You need a Schengen visa when you are travelling to Germany for tourism, leisure, or to meet family and friends, and you plan to have a stay of fewer than 90 days. You will be able to travel to all other Schengen countries in addition to Germany.
The validity and number of the entries granted by this visa are subject to the scrutiny of the German embassy or consulate that considers your application.
Who requires a tourist visa to Germany
As a tourist or visitor, you require a Schengen visa to get into Germany in case you are not a citizen of a country that has a visa-free agreement. This counts the citizens of India, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Africa, and over 100 other nations.
In case you come to Germany and you belong to the list of visa-free countries, you should stay there no more than 90 days. This incorporates the citizens of the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and more than 60 other states.
How to overseas Visa application process
Applying Schengen visa, you must apply to a German embassy, consulate or visa application centre that is nearest to you. As a rule, you should do the following:
- Fill the online form on the VIDEX platform.
- Book a time at the German embassy, consulate or visa centre.
- Get the necessary papers together.
- Submit your documents and pay the fee of visa fee.
- At the visa centre or embassy, they will also collect your biometric information (fingerprints and pictures), and the visa officer may just ask you some short questions about your upcoming journey.
Once the visa is issued, the embassy will stick it on your passport. On the sticker, it will write how many days you are allowed to stay in Germany and also whether it is a single, double or multiple-entry visa. In case you want to visit a friend or relative in Germany, he/she must write you a letter of invitation. The letter must be addressed to the embassy or the consulate which will consider your application, and contain the following information:
- Your mutual relationship.
- How much will you stay in Germany.
- Whether they will receive you or have you in their house.
- What would you do after you go to Germany (a travel plan).
Short-stay Germany visa application
German embassies and consulate offices have outsourced the visa application to visa centres, e.g. TLS or VFS Global. Such centres only have the responsibility of receiving the documents, fees, fingerprints and passports and forwarding them to the German diplomatic mission to check.
The following documents are required when you apply for a German Schengen visa as a tourist or visitor:
- Form of application, signed and printed.
- Valid passport.
- Two biometric photographs.
- Booking of a hotel (or other form of accommodation).
- Round-trip flight booking or flight ticket. In case you would not like to pay the entire cost of a flight in advance, you can still book a flight reservation using a Visa reservation.
- Travel health insurance. You are to provide a letter of your health insurance confirming the provision of emergency medical treatment with at least 30000 Euro.
- The evidence of financial capability (bank statements or a letter of sponsorship).
- Slip of payment of visa fee.
- Invitation letter of your host (in case of visiting).
- Employment contract (in case employed).
- The evidence of being in school (in case you are a student).
- Copies of business licence and bank statements (in case of self-employed).
- Pension statements (retired).
- No-objection letter from the school or the employer.
- Other papers as the embassy or the consulate may require.
The requirements in the document checklist might vary depending on the embassy, but they will always have the common core requirements.
You can also view these posts:
Getting Germany’s passport
Things to know before immigrating to Germany
Frequently Asked Questions on Germany
