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

The vast majority of travellers do not need a visa when transiting through Germany or Austria. Entry clearance requirements depend on their citizenship or resident status.

Please note the difference between an AIRPORT TRANSIT visa and a regular TRANSIT visa.

We are responsible for processing your application for a transit visa if either Germany or Austria is your first point of entry to the Schengen area.

Canadian citizens do not need a Schengen visa to transit in the Schengen area. Please review information about passport requirements below.
Non-Canadian citizens who wish to transit via Germany or Austria may require a Schengen visa depending on their citizenship and resident status.
Convention Refugees: Holders of a blue Canadian Travel Document do not need a visa for transit in Germany.

Airport Transit

You may require an airport transit visa if you transit through one airport in Germany or Austria.

Please note that an airport transit visa only allows you a stay in the international transit area.
Airports with International Transit Area in Germany and Austria are:

• Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
• München/ Munich International Airport (MUC)
• Berlin Airport (BER, 6am to 11pm only)
• Hamburg Airport (HAM, 4:30am to 11:30pm only)
• Düsseldorf Airport (DUS, 6am to 9pm only). Only if the carrier has arranged for transit facilities with the Federal Police beforehand. Please check with your airline!

Transit

Please note the following requirements for a transit visa:

You can find more information on where to submit your application here

Preparing your application

• Please fill out the visa application form and two declarations:
  
  

  Application Form

  Please use the VIDEX Online Application Form Schengen Visa
  
  If you have technical problems completing the Videx form, please download this form onto your computer Application Form Schengen Visa (not handicapped accessible) in order to fill it in (if possible, please avoid completing the form by hand).
  

  Declarations

  Visa Declaration
  

  Declaration Use of Mail Serivces
  

• Please compile the documents you need to submit with your application. If documents or supporting documentation are missing, your application may be rejected. We have prepared a checklist for each type of visa:
  
  

  Airport Transit Visa

  Airport Transit Visa Checklist
  

  Transit Visa

  Checklist Transit Visa_2020
  

• Please book an appointment to submit your application in person. 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 to which application they belong. Please always bring all necessary documents with you to your appointment.

Submitting your application

In order to submit your application, please attend your appointment in person at the German Mission responsible for your consular district. 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.

What happens during processing?

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. Processing times for applications submitted with the full set of required documents is up to 15 days. In justified cases, the processing time may be extended to 45 days. 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.

Return of your passport

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.

Have a good trip!
Information for visa holders

If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel. Please check the information on the label as soon as your passport is returned to you. You should let us know immediately if there are any mistakes so that we can issue you a new visa. 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.