Generally speaking, third-country nationals require a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.
An exemption applies to EU nationals and nationals of those countries for which the European Community has with the visa regulation of the European Union abolished the visa requirement for short stays of up to 90 days in a 180‑day period.
You can check here to see if you require a visa:
Table of countries whose citizens require/do not require visas to enter Germany
The Embassies and Consulates General (missions abroad) of the Federal Republic of Germany are responsible for issuing visas.
Ratione loci competence (local responsibility) for processing visa applications lies with the mission responsible for the area in which you have your ordinary residence or domicile. An overview of all missions abroad can be found here (in German only).
Please note that ratione materiae competence (subject-matter responsibility) lies with the mission of the Schengen state in whose territory the sole or main destination is situated. You can therefore submit your visa application at a German mission abroad, especially if you wish to travel to Germany.
As a matter of principle, Federal Foreign Office headquarters is not involved in decisions on individual visa applications.
The visa type that you need depends on both the purpose of your travel and the length of your stay.
Generally, for stays of up to 90 days, you apply for a Schengen visa.
For longer stays, you apply for a national visa.
The processing fee for a Schengen visa is normally EUR 90 and the fee for a national visa (for longer stays) is EUR 75.
However, both the Visa Code (Schengen visas) and the Ordinance Governing Residence (national visas) provide for fee reductions or waivers in certain cases.
Visa fees are waived by all Schengen states for the following categories of persons, regardless of their nationality:
In the following cases, fees are waived for the applicant:
Visa fees are waived for the spouses, same-sex partners in a civil union and minor single children of German citizens, the parents of minor German citizens and family members of EU /EEA nationals, provided they enjoy freedom of movement.
In addition, Germany has concluded visa facilitation agreements with some countries that provide for fee waivers for certain categories of persons, e.g. For members of official delegations, students, children above the age of six, etc. Click here for more information.
As a rule, nationals of Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine pay a fee of EUR 35 for a Schengen visa (categories A and C), regardless of where they permanently reside or where they submit their application.
These agreements do not cover national visas. The standard fee of EUR 75 therefore applies.
For Belarusian nationals, the reduced fees have been partially suspended pursuant to the Council Decision ( EU ) 2021/1940 of 9 November 2021. For nationals of the Russian Federation, they have been fully suspended pursuant to the Council Decision ( EU ) 2022/1500 9 September 2022.
A general fee of EUR 45 applies to children from the age of six years and below the age of 12 years for the granting of a Schengen visa.
For national visas, the fee for minors is half of the regular rate, i.e. EUR 37.50.
The German missions will also consider waiving or reducing the fees charged in individual cases if the applicant is seeking to enter the country to promote cultural or sport-related interests, interests in the field of foreign policy, development policy or other areas of vital public interest or for humanitarian reasons.
Foreign exhibitors at German trade fairs who present an official trade fair pass are also exempt from the visa fee.
Enquiries regarding visa fees in individual cases should be directed to the German mission responsible for the application in question.
As a rule, missions require up to 14 working days to decide on an application for a Schengen visa. During the peak travel season there may be a waiting period for making an application to a German mission. You may apply for a Schengen visa from between six months and generally no later than 15 days before your planned trip; however, you can make the appointment prior to this time period.
Applications for visas entitling the holder to a longer stay may take several months to process, depending on the purpose of the stay.
As a rule, visa applications must be submitted in person at the mission, at the visa application centre at your place of residence. If your fingerprints have already been taken within the last 59 months for a Schengen visa application, you may not need to appear in person to submit your application.
To avoid time-consuming requests for additional information or documentation, you should consult the website of the respective mission well in advance of the departure date to find out about the visa procedure and about the documentation which has to be submitted.
You can fill out the application form for a Schengen visa online. Please then bring the print-out of the form with you to your appointment.
Alternatively, you may obtain an application form from the mission free of charge (in the local language). A bilingual German-English version is available here. Please use the version that is used by the mission with which you file your application. Application forms may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the competent mission.
As a rule, visa applications must be submitted in person at the mission or the visa application centre at your place of residence.
To avoid time-consuming requests for additional information or documentation, you should consult the requirements well in advance of your departure date to find out about the documentation which has to be submitted.
You will be provided with an application form by the mission, free of charge (in the local language), as part of your application process. You may also use the forms that can be downloaded here. Please use the version that is used by the mission with which you file your application. Application forms may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the competent mission.
The above‑mentioned Federal Law Gazettes can be obtained from Verlag des Bundesgesetzblattes, Postfach 13 20, 53003 Bonn, Germany, and the Joint Ministerial Gazettes from Carl Heymanns Verlag KG, Gereonstrasse 18‑32, 50670 Cologne, Germany, or through booksellers. The Official Journal of the European Communities is available from the Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, L‑2985 Luxembourg.