# Student visa -> tourist visa



## bottled_water (Sep 2, 2015)

Hi guys,

I am a recent graduate who just completed an exchange semester in Berlin and is planing on staying to find a job here. 

I'm 28, and from Australia. I came to Berlin six months ago to undertake an exchange semester at a university here and have now graduated and would absolutely love to stay in Berlin. My degree is in Computer Science which seems to be booming here. I have a few years experience so I don't think finding a job would be too difficult. However the German visa system eludes me, so I have a quick question for anyone who has done this before.

My student visa expires at the end of September. I was on the 90 day Schengen visa for the first three months I was in Berlin, then I switched to the student visa. My understanding is that the Schengen visa can be used for 90 days every six months. Does this mean that I can leave the EU on September 30th and then fly back in on October 1st and get a new tourist visa? I think that would be the easiest way to stay by far. Three months should be plenty of time to find a job.

Otherwise, I see that there is a job seekers visa. My university is recognised but I don't think the graduation paperwork will come through before October, so I'd have to leave the EU until then.

Thanks for any assistance you can offer


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## beppi (Jun 10, 2013)

Ask the visa-issuing authorities, but I guess a 3-month Schengen visa right after your student visa runs out is possible. You might not even need to leave Germany for this, if you apply beforehand!


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## miaux (Jul 16, 2014)

Do you have an actual German degree or you just came here for 1 semester and have a degree from your uni in Aus? 

If you have a German degree, then it is quite easy. Book an appointment (or wait there at 4 am to have an appointment that day) at the auslanbehorde and ask them to switch your current visa for a job suche visa ( if you have a German degree, you can have 18 months of this job suche visa while you sort out your degree and then switch it for a job visa. You can ask your uni for a letter that the degree will be ready in December). 

If you happen to have a job contract before time, just take it along with the letter of the Uni saying that you are done (no more classes), and that you are waiting for your degree, and they will switch for the job visa right away. 

If you were only here for a semester, and do not have a German degree, then you cannot just stay and work here. You would need to go back, and apply. 

Check the regulations for job visas in your uni, it is very country specific. 

In my case, I studied my masters in Berlin ( HWR), and had a job offer before I got the degree. So the auslandbehorde told me to bring a letter from my uni stating that I was done, along with my job contract and they did the switch on the spot.


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## bottled_water (Sep 2, 2015)

Thanks for your reply.

My degree will be from the university in Australia as I was just here for a semester.

I've looked into the Job Seekers visa some more and I think you're right, I'd have to fly back to Australia to apply for it 

What do you think about just re-entering on a new Schengen visa? I've done tons of research on this but haven't been able to confirm or deny it. It's the easiest option but I really don't want to be confirming it at the border when I try to re-enter 

I'm not even sure who to ask about this for a definite answer, since the rules are set by the EU, right?


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## miaux (Jul 16, 2014)

i dont think its as easy as you think... there is a rule for schengen visa re entries... like once you exit schengen space, you need to wait some days ( 180 ??) before re entering again on a visitor visa ... but yes... it will raise some eyebrows at passport control. Once they stopped me because I was entering 3 days before the expiry of my residency visa... but once i showed i had the confirmed appointment at the auslanbehorde for 3 days later, they let me go. 

CHeck the rules for schengen, and youll find more accurate information, 

All the best!


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## bottled_water (Sep 2, 2015)

Thanks for your help guys!

For anyone else in this situation, it appears that any national long-stay visa is completely separate from the Schengen 90 days tourist visa.

Here is the relevant regulation from the Schengen Borders Code and in particular article 5:



> For intended stays on the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180-day period, which entails considering the 180-day period preceding each day of stay, the entry conditions for third-country nationals shall be the following:
> […]
> 
> 1a. For the purposes of implementing paragraph 1, the date of entry shall be considered as the first day of stay on the territory of the Member States and the date of exit shall be considered as the last day of stay on the territory of the Member States. *Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States*.


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