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A Schengen visa is required if you wish to stay in the Schengen territory for up to 90 days within a 180 day period for business, visitor and/or tourist purposes, and you do not wish to take up employment.

Schengen visas allow people to stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days every six-month period for tourist, business and/or visitor purposes. The German Consulate General in Toronto is locally competent for processing your application if Germany is your main destination.


The German Consulate General in Toronto only processes visa applications to a limited extent.

The Visa Section of the German Consulate General Toronto does not offer consultation by phone. Please contact us by email.


Do I need a visa?

You can find more information on travelling with minors here .


When and where to submit your application

- Only applications from residents of Canada (permanent residents, persons holding a valid Canadian study or work permit) can be accepted. Applications from persons holding a long-term visitor's visa can only be accepted in exceptional cases.

- 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.

Please check here whether you can submit your visa application with the German Consulate General in Toronto: Where do I submit my visa application?

When you book an appointment to submit your application in person, please plan your trip taking into account the 15-day processing time, which is a legal requirement under the Visa Code. You can submit your application at the earliest 6 months before your departure. Appointments for a Schengen visa application can only be made online via our website: Book an appointment with the Consular Section

The visa section reserves the right to cancel a booked appointment, if the processing time of minimum 15 days is not respected!

Application preparation

Prepare your application in the following steps:

  • Please take your time to fill the VIDEX Online Application Form Schengen Visa diligently. The filled, printed and signed form has to be presented at the interview.
  • Take note of the basic data protection regulation: Visa Declaration
  • Take note of the declaration on the use of mail services: Declaration Use of Mail Services
  • Prepare the accompanying application documents. Missing documents may lead to rejection of the application. We have compiled a checklist for you (see below).
  • Read through all the information on visa applications on this page.
  • Book an appointment via the online system for the Consulate General in Toronto: Book an appointment with the Visa Section.


Important information
Please do not send any documents to the Visa Section unless requested to do so, particularly not prior to the submission of your visa application. We are not able to store such documents and will not know which application they belong to. Please always bring all necessary documents with you to your appointment.


In order to submit your application, please attend your appointment in person at the Foreign Mission responsible for your consular district. Visa applications may be submitted by duly authorized representatives of professional, cultural and sports associations on behalf of their members, or by educational institutions on behalf of their students. In this case, submitting complete and conclusive documentation is of major importance. During this appointment, we kindly ask you to submit all of your application documents, pay the fee and answer questions about your planned trip. Your fingerprints will also be taken on this occasion. Fingerprints will also have to be taken in cases where the application was filed by a representative of an association or educational institution. In general, all applications have to be submitted in person.

The responsible Foreign Mission will review your application and make a decision on whether or not to grant you a visa. To this end, it will assess whether your application meets the legal requirements. The interest on entry must be balanced against the security interest of the Federal Republic of Germany. This also applies to visa applications for short-term stays for business purposes or the participation at conferences for example. It needs to be ascertained that knowledge acquired in Germany will not be used to jeopardize the peaceful coexistence of peoples and or public safety and security interests of the Federal Republic of Germany. Processing times for applications submitted with the full set of required documents is generally up to 15 days. In justified cases, the processing time may be extended to 45 days. For that reason, it is highly recommended to apply for your visa early. Applications can be submitted as early as 6 months prior to the intended travel date. Please take note that the visa section will not give information about the state of affairs in a pending application. We therefore appreciate if you could please refrain from any enquiries when your visa will be ready for collection or when it will be delivered to you.

As soon as the authorized mission has decided on your application, your passport will be mailed to you by using the Canada Xpress envelope provided by you. As soon as your passport is returned to you, please check whether the information contained in the visa is correct and corresponds to the information you entered in the application form. In particular, please verify your full name, passport number and validity, i.e. the period of time and the corresponding number of days in which you are allowed to travel. If you do notice an error, please let us know immediately so that the visa will be re-issued. Please note that in case you have not notified the visa section in time about an error in your visa, the visa section cannot be held liable. In case your visa had to be denied, the legal reasons will be given in writing in German and in English. The reasons will be stated in the letter notifying you that your application has been rejected. You are welcome to submit a new application at any time with complete, informative and verifiable documentation.

Your visa will state your full name and passport number and include your photo. It will also state the period of validity. This is the time period in which you can travel. In addition, it will state the maximum number of days you can stay in the Schengen area during the period of validity of your visa.

Please note that being granted a Schengen visa does not guarantee that you will be allowed to enter the Schengen area. The final decision on whether or not you will be allowed to enter the Schengen area will be made by the border police on your arrival. When you arrive, the border police may ask you to present additional documentation alongside your passport and valid visa with information on your financial means, the length and purpose of your stay, and your health insurance coverage. You should therefore take a copy of your visa documents (including an invitation from Germany, hotel reservation and travel health insurance) with you on your trip.

Additional content

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.

Frequently asked questions about Schengen visas (FAQ)

In order to you apply for a visitor visa and if your host in Germany bears your travel costs, you need to provide a financial sponsor letter according to §68 of the German Immigration Law or “Aufenthaltsgesetz”.

Formal obligation - (“Verpflichtungserklärung”)

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