Visas for Germany

Requirements and application procedures

Depending on your nationality, you could need a visa when coming to Germany. Be aware of that the rules and regulations change quite often, we give you the most common categories.

Nationalities that don’t need a visa for any purpose:

EU citizens and those of Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein. After three months in Germany you are required to get a residence permit.

Nationalities that don’t need a visa for stays up to three months:

Citizens of the United States of America, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Switzerland, who may also apply for their residence permit after entering Germany without a visa. You can enter Germany without a visa, as long as you don’t plan to do any paid or self-employed work. If you intend to stay longer or wish to work, you have to apply for a visa in your home country (remember that visas are never issued in Germany), so it’s recommended to get a visa before coming to Germany, even if you can enter without one. If you do not do this you will have to go home and apply for a visa before returning to Germany,

Nationalities that require a visa for any purpose:

In this case you will need a visa even for short visits. This is true for most African and many Asian countries.

More information on visas for Germany can be found at www.auswaertiges-amt.de (German ministry of foreign affairs).

Visas are generally linked to a specific purpose of your stay in Germany (i.e. tourist visas, student visas, business visas, etc.). The type of visa depends on the reasons given for coming to the country and is the same as the different types of residency permits; the only difference that the visa is issued outside of Germany.

Once you have entered Germany, you may be issued a residency permit for the same reasons stated in your visa. The purpose of you stay cannot be changed within Germany, e.g. you cannot enter on a student visa and then get work residence permit. If you wish to change your residency status, you will probably need to first leave the country to then apply for a different type of visa! Consider carefully the reason you give for your visa application as this can have expensive implications later.

Documentation and waiting times

For a visa application, you will have to produce some or all of the following documents (contact your local embassy/consulate for exact requirements):

passport with at least 3 months validity beyond the end of the visa period requested, with a blank page available for the visa.
application form(s); number dependent on nationality of applicant.
2 passport photographs
proof of adequate means of financial support during stay
proof of medical insurance.
proof of purpose of visit and/or a hotel reservation and/or a return ticket.
letter from employer or place of study. If self-employed a letter from a solicitor, accountant, bank manager or local Chamber of Commerce.

Applications should be made at least 6 weeks before the planned departure date. If you apply for a visa outside of your home country, your application will be referred to the German embassy there, and may take longer to be issued.

The Schengen Area

Germany is a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, which enables free circulation of residents within Schengen Area countries. A visa granted by one of these countries is valid in the whole Schengen Area. Travelling within the Schengen Area is legally the same as travelling within Germany. If you enter Germany with a tourist visa, you will be able to stay in Germany and/or any other country in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days during any 6-month period.

In addition to Spain, the other parties to the Schengen Agreement are: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Although you can leave the Schengen Area and come back in as many times as you need during your 6-month visa validity, the total amount of time you can stay in the Schengen area cannot exceed 90 days.
A visa granted by one of the Schengen countries is valid in all other member countries.

Countries outside the Schengen Area include Switzerland, United Kingdom & the Channel Islands, Ireland, Morocco, and Gibraltar.

Trivia: Schengen is a place in Luxembourg where the original treaty was signed in 1985.

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