Despite recent global events challenging its stability, Germany has remained a strong option for many around the world. Those interested in a visa for Germany see a strong economy, a stable democracy & a land of opportunity.
Whether you will be staying temporarily or settling for good, acquiring a German residence permit will be the first and perhaps biggest hurdle to conquer on the way.
This post aims at giving a first overview on the overarching process & requirements, including links to detailed guides per visa types.
Who needs a visa for Germany?
It’s important to differentiate the different categories of people. Some will be visa-exempt, fully or partially.
- EU citizens: Citizens of members states can move, stay and work freely anywhere in the Schengen zone (26 countries). They don’t need any permits to enter and stay in Germany.
- Citizens of “entry-visa-free” countries: Citizens from 62 countries do not need any visa to enter Germany for a short stay, but they will need to apply for a long-stay visa. This means that you could enter the country and get ready for your application in Germany. This makes things generally easier for you because it make job applications, university entry, course enrolling, etc much more manageable.
- Citizens from other counties: Citizens from any other country will need to apply for a short-stay or a long-stay visa from abroad before their trip to Germany. This complicates the process because you’d need to find a language course, university spot, job, etc completely remotely.
You can check where your country stands in this list on the official government portal.
Germany visa: Requirements
Although requirements change depending on the type of visa, and your citizenship, there is red thread common to all German residence permits:
- An application form with plenty of fields to fill-in. Each form differs from visa type to another. In general, aside from the typical personal details, the form requires information about your reason to visit, where you are going to stay, where you are going to work/study. Make sure to obtain the latest form from your local German mission (embassy) abroad, or from the immigration office in Germany. This main form may require additional forms and refer to required supporting documents.
- A valid passport: your passport must comply with the validity rules of the German authorities. It should also be valid for the entire period of your stay, with an additional 3 months on top.
- Sufficient health insurance/coverage: The German authorities want to make sure that your policy covers any illness or accident during your stay in Germany. For long-stay permits, an expat health insurance (also called incoming insurance) is enough for the initial application, provided it fulfills the requirements set by the German system. If you are to stay long-term in Germany, you will need to switch to local health insurance when you renew/extend your visa.
- Sufficient funds to support yourself: this is the way German authorities make sure they won’t need to support you financially during your stay. The amount required differs from visa to visa. To prove that you have enough, different methods can be used. One way to is to sign-up for a blocked bank account which a special bank account designed for that purpose in mind. A recent bank statement can be also be enough in some cases.
- A valid reason to stay in Germany: You need to be able to prove that you come to Germany for a reason, that you come here to do something. A job contract, a certificate of enrollment, a profile needed in on the local job market, recognized specialty, etc. It can of course be about reuniting with family, conducting business, etc too.
Types of visa for Germany
If we focus on long-stay visa, this would be the main types, complete with their guides:
- Student & language course visa: This permit is designed to let foreign nationals study at a German education institution for a main curriculum, or simply to learn German. Guide to apply for student & language course visa in Germany
- Work visa: This permit is made for workers who have found a job opportunity in Germany, complete with a written offer from their prospective employer. Guide to apply for work visa in Germany.
- Job seeker visa: This permit is designed for qualified professionals (who can have their profile/specialty/education recognized a desirable on the German job market) to let them enter and stay the country in order to find a job in Germany. Guide to apply for a job seeker visa in Germany.
- Freelance visa: Individuals with attractive profiles for the German economic landscape can also apply for a permit allowing them to work as a freelancers in the country. Guide to apply for a freelance visa in Germany.
- EU blue card: Qualified professionals who fulfill certain criteria can also apply for a blue card, which grants a lot of benefits down the line. Guide to apply for a EU blue card in Germany.
- Family reunion visa: This visa is thought for spouses, relatives & parnters of already established German residents, so they can move to Germany too.
- Guest scientist visa: This permit is for scholars around the world who have received an invitation from a German institution to conduct their research here.
- Training/Internship visa: This visa is conceived for foreigners who have secured an internship or traineeship in Germany.
- Business visa: This permit is for those who might need to stay in Germany longer than 3 months for business purposes.
The visa application process from abroad
The steps involved into applying for a German visa outside Germany looks like this:
- Prepare your application: This means of course filling in the required forms and providing the required documents, with regards to the requirements of your target permit. You will need to have the form signed, and supporting documents in copies and/or in original.
- Make an appointment at your local German mission: It is compulsory to have one to enter the building. You will receive a letter confirming this.
- Attend the appointment: Make sure to bring the confirmation letter with you to enter the building. Be on time with your all your documents in the right order. During the appointment, everything is checked by the worker and your application is formally entered in the system. This takes about 15 minutes. You will pay for your application and in return, you will receive a submission confirmation with relevant details. You passport may be held by the consulate shortly.
- Receive confirmation: your bio metrics data will be collected and you will get your passport, together with a confirmation. Keep everything safe. You are now ready to enter Germany.
The visa application process from Germany
You didn’t need to secure an entry-visa in the first place, so you just took your bags. You have now arrived in Germany. Good. What now ?
1- Get settled
This includes:
- Do the thing you came to Germany for: find a job, enroll for university, a language course, find freelancing opportunities, etc.
- Registering residence at your local town hall (Anmeldung)
- Securing health insurance for your visa application
2- Book an appointement
You will need to book an appointment at your local immigration office (Einwanderungsamt or Ausländerbehörde).
Since administration is rather slow and appointments taken long in advance, this could be one of the first thing to do when first arriving the country, right after doing your Anmeldung.
Booking an appointment in Berlin is easily done through this link. It’s this option or getting up at 4am to queue in front of the building to obtain one of the rare waiting numbers.
3– Gather all necessary documents
On the confirmation email will be shown all the documents needed for the appointment. Make sure you have those in original and copies. Any forgotten paper, and it’s back to square one. Bring some cash too to pay for the fees.
4- Come to the appointment
Be on time for your appointement and bring a german-speaking friend if you can. The person you will have in front of you might want to prefer to communicate in German. Give out all the required documents and answer a few questions.
This usually takes 10-15min. All those will be checked, and within 3-10 weeks, you should get an email or a phone call to tell you whether or not your visa has been approved. Some people have their visa approved on the spot!
Germany visa fees:
Long stay visa costs 75€ in general, but some exemptions apply.
Type of applicant for long stay visa (National D) | Fees (€) |
Normal applicant | 75 |
Underage applicant | 37.5 |
Applicant receives a scholarship in Germany | 0 |
Applicant is a relative to a German citizen | 0 |
Applicant is member of a diplomatic mission | 0 |
Applicant is from a country with a bilateral agreement | 0 |
Application fees are not refunded if your application fails, or if you wish to cancel it.
Processing times
There are unfortunately no rules dictating how long it takes to process an application. It depends on a few factors:
- How many applicants there are to process before you.
- How many workers there are to process application at your local German mission.
- What type of visa your applied for.
- How desirable your profile/application is for German authorities.
- How solid your supporting evidence/documents are.
- Whether or not you applied for an expedite process with your prospektive employer (if applicable).
To be sure to plan enough time to account for long processing times. If you already are in Germany, you may be granted a temporary extension of your current permit, in order to wait for a decision in the future.
Germany visa application FAQ
How do I quickly assess my chances to get a German visa?
An official website lets you quickly assess your chances of getting a visa in Germany. It might be a good place to get real. This way.
I hope this guide on Germany visa helped you to wrap your head around the different topics involved into your future application. I wish you all the best and good luck for yours. Don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comment.
Bastien
I am an American citizen with a medical retirement pension from the US. I am looking to relocate to Frankfurt. My flight has been booked for February 1st 2022. I guess my question is, which Visa do I need to apply for if I can prove that I have my pension coming in every month from the US? Is that even accepted?
Thanks in advance!
Hey Joseph. As a US citizen, you can enter German without a visa for up to 90 days. During this time, you would need to apply for a residence permit to stay any longer. This would probably be an initial one or 2 year permit. After 5 years, you would be able to apply for permanent residency. Your US pension will be needed to demonstrate that you can support yourself financially. Given your case however, it’s probably best to sort it out from a local consulate in the US first. Does that answer your question?
Yes that answers my question. However, I just found out that Germany doesn’t have any retirement options in place for US citizen’s so it’s looking like I’m going to have to go the “Non-lucrative” visa route in Spain. The only thing I am worried about is they require FBI background checks and I do have a couple of arrest. One from way back in 2002 and the other from 2009. Both arrest ended in a deferred probation that allowed for a dismissal at the end of the probation period but the arrest still show up. Do you know anything about dismissals being an issue for people getting a visa?
I don’t know about rules & regulations in Spain I’m afraid. Good luck with it all.
I like German visas for a long time…. thanky you for everything
You’re welcome!
Hi,
I’ve received an offer from a German company, and I’ve processed my Visa, with the offer letter I received from them. About the contract, it is a 2 year fixed term contract, instead of a permanent one. Hence my Visa is only 2 yr valid. Before joining my new Employer, I got another offer, again from a German company, which offered me better facility and permanent offer.
I prefer to accept the Permanent offer, but since my Visa is already processed with the Fixed term contract, is it possible for me to reject the offer and accept the better one? What could be done in this case? Will there be any Visa or Work permit related issues?
Please advise.
Hey Muhamed. From my limited understanding of your case, this would then assume that you are still allowed to cancel the limited contract now. In this case, you’d need to notify the Arbeitsagentur and apply for another visa for this new job/company. The Arbeitsagentur would let you know how much time you would have to do this.
Hello,
My German is so poor that I cannot find information on the exhaustive list of documents that will be required to request the change of a ‘French residence permit’ into a ‘German residence permit’ for a spouse whose French husband (me:)) will work permanently in Germany. Does anyone know where I can get this information?
Hey Cedric. You have so many questions: maybe it’s worth checking with a relocation professional? Since she is your spouse, i guess she can just join you as such in Germany, can she not?
Hi Bastien, she can join me and stay legally in Germany for 3 months but at some point, I know that she will have to convert her French residence permit into a German one. The French residence permit will not be enough. I only wanted to know if the process for a conversion was lighter than the ‘usual residence permit German process, especially because the legal documents will require to be translated into German.
Hello, I’m apply for a student visa in my home country but my wife lives in Germany, how can she help me to make everything goes well. Thanks in advance.
Hi there,
If you are planning to enter Berlin with the intention of applying for an artist visa whilst there and staying for nine months, is it necessary to have proof of intention to leave within 90 days? The travel agent in Melbourne assures me that we should have back up flights to London…
Again, here better to do your own research what an artist visa requires.
Hey There!
Thanks so much for all the info, it’s really helpful.
Wanted to ask a question. My boyfriend and I are looking to immigrate to Berlin, I have an EU passport however he does not. Would he be able to apply for residency before we go there, or is that something he can only do once I am already there, after he has been there for 3 months?
Would we also need to be in a registered partnership/civil union in order for him to come over?
Thanks so much
Hi Candice. Probably best to contact a specialist for this. I don’t want to give you any wrong directions. In my opinion, residency can only be applied for after a while. A civil union that is recognized in Germany is definitely increasing his chances to be able to get a visa.
Dear , good morning. hope all is fine. I am spanish and moving to Berlin due to work, already contract signed. i am moving with my wife that is brazilian, i have already marriage certificate from spain, birth certificates ,.. do you think anything else needed? thanks!
Hi,
I am applying to school in Berlin. Do you know if being accepted to a graduate program in the country will help get a residence permit for the duration of the degree?
Thank you for any info!!
Hi Taylor. I guess it will help you get a student visa for the duration of the program.
Hi! I have a doubt. If I am an EU citizen and my husband is not, and we are moving from South america to Germany, is it better for him to get his spouse visa in Germany or should I get it in my coutry (south america)? the german consulte here is very slow and they don’t answer many questions…
Hi Marcela. If you feel confident he can secure this visa while being in Germany under a normal tourist visa, why not? You should maybe call the foreign office in Berlin for a reality check.
Hey there! I am currently doing an internship and my job already offered me a paid position. Can I change my student visa to a full work visa? Thank u in advance for the answer!
Hi Jimena. I guess so but i can’t know for sure because it’s almost a case by case decision.
Hi there,
We are a family of four from Australia, wanting to settle in Berlin for nine months from next April. We’re hoping to send our kids to a public German school when we arrive…if anyone has any tips we would be really grateful, not sure where to start at this point… Thanks
Hi there! I have visited the Auslanderbehörde website of https://www.berlin.de/labo/willkommen-in-berlin/dienstleistungen/service.493524.php/standort/327437/
For making an appointment for resident permission , there seems no sections for Self Employment person. I have just copy and paste her following sorry for the format. Should I walk in?? Thanks!
[Edited by SiB Editor for clarity]
Hi Linda, you can also use this if you are not sure what option to pick.
Hi Bastien many thanks for the reply and I visited your link again! The other condition of free lancer seems ok , however there is one condition it stated Economic interest of the state of Berlin
A residence permit can be issued to a foreigner for practicing a self-employed occupation if there is an economic interest or a regional need.
Do you know how can I freelancer be the Economic interest of the state of Berlin? It sound really vague.
You need to gather information on which sorts of profile are needed in Berlin. You can probably find out more on other parts of the Foreign office website or in doubt, ask a specialist.
The cost of residence permit is 120€
Ok will try to find out, thanks!
Hi
Ive just decided to settle in Berlin and am in a bit of a hurry to get my visa and there are no appointments until September! I managed to get my Anmeldung today simply by walking in and waiting in the Bürgeramt Tempelhof. So now with all my papers ready and a job who wants to hire me ASAP Im in a bit of a urgent rush, Im going to be applying for the one year youth mobility visa as Im on a NZ passport. Do you know if it is possible to do walk ins for visas like a i did my Anmeldung and if so could you please talk me through the process and which Bürgeramt’s allow for this to happen?
Much apprecited!
Luke
Hi Luke. I’m afraid i can’t offer more information than what it contained in this page. That is: get up really early to wait in line at the Auslanderbehörde and hope to get a number. The Bürgeramts don’t deal with Visa issues. No magic trick there. :). Good luck.
Hi Luke
Did you manage to get it all sorted? I am in exactly the same position, NZ Passport looking to move onto the 1 year working holiday / youth mobility visa after getting my Anmeldun. Was the trip to the Auslanderbehörde successful? Any tips?
Cheers
Hey there! Thanks a lot again for these incredibly helpful articles. I’m a Canadian with a one year Work and Travel visa (Youth Mobility Visa), which is expiring November 30, 2015. I’ve found a flat, have an appointment for Anmeldung, and will open a bank account later this week. I’m currently job hunting, and I was hoping to find a contract in the hostel industry. I speak a decent level of German (B1-B2), as well as French and Chinese, in addition to English, and I was hoping to be able to use these skills to convince my future employer that I can do a job that a Schengen citizen cannot. Do you have any suggestions for things to do to improve my chances of success of getting a contract, and an extension on my work visa? If it is unlikely that a hostel job will work out, I am also qualified to teach English as a Foreign language, though I understand that this is mostly done through a freelance basis, and would require a Freelance Work Visa. I would really appreciate any input you have!
Thanks so much for your help,
Sen
Thanks for leaving a comment here Sen. I’m not so qualified to answer your question and i also dont know your exact profile so difficult to say. It is possible that you’ll need to lower your job expectations at first to make sure to score a visa to then later be picky. Best of luck man.
When I was trying to make an appointment online for a residence permit, it asks me to choose an department. Either 3rd floor or 2nd- any help here?
Can you not look-up which service is on which floor ?
I eventually sent a help request through the website where you book the residence permit application appointment.
From the response:
“The department IV Z 2 is responsible for servicing customers who are foreign students or scientists and their family members as well as exchange and language students.”
Hey,
your info was incredibly Helpful!
I am heading to Berlin in about a month, I want to just get the visa and then continue to travel for a few months before settling somewhere and working. So getting a permanent address right away wasn’t ideal… I was just wondering, when looking for a place so i can get the residence permit, do i just need an address and a signature from the owner/Housemate? Could I just rent a place for a few weeks while I get the visa then Leave?
What are the minimum requirements?
Thanks for the help.
Adam
What kind of visa do you apply for ?
You may also want to check this spreadsheet posted on SiB’s FB page a while ago, it might help you :
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AnI9oJAP3MgvdDViNUdJVUtzcGlncXdfWUd4ZDlmaWc&usp=sharing