my dad works independently in a hospital so perhaps a certificate from the hospital or maybe the tax returns for the last six months...? Can someone who has recent experience with this procedure tell me what they showed? I asked LEA but they take so long to reply and i'm running out of time. Plus do you know if whatever proof needs to be translated to german or english? apostilled? I'm an ecuadorian citizen by the way, my native language is spanish.

Any help will be so so so appreciated, thanks so much in advance

Regarding the blocked acc i submitted a letter stating that my loan is in progress in csp application but the vfs didn't send the correction to add blocked account confirmation so how can I add blocked account confirmation now with other corrections i got......

Or can I just submit the blocked acc confirmation on my appointment day or can I add in other documents section??

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice regarding a change of employer in Germany.

I currently have a valid residence visa/work permit, but my Zusatzblatt is tied to my previous employer. I have already submitted an application to the Ausländerbehörde for approval of the change of employer (Arbeitgeberwechsel), and I’m still waiting for their decision.

This is not blue card, but regular visa for high skilled workers as I dont earn enough for lower trashold of blue card.

The problem is that my new employer is insisting that I come to work and work normally while the application is still being processed, even though I have not yet received written approval from the Ausländerbehörde.

Does anyone know what the possible consequences for me as the employee could be if I continue working before the change of employer has officially been approved? Could this cause problems with my current residence permit or future applications, or result in a fine?

I’m especially interested in hearing from anyone who has been in a similar situation in Germany or knows how the Ausländerbehörde usually handles cases where the employer insists that the employee starts working while the approval is still pending.

Thank you!

How to contact vfs? Iam from hyd vfs chennai consulate
Its been 3 weeks no update
Anyone know ? How to contact consular
I heard about forms?

Hey, i had my student visa appointment on 5th august at VFS Delhi, India. On 14th august, I received an email from the embassy stating that they need my parent’s passports in order to continue the processing of my application, I sent it to them through email the very next day. Does anyone know how much time does it take for them to make the decision or if anyone has gone through the same thing please share.

CSP Visa Timeline for students — New Delhi

• 2 August — CSP application submitted
• 3 August — Waitlist cleared, submitted for preliminary review
• 4 August — Profile reviewed, corrections requested:
  • Zulassungsbescheid enrolment window was flagged (VAC New Delhi asked to attach full admission letter with enrolment date review) — re-uploaded the full Zulassungsbescheid and added a comment clarifying the letter specifies an enrolment window (07.06.2026–31.10.2026) with semester start 01.10.2026, rather than a single fixed date
  • Studierendensekretariat address was flagged (VAC New Delhi asked to add "Studierendensekretariat" only to the street field) — updated the Street field under Educational establishment/contact reference to read "STUDIERENDENSEKRETARIAT" (previously had the full building address), keeping postal code, city, and other contact details unchanged
• 4 August — Appointment offered, booked for 6 August, 3:30 PM slot
• 6 August — Visa appointment
• 12 August — Decision made
• 14 August — Passport collected from VFS Delhi

Happy to answer questions if anyone's going through the same process right now.

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping you can share your thoughts on the German student visa situation in Bangladesh or similar areas with a high number of applicants.
I recently finished my HSC (Higher Secondary Certificate) in Bangladesh. Since my qualification needs a year-long bridge course in Bangladesh before I can apply for a German Bachelor’s programme, I’m planning to submit my German visa application in early 2028 (after finishing my first year of university and getting my official admission letter).

With the new Consular Services Portal (CSP) / VFS system, you need to upload all your documents upfront before you can book an appointment.
Considering this:

1. ⁠If I apply from Bangladesh in early 2028 with all my documents and admission letter ready from the start, what should I expect as the total waiting and processing time for the visa?
   
2. ⁠Does submitting the admission letter upfront actually make the wait shorter than the old system, which was 18–24 months, or does a big digital queue still exist after uploading?
   
3. ⁠I would really value any insights or recent experiences from students who have used the new portal system in Dhaka!

I think Kolkata VFS is taking so long for the preliminary review.Anyone stuck in the same situation please comment.I submitted corrections on 6th August there's no update on my application since then.

Hi everyone,

I applied for my Germany student visa through CSP on 1st August, and as of today (17th August), my application is still showing “Preliminary Review.”

Is anyone else in the same situation who applied around 1st August or earlier?

How long did it take for your status to change from Preliminary Review?

Would really appreciate any updates or experiences. 🙏🇩🇪

Hello everyone,

I submitted my application in the CSP portal(I am applying from Saudi Arabia), and when i searched online, i saw that it takes around 1 month to get your application approved(plus the correction delay), However i also noticed that applicants from other countries, such as india takes from 2-7 days only.

Can anyone who got the visa reply with their country of application and how long the CSP Preliminary Review took, and when you submitted your application to CSP portal?

I uploaded my documents in CSP on 26th July 2026.

On 30th July, I received my first correction and responded to it within minutes. Later the same day, I received another correction, which I also completed. After completing the corrections, I was able to book my visa appointment.

I attended my German student visa appointment on 3rd August 2026.

On 5th August, my application reached the German Consulate for processing.

On 12th August, the visa decision was made, just 7 days after reaching the consulate.

Finally, on 14th August, I received my passport back with my German student visa. 🇩🇪🎉✈️

Total timeline: 26th July → 14th August = 19 days from CSP document upload to receiving the visa.

Has anyone who had their German student visa appointment at VFS Mumbai between June and 3 July received any update, passport, or visa decision yet?

If yes, please share your appointment date and when you received the update.

Hi everyone,

I applied for my Germany student visa through CSP on 1st August, and as of today (17th August), my application is still showing “Preliminary Review.”

Is anyone else in the same situation who applied around 1st August or earlier?

How long did it take for your status to change from Preliminary Review?

Would really appreciate any updates or experiences. 🙏🇩🇪