Algeria student visa

Embassies issue a study visa to applicants enrolled in a public or private educational establishment approved by the Algerian state. Financing is shown with a scholarship certificate from the Algerian authorities or from the student's own government, or with proof that the student can pay for studies and living costs.

Mission checklists are short: a registration letter from an accredited Algerian institution, evidence of a scholarship or sufficient income, two forms with photos and a passport valid for six months with two blank pages. Students who are not citizens of the country where they apply add a copy of their residence permit.

Study visa fees follow reciprocity: USD 160 for US citizens in Washington. The resident card requires a fiscal stamp whose amount is set by the stamp code.

The study visa only gets you into the country. Law No. 08-11 requires every foreigner who settles in Algeria to apply for a resident card at least 15 days before the visa expires, and gives students a card valid for no longer than their documented course. For the resident card the interior ministry asks for the application form, the birth certificate, five identical photos, a fiscal stamp, a medical certificate (general medicine and chest/tuberculosis screening), a copy of the passport with the entry visa and a residential tenancy contract, plus a certificate of enrolment at the school or university.

Apply at the competent police (sûreté) service of your place of residence. A minor who reaches 18 while studying must apply within eight days of the 18th birthday.

The law allows the resident card of foreign students to be renewed on the basis of the necessary supporting documents, in practice a new enrolment certificate for the next year of study. A resident who leaves Algeria for an uninterrupted year loses resident status. When moving house for good or for more than six months, a resident must declare the change to the police, gendarmerie or town hall within 15 days.