Praktikum visa for Indians: the internship route nobody explains clearly

"Praktikum" gets mentioned in passing across a dozen guides on this site: as a mandatory step in a curriculum, as a résumé-builder, as a semester requirement, but almost nowhere is it explained as its own visa question. If you're not already enrolled at a German university and want to come to Germany specifically for an internship, the rules are genuinely different from the student and Ausbildung paths, and the two situations get confused constantly. This guide separates them.

The three different situations, and which one applies to you

You're already studying at a German university, and your internship is required by your program. This is the simplest case. §16b of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) states directly: "The residence purpose of study also encompasses study-preparatory measures and the completion of a mandatory internship." You don't need a separate visa: your existing student residence permit already covers this. (This applies specifically to a Pflichtpraktikum, one your examination regulations require. A voluntary internship on top of your studies is a different case, not addressed by this provision.)

You're enrolled at a university outside Germany (in India) and want a subject-related internship in Germany. This runs under §19c AufenthG combined with §15 Nr. 6 of the Beschäftigungsverordnung (Employment Ordinance): §19c is the general provision for BeschV-listed employment purposes, and §15 Nr. 6 is the specific clause covering this case. (Don't confuse this with §16a AufenthG, which governs vocational training (Ausbildung) inside Germany and is a different pathway entirely, covered in our Ausbildung guide.) The internship needs to align with your field of study, and you generally need to have completed at least 4 semesters before you can apply. This route allows internships of up to one year.

You're not enrolled anywhere in Germany or India in a way that ties to a curriculum, a recent graduate, or someone doing a voluntary internship unconnected to a specific course requirement. This is §16e AufenthG, built on EU Directive 2016/801. The law's own eligibility text requires that you either completed a higher-education degree within the last two years, or are currently studying toward one. §16e caps the internship at six months, with no extension built into the provision itself.

There is no single "Praktikum visa." Which pathway applies to you depends entirely on your enrollment status and how the internship connects to your studies, so identify your situation from the three above before you start collecting documents.

Do you get paid at least minimum wage?

Not automatically: Germany's Mindestlohngesetz (Minimum Wage Act) treats interns as employees entitled to minimum wage by default, but §22 carves out four specific exemptions. You are exempt if your internship is:

1. Mandatory under a school, training, or higher-education regulation, or part of a legally regulated Berufsakademie program (this covers most Pflichtpraktikum cases).
2. Up to three months, for orientation ahead of vocational training or starting a degree.
3. Up to three months, run alongside vocational or higher education, but only if you haven't already done this kind of internship with the same employer before.
4. An Einstiegsqualifizierung or Berufsausbildungsvorbereitung under specific Social Code / Vocational Training Act provisions.

If your internship doesn't fit one of these four categories, including a voluntary internship longer than three months, you are legally entitled to at least the statutory minimum wage, which is €13.90 gross per hour as of 1 January 2026. A 6-month voluntary internship under §16e, for example, does not automatically qualify for exemption just because it's a "Praktikum": check which of the four categories, if any, actually applies to your specific arrangement.

Financial proof: what we could confirm, and what's still open

For a short-term Schengen visa (internships of 90 days or less), the German Missions in India use a flexible, documentation-based standard rather than a fixed blocked-account figure. Their checklist asks for pay slips or bank statements from the last three months, an employment contract if applicable, and Indian income tax return acknowledgments (or Form 16) for the last two assessment years, proof of means, not a set Sperrkonto amount. Travel medical insurance with minimum €30,000 coverage is required at this stage.

For the long-term (national, "type D") Praktikum visa specifically, covering the §19c/§15 BeschV and §16e pathways above, we could not find a published, India-specific financial-proof figure. Other missions (outside India) publish their own numbers, but those don't transfer across missions, and using a figure from a different country's mission page would be guessing. If you're at this stage, check directly with the German Mission in India (New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, or Mumbai, depending on your jurisdiction) for the current requirement rather than relying on a number quoted elsewhere.

Can this convert into something longer-term?

This is the most common question people ask about internship visas, and it's also the one we could not verify from a primary source. BAMF's published guidance on entry categories (au pair, internship, voluntary service, working holiday) treats them as separate tracks without addressing whether you can switch from a Praktikum permit into a jobseeker visa or an employment permit without leaving Germany first. Treat this as a genuinely open question: the honest answer right now is "consult your local Ausländerbehörde or an immigration lawyer for a current, case-specific answer," not a general "yes" or "no." If you find an authoritative answer, that's exactly the kind of thing worth updating this guide with.

What this means in practice

• If your internship is required by a German degree you're already enrolled in: you're covered by your existing student permit, no separate application needed.
• If you're studying in India and want a subject-related internship in Germany after your 4th semester: look at §19c AufenthG combined with §15 Nr. 6 BeschV, up to a year.
• If you're a recent graduate or doing a voluntary internship unconnected to a specific curriculum: §16e, capped at six months, no built-in extension.
• Check the minimum-wage exemption categories against your specific internship before assuming it's unpaid or paid, don't assume either way.
• For financial proof on a long-stay internship visa, contact the German Mission in India directly rather than using a figure from another country's mission page.

Related guides on this site

• How to apply to a German university from India
• Ausbildung: Germany's vocational training path for Indians
• Working as a student in Germany: rules and limits
• Post-study visa: the 18-month job search permit explained