Who needs a visa?EU nationals do not require a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. In general all other foreigners require a visa for stays in Germany. A visa is not required for semi-annual visits of up to three months of nationals of those countries for which the EU has abolished the visa requirement.
As a rule, you must submit your visa application, together with all necessary documents, in person at the German mission responsible for your place of residence. In order to avoid time-consuming requests for additional information or documentation, you should contact the respective mission well in advance of your travel dates to inquire about any special local requirements pertaining to visa formalities.
Visa application forms can be obtained from the mission free of charge (in the local language). They can also be downloaded from the Foreign Office website (www.diplo.de) and are available in the following language versions: German, German-English, German-French, German-Spanish and German-Russian. You must fill in one original application form (in some cases, more than one) and then submit it/these to the competent mission; in any case, the mission will only accept a specific language version. Please contact the mission beforehand to find out exactly which forms are required.
As a rule, missions require between two and ten working days to decide on an application for a short stay visa. An application for a visa which entitles the holder to a longer stay or to take up gainful employment may take several months to process.
