Welcome
Frequently asked questions about Schengen visas (FAQ)
Your question may already be answered here, so we kindly ask you to read these questions and answers carefully before contacting the German Consulates General or Embassy. Thank you very much.
FAQ
If you want to apply for a visa for more than one person, please book an appointment for each applicant. Only one application will be accepted at each appointment.
Please make an appointment in this category only if you plan to stay in Germany (and other Schengen countries) for no longer than 90 days altogether. If you plan to stay longer than 90 days, please make an appointment in the “national visa” category.
When booking your appointment, please keep in mind that applications should be handed in 15 days before the intended travel date at the latest. From the day you present your application including all (!) necessary documentation it will usually take approx. 2 weeks until your visa can be issued. In exceptional cases proceedings may take longer than that. Applications will be accepted 6 months before the intended travel date at the earliest.
Please note that pick-up of passports is currently not available.
If you are unable to keep an appointment you have booked, please cancel this appointment immediately. Please be advised that this Consulate General reserves the right to deny you further appointments if you do not show for an appointment without cancelling it.
Please apply for a regular visa depending on the purpose of your child's stay. The original certificate of birth of your child is an additional requirement including a certified translation into English or German, if applicable. The application form must be signed by one parent.
If both parents have legal custody and only one parent or no parent is travelling with the child: a declaration of consent of the non-travelling parent/s is required - signature/s must be certified by a notary public if parent is not present at the interview.
In case only one parent has custody proof thereof by means of a parental order or death certificate is required.
Yes, you can. According to the Schengen agreement, Schengen business/visitors/tourist visas are valid for Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The text on your visa sticker should read “valid for Schengen Staates” in the language of the issuing country.
Your passport must remain with the Consulate during processing and cannot be returned to you at the end of your in person appointment.
In general, only persons with permanent resident status in Canada are eligible to apply for a visa. If you are only visiting Canada for a short time, you must apply for the visa at the German embassy or Consulate in your home country.
Yes, you can. Please carefully check your visa’s validity, its number of entries, and the maximum duration of stay (both are indicated on your visa sticker).
We can only accept applicants who hold a valid Canadian permanent resident card or a valid Canadian temporary resident visa (i.e. a work or study visa with an ensured permit to re-enter Canada) with multiple entries. Its validity has to extend the duration of your stay by at least three months. If you have not applied for your permanent resident card yet, please contact the competent Canadian authority, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Please submit your application to the visa section at the consulate of the country which is your primary destination. If you do not have a primary destination among the countries listed above, please apply at the consulate of the country that is your first point of entry.
Just submit the requested documents for the kind of visa you want to apply for as well as an original or certified copy of your spouse’s German passport and the original or certified copy of your certificate of marriage.
Please note, however, that your visa is only valid for stays of up to 90 days. If you want to live and work in Germany, you need to apply for a residence Permit.
It is only possible to extend the validity of visas in certain exceptional cases. This can only be done by the foreigners authority in Germany covering the place of residence of the visa holder. This is the only authority that can decide on an extension of a visa during a visit to Germany. Neither the Federal Foreign Office nor its missions abroad can do so.
You can only enter Germany if you have valid identity papers. On the planned date of departure from Germany, your passport has to be valid at least for another three months and it has to be issued within the last 10 years.
In certain cases, documents have to be presented that prove the purpose and circumstances of the visit.
Similarly, proof may also have to be provided that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself during your stay and to finance the return trip. The amount of funding depends on the type and length of stay. There are no fixed daily rates.
You are advised to take out health insurance before your trip which also covers return transport to your home country.
In cases of repeated entries and a longer duration foreigners who are not nationals of a European Union or European Economic Area state must bear in mind that visits to the Schengen area are restricted to 90 days in any period of 180 days.
For longer stays for example to study or take up employment, different regulations often apply.
Yes. Holders of
- a Schengen visa (text on the visa reads “valid for Schengen states”),
- a residence permit of a member state or
- a national visa of a member state
can also travel to Germany for up to 90 days in any period of 180 days.
The Schengen visa should, however, have been issued by a mission of the country which is the main destination. The country of entry and departure is not the determining factor.
Please still submit your bank statements. In addition you should ask your friends/relatives to request an official letter of commitment (a so-called “Verpflichtungserklärung”). Please bring the original letter of commitment when applying for your visa. For more Information, please follow the link below.
Applicants for a Schengen visa may submit a complaint regarding the conduct of the consular staff or the application process, by using the contact form on our website. In the dropdown menu of the contact form, please choose the option “Complaints regarding the Schengen visa application process in …”. Please note that complaints can only be submitted in German or English. Complaints in a different language cannot be investigated.
You may enter one of the two following options in the subject line:
a. Complaint about the conduct of the consulate staff
b. Complaint about the process of the visa application
We will investigate your complaint.
Important note: Visa applicants cannot use the contact form to file an appeal (“Remonstration”) against decisions made in terms of refusal, annulment or cancelation of a visa.