Which Language Certificates can be accepted for the visa procedure?

For the visa procedure, language certificates can only be accepted as proof of German language skills if they are based on a standardised language exam according to the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE).

This is currently the case for certificates of the following providers – irrespective of where the exam took place:

• Goethe-Institut e.V.,
• telc GmbH,
• Österreichisches Sprachdiplom (ÖSD),
• TestDaF-Institut e.V. (Institut der Fernuniversität Hagen und der Ruhr-Universität Bochum; Sprachprüfungsniveau erst ab Stufe “B2” GER).
• ECL Prüfungszentrum (Träger der Prüfungen, Prüfung erfolgt durch AFU GmbH)

How can I take the exam in Ethiopia?

• In person-exams in Addis Ababa are offered by the Goethe Institute.
• Online exams are offered by telc.

Where can I find further information about proving language skills for a visa application?

Further information on proof of language skills is available in the Visa Handbook of the Federal Foreign Office (in German) in the chapter entitled “Sprachnachweise”.