The APS certificate confirms that your Indian academic documents are genuine and meet the criteria for studying in Germany. If your school-leaving certificate or degree is from India, you almost always need one to be admitted to a German university, and APS India says the certificate is generally required for the student visa procedure. For applicants who hold a bachelor’s or master’s degree the fee is 18,000 Indian rupees, and from the summer semester 2027 intake, graduates in engineering, commerce, economics, business, management, tourism and hospitality must also take the dMAT test unless an exemption applies.
Key points
- APS India is part of the German Embassy in New Delhi and works with the DAAD. It does not decide on admission or visas.
- What counts is where your documents were issued, not your nationality.
- The APS fee is non-refundable, whatever the result.
- Verification takes at least two weeks, and there is no fixed processing time.
- From the summer semester 2027 intake, many master’s applicants must also submit a dMAT certificate before APS can finish.
- The certificate arrives as a signed PDF by email. Do not rename, edit or merge it.
What is the APS certificate?
The APS certificate is issued by the Academic Evaluation Centre India (Akademische Prüfstelle, APS India) after it has verified academic documents from Indian educational institutions. APS India is an institution of the Science Section of the German Embassy in New Delhi and works in cooperation with the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It was set up in 2022; the APS procedure itself began in China in 2001 and was introduced in Vietnam in 2007.
APS India verifies documents; it does not decide whether a university admits you or whether you get a visa. Those decisions stay with the German university and the German mission. A positive APS certificate therefore does not guarantee either one.
Sources: APS India: About APS India; APS India: Frequently asked questions.
Who needs an APS certificate?
You almost always need an APS certificate if you obtained your school-leaving certificate in India, have studied some semesters in India or hold an Indian degree, according to the German Missions in India. Your nationality is not the deciding factor: APS India looks at whether your academic documents were issued by Indian institutions. The missions list the APS certificate among the documents to upload for a study visa application.
Exemptions
The German Missions in India name these cases in which you do not need an APS certificate:
- You plan to do a PhD or postdoc in Germany.
- You receive a stipend from EU or German public funds.
- You intend to obtain a non-German degree.
- Your degree is foreign but not Indian, for example British or American.
- You have an international Indian school-leaving certificate or degree, such as the International Baccalaureate.
If you are exempt, the visa checklist asks you to upload a recognition of your school-leaving certificate instead, from the anabin database or a Statement of Comparability from the ZAB. APS India adds that you should check the requirements carefully before assuming you are exempt; for a PhD, for example, the exemption applies only if your German institution does not require APS verification.
Sources: German Missions in India: Checklist for studies; APS India: Frequently asked questions.
How much does the APS certificate cost?
The APS verification fee for applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree is 18,000 Indian rupees, according to the APS India leaflet valid as of October 2026. You can pay online through the CCAvenue portal during registration or by bank transfer; APS India recommends CCAvenue, because a manual transfer lengthens the process. The fee is non-refundable once paid, regardless of the outcome of the verification.
If the dMAT applies to you, you pay its fee separately to g.a.s.t., the organisation that runs the test. The fee is currently 150 euros, payable at registration by PayPal or by Mastercard or Visa credit card with 3D Secure. Debit cards are not accepted.
| Fee | Amount | Paid to |
|---|---|---|
| APS verification | 18,000 Indian rupees | APS India (non-refundable) |
| dMAT test, only if your field is affected | 150 euros | g.a.s.t. |
Sources: APS India: Information leaflet for students with a Bachelor or Master degree (valid as of October 2026); APS India: Apply for APS verification; APS India: Digital Master Test (dMAT); g.a.s.t.: dMAT in India. Last verified 6 November 2026.
The dMAT: the new test for many master’s applicants
The digital Master Test (dMAT) is a standardised academic aptitude test that is now part of the APS documentation for selected master’s applicants. It is run by g.a.s.t. (Gesellschaft für Akademische Studienvorbereitung und Testentwicklung), not by APS India. For applicants in the affected fields, it is required for intakes from the summer semester 2027 onwards, unless a transitional exemption applies.
Which degrees are affected
You must take the dMAT if your undergraduate degree is in one of these fields:
- Engineering and technology: every B.Tech or B.Eng, whatever the specialisation, and every other undergraduate engineering degree, whatever it is called.
- Commerce and economics: commerce, accounting, finance or economics.
- Business and management: business administration or management studies.
- Tourism, travel and hospitality: tourism, travel, hotel and hospitality management.
- Integrated and dual degrees: if any component or major field of the programme falls within one of the fields above.
For other combined or non-standard degrees, the dMAT is mandatory if the core discipline or major field is one of these. If your degree is in a boundary area, APS India strongly advises taking the test so that your APS application can be processed without delay.
You may see a shorter list elsewhere. The g.a.s.t. page on the dMAT in India still names only engineering, commerce and economics, and business and management. APS India added tourism, travel and hospitality as a separate category on 5 November 2026, and APS decides on your certificate, so its list is the one to follow.
Who does not need the dMAT
- Applicants for bachelor’s programmes in Germany, and PhD applicants.
- Bachelor students who have not yet completed at least five semesters of a three-year programme or at least seven semesters of a four-year programme.
- Applicants whose previous degree is not in one of the affected fields.
- Participants in officially confirmed exchange, double-degree or university partnership programmes. Send the confirmation, including your group number, with your APS documents.
- Applicants who already received their APS certificate, for that completed procedure.
- Applicants who completed their APS online registration, or shipped their complete APS documents, before 29 June 2026. This applies to that APS procedure only; a new application later follows the rules in force at that time.
Test format, dates and results
The dMAT is taken digitally at a test centre and lasts three and a half hours, with a break between its two parts: a core module of three subtests on general cognitive and analytical abilities, and the General Academic Module, which applies them to academic problems. All questions are single-choice, and the current subject modules are in English. Test centres in India include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Kolkata, Mananthavady, Mumbai, New Delhi and Pune; seats are given on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring your valid passport: no other identification document is accepted. You must also upload a passport-style photo before the registration deadline, or you will not be admitted to the test.
| Registration deadline | Test date | Results released |
|---|---|---|
| 4 January 2027 | 16 January 2027 | 8 February 2027 |
| 1 March 2027 | 13 March 2027 | 5 April 2027 |
Results are published in the g.a.s.t. participant portal, where you download the certificate. It shows a percentile rank and a dMAT score on a scale from 0 to 200 with an average of 100, reported separately for the core module and the General Academic Module; the overall result is the sum of the two. The certificate is valid indefinitely, though a university that receives it directly may set its own limit, and you may take the test as often as you like. The result is shown on your APS certificate.
A low score does not automatically lead to a refused APS certificate: the dMAT is not a pass-or-fail test for APS. Universities decide individually how to use the result.
You can deregister only up to the registration deadline, and only through the g.a.s.t. participant portal. If you paid online, the fee is credited back to your account, minus an administrative charge of up to 15%. If you deregister later, do not attend or stop during the test, you get no refund.
Sources: APS India: Digital Master Test (dMAT); g.a.s.t.: dMAT in India; g.a.s.t.: digital Master Test (dMAT); g.a.s.t.: dMAT FAQ for graduate students from India; g.a.s.t.: dMAT terms and conditions.
How to apply for the APS certificate, step by step
- Register online at aps-india.de, then print the application form and sign it yourself. Incomplete or incorrect information invalidates the application.
- Pay the APS fee through CCAvenue during registration, or by bank transfer.
- Register for the dMAT separately, if it applies to you. You can send your APS documents before you have the dMAT certificate. APS India may start checking them, but can only complete the procedure once the dMAT certificate has been submitted and the result has been checked against the information provided by g.a.s.t.
- Send your documents by post or courier to APS India in New Delhi, including the signed application form, and keep the tracking details. There are no personal drop-offs or visiting hours.
- Wait for verification. Only complete applications are processed, and APS may ask for more documents. Tell your college that APS may contact it: institutions must reply from an official email address, and Gmail and similar addresses are not accepted.
- Receive the certificate by email. Your online profile shows the result, and successful applicants get a digital APS certificate. You can then apply for your visa.
Sources: APS India: Information leaflet for students with a Bachelor or Master degree (valid as of October 2026); APS India: Frequently asked questions.
Documents for master’s applicants
APS India’s checklist for applicants with a bachelor’s or master’s degree asks for these documents. Send legible A4 colour photocopies, both sides where relevant, and do not send any original documents with your application. APS reserves the right to request additional documents.
- Printed and signed application form with a passport photo no older than six months
- Copy of the APS fee receipt
- Copy of your Aadhaar card with linked mobile number
- Copy of your passport (first and last page)
- Copies of your Class X and Class XII marksheets and certificates, and your Class XII admit card if available
- Copies of the marksheets of all semesters
- Copy of your bachelor’s degree, or a provisional certificate from your college no older than one year if the degree has not been issued yet
- Copy of your master’s degree and transcripts, if you have one
- Copy of your dMAT certificate, if the dMAT applies to you
- Signed Student Authorisation Letter
A language certificate is not mandatory for APS. Documents in English do not need to be notarised; a document issued only in a regional language needs a notarised English translation. You cannot add new or updated academic documents later together with your dMAT certificate in the same APS procedure, so send everything at once.
Sources: APS India: Information leaflet for students with a Bachelor or Master degree (valid as of October 2026); APS India: Frequently asked questions; APS India: Digital Master Test (dMAT).
How long does APS take, and when should you start?
APS verification takes at least two weeks, and APS India gives no fixed processing time. It can take longer at busy times or when schools, boards or universities are slow to answer verification queries.
If the dMAT applies to you, the test schedule sets the pace. A candidate who sits the 16 January 2027 test gets results on 8 February 2027, and APS can only finish after it has the dMAT certificate and has checked the result with g.a.s.t. Register for the dMAT and send your APS documents early, so that both run in parallel.
Sources: APS India: Apply for APS verification; APS India: Frequently asked questions; APS India: Digital Master Test (dMAT); g.a.s.t.: dMAT in India.
After you receive your certificate
APS certificates are issued as electronically signed PDF files and sent to the email address you registered with. Keep the original file safe and submit it unchanged to universities, uni-assist, VFS or the visa section: do not rename, edit or merge it with other documents.
You will also need proof that you can pay for your living costs, usually a blocked account; see our German blocked account guide. If you are considering a private university, read how to check whether it is state-recognised before you pay any fees.
Sources: APS India: Frequently asked questions; German Missions in India: Checklist for studies.
Sources and method
We read every source below on 6 November 2026, and a second, independent check compared each statement in this guide with the original wording. Where APS India and g.a.s.t. differed, we followed the more recently updated APS India page. Rules and fees change, so confirm the current details on aps-india.de before you pay. We review this guide at least every three months.
AdmitArrive receives commissions from partner institutions and service providers. This guide relies only on official sources and does not depend on any partner.
- APS India: About APS India
- APS India: Frequently asked questions
- APS India: Apply for APS verification
- APS India: Information leaflet for students with a Bachelor or Master degree (valid as of October 2026)
- APS India: Digital Master Test (dMAT) (6 November 2026)
- g.a.s.t.: dMAT in India
- g.a.s.t.: digital Master Test (dMAT)
- g.a.s.t.: dMAT FAQ for graduate students from India
- g.a.s.t.: dMAT terms and conditions
- German Missions in India: Checklist for studies (16 February 2026)