Citizens of the United States of America may enter Germany without a visa. After entering Germany you have to apply for your residence permit.
Required documents:
For further information please refer to the following website: http://www.germany.info/relaunch/info/consular_services/visa.html
Please note that only citizens of the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, as well as EU citizens may enter Germany without a visa. For all other countries, please check which requirements might apply for your citizenship as soon as possible.
International students from all other countries must – with a few exceptions – obtain a visa for entry into Germany. They can get this visa from the relevant German mission abroad. Basically, the process differentiates between two types of visas. Except for rare instances, you have to submit your application in person. Upon submission of all required documents the application will be forwarded to the Aliens’ Registration Office (Auslaenderbehoerde) in charge for your intended place of residence in Germany. After the application has been approved by the Aliens’ Registration Office the Consulate will issue a residence permit in the form of a visa. The Aliens’ Registration Office requires all residence permit holders to register upon their first arrival.
The Schengen Visa is issued for a short stay (for example, tourism, participation in a summer school) of up to three months per half-yearly period. Beware: Holders of a Schengen Visa must leave the country again after three months at the latest. This means the Schengen Visa is not a suitable instrument if you wish to continue studying , do a doctorate or complete a research stay in Germany. Student visa applications take about 25 days to be processed.
Required documents: