Find out if you need an APS
Country, degree, and target German state determine whether you need an APS certificate, what kind, and how long it takes.
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How this works
- Tell us your country and degree
- We apply the APS rules
- See if you need an APS and which kind
See your full Germany plan
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Common questions
APS applies to qualifications earned in India, China, Vietnam, regardless of nationality. Applicants for German Bachelor or Master studies generally need an APS certificate. Exchange students, PhD candidates, and most DAAD scholarship holders are typically exempt. Qualifications earned elsewhere do not require APS; check your university's document requirements.
Fees vary by country: India ₹18,000 (the fee shown on the APS India online registration form), China around 2,500 CNY (~280 EUR; includes the individual interview), Vietnam around 1.5M VND (~60 EUR). Confirm the fee with the relevant APS office before paying.
For India, processing times vary; check aps-india.de for current guidance before planning your application. For China and Vietnam, confirm current processing times with the relevant APS office. Plan ahead of your university deadline rather than relying on a fixed turnaround.
APS India issues the certificate as an electronically signed PDF and sends it to the email address you registered with. Keep the original file and submit it unchanged: do not rename, edit or merge it, so the signature can be verified. The certificate reflects the qualifications you had when your application was processed. If you later finish a qualification that changes your admission category, a new evaluation with a new payment may be needed. For China and Vietnam, check the certificate format and rules with your APS office.
No. PhD candidates from APS-required countries are exempt from APS verification, because doctoral admission is decided directly by the supervising professor and faculty. You will still need to submit notarised transcripts and degree certificates, but the APS-specific document workflow is replaced by direct correspondence with the receiving institute.
For India, use the APS India checklist for your procedure. For graduates it includes copies of your Class X and XII marksheets and certificates, all semester marksheets, your Bachelor degree (and Master documents, if any), passport, Aadhaar, the signed application form and the fee receipt, among other items; the checklist has the full list. Send A4 colour photocopies to APS India by post or courier; in-person drop-offs are not available. Documents already in English need no notarisation, and documents issued only in a regional language need a notarised English translation. For China and Vietnam, follow your APS office's checklist; China additionally requires you to attend an in-person interview.
No, the APS interview (only for China) is not graded or shared with the universities; it's a verification step to confirm your stated qualifications match your actual academic background. Two academics ask 15 to 20 minutes of subject-area questions in your university's language of instruction. Failing the interview means you'd need to reapply with corrected documents; passing simply releases your APS certificate.