The shutdown of Germany’s visa section in Tehran has entered its fifth month, cutting off one of the most important academic migration routes to Germany just as the winter-semester application season peaks. Since TLScontact – the external service provider that handles appointments for the German embassy – suspended operations in January 2026, thousands of prospective students have found themselves without interview slots or guidance. The Local spoke with Zahra, an accepted master’s candidate at Leuphana University, and Radin, an admitted computer-science student, who both risk losing their places. University enrolments can be deferred only once; another missed semester may force students to start the entire admission process again, jeopardising scholarships and, in Radin’s case, triggering compulsory military service in Iran. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office told The Local that a small number of dossiers are being rerouted to Yerevan, Armenia, but only those that were already in “advanced stages” before January.
![Iranian Students Stuck as German Visa Processing in Tehran Remains Frozen]()
For applicants looking for workable alternatives, services like VisaHQ can sometimes step in to bridge the gap. Via its Germany page (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), VisaHQ compiles the latest entry requirements, assists with document preparation and can forward applications to embassies or consulates outside Iran—potentially saving students time and uncertainty while regular processing channels remain frozen.
For new applicants the pipeline is effectively closed. Green-Party MP Boris Mijatovic has pressed the government to create emergency processing capacity elsewhere in the region, warning that “each lost cohort costs Germany scarce STEM talent.” In 2024 Germany issued roughly 46,000 visas in Tehran; that figure halved in 2025 and is on course for an even steeper drop this year. For German employers and universities the freeze comes at the worst possible moment. The country needs a net 400,000 foreign workers annually, and the new Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card) scheme relies on predictable processing times to attract early adopters. Mobility managers at multinational firms say they have begun diverting internships and graduate-intake programmes to Canada and the Netherlands because they can no longer guarantee German entry permits in time. Practical advice for affected applicants is thin. The Foreign Office recommends monitoring embassy websites in neighbouring countries and warns that travelling without an appointment “does not accelerate” cases. Experts urge universities to issue extended admission letters and consider remote-start options so that students keep their places while the visa log-jam is resolved.
For applicants looking for workable alternatives, services like VisaHQ can sometimes step in to bridge the gap. Via its Germany page (https://www.visahq.com/germany/), VisaHQ compiles the latest entry requirements, assists with document preparation and can forward applications to embassies or consulates outside Iran—potentially saving students time and uncertainty while regular processing channels remain frozen.
For new applicants the pipeline is effectively closed. Green-Party MP Boris Mijatovic has pressed the government to create emergency processing capacity elsewhere in the region, warning that “each lost cohort costs Germany scarce STEM talent.” In 2024 Germany issued roughly 46,000 visas in Tehran; that figure halved in 2025 and is on course for an even steeper drop this year. For German employers and universities the freeze comes at the worst possible moment. The country needs a net 400,000 foreign workers annually, and the new Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card) scheme relies on predictable processing times to attract early adopters. Mobility managers at multinational firms say they have begun diverting internships and graduate-intake programmes to Canada and the Netherlands because they can no longer guarantee German entry permits in time. Practical advice for affected applicants is thin. The Foreign Office recommends monitoring embassy websites in neighbouring countries and warns that travelling without an appointment “does not accelerate” cases. Experts urge universities to issue extended admission letters and consider remote-start options so that students keep their places while the visa log-jam is resolved.
