Do I need a visa to visit Germany?

🗺️ Tourist & Visitor Visa

Citizens of 63 countries can currently enter Germany without a visa for tourism, visiting, and doing business for periods of less than 90 days during a 180-day period.

The following countries are included in the visa-waiver program:

ETIAS Countries

Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, El Salvador, Georgia, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao, Malaysia, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Timor Leste, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuat, Vatican City, Venezuela

If you are not a citizen of one of the 63 countries with whom the European Union has created a visa-free system, you will need to apply for a Schengen visa before entering Germany.

If, on the other hand, you hold a passport from one of these countries and need to stay in Germany for more than 90 days during a 6-month period for reasons other than tourism or business, you will need to apply for a visa.

Do you know that our AZAPA visa service team can assist you with the visa application processes? For more information, please read about our consultation for visa:

Do I need a visa to study or work in Germany?

💼 Student & Work Visa

To study or work in Germany, you’ll need either a work/residence permit or a student/work visa. Whether or not these documents are required depends on where you are from and how long you want to stay in Germany.

We’ve compiled crucial data and organized it into an easy-to-understand table for you.

What country do you hold citizenship in?	Student or work visa?	Work permit or residence permit?
EU/EEA, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland	No, you do not need a visa to enter Germany. You neither need to have a job offer prior to entering Germany.	No, you just have to register your residence once you arrive in Germany, using a passport or valid ID.
Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA	No, you do not need a visa to enter Germany. You neither need to have a job offer prior to entering Germany.	Yes, if you intend to stay in Germany for more than 90 days, you need to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Authority Office upon your arrival in Germany.
Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco and San Marino	To study? No, you do not need a student visa to enter Germany, if you do not intend to subsequently work in Germany. To work? Yes, you need to apply for a work visa in order to begin working.	Yes, if you intend to stay in Germany for more than 90 days, you need to apply for a residence permit at the Immigration Authority Office upon your arrival in Germany.
If you are not a citizen of one of the countries listed above	Yes, you need to apply for a student or work visa in order to enter Germany and begin studying or working.	Yes, upon landing in Germany, you must additionally apply for a study or work-related residence visa.

It is strongly advised that you contact a German consulate general or embassy in your country for more information before traveling to Germany. If you don’t have enough time or can’t make it to a German diplomatic mission, you can also read visit our visa consultation.

Application Process for a short-term visa

Step 1: Get your visa application ready.

Before applying, fill out the application form and sign it, as well as gather all of the relevant documents. Please make sure you fill out the form completely, then print, sign, and bring it with you to your visa appointment. Forms that are written by hand will not be accepted.

Step 2: Make an appointment

Before you may go to the Application center to submit your paperwork for a German Visa, you must make an appointment. All visa applications are only accepted if you have scheduled an appointment in advance.

Step 3: Go to the Application Center

Your appointment letter will be validated and you will be given a token once you arrive at the Application Center. Please arrive on time; if you are more than 10 minutes late, the embassy may be unable to process your visa request.

Step 4: Visa application submission

It takes about 10 minutes to finish the submission procedure. Your documents, as well as your visa application form, will be examined and validated. Please double-check that:

• All of your documents are in the correct sequence as specified on the checklist.
• Your application form is complete and signed

If you have not organized the papers in the proper sequence, or you have not submitted all of the necessary photocopies of documents, you will be requested to collect another token.

If your application is complete, the application center will temporarily hold your passport, application form, and documents. Please keep in mind that you will not be able to take your passport with you during the application procedure.

Step 5: Entering of application information

After your application has been verified, all of the information on the application form will be recorded into the German consulate’s on-line system, and you will receive a printed copy of your application. This procedure takes roughly 10 to 15 minutes on average. Please double-check that all of the information on the printed form is correct before signing it.

Please note that both parents must sign paperwork for minors (under the age of 18).

You will be given a receipt after paying for the visa, which you must preserve in order to receive your processed application.

Step 6: Biometric data collection

Biometrics will be acquired after the application has been finished utilizing a fast process that captures a 10-digit fingerprint scan with a digital finger scanner. This takes about 7-8 minutes per candidate on average.

You have successfully finished the visa application process. This application will be sent to the Consulate for processing the next working day. Keep the payment receipt since you’ll need it to pick up your passport.

💡 Important information

Please note that these six steps are only applicable to the arrival visa. You will receive a 90-day visa after completing the application process at the Application Center in your home country.

✔️ If you apply for a tourist or visitor visa (up to 90 days), the process is done here.

✔️ If you apply for a short time language course visa (up to 90 days), the process is done here.

➡️ If you apply for a long-stay study or work visa, you must also apply for a study or work-related residence visa at the Immigration Authority Office (Ausländerbehörde) once you arrive in Germany.

Please keep in mind that you cannot work or study in Germany while holding another form of Schengen visa, for example, a tourist visa. If you want to enter to Germany for employment or study, you cannot use tourism as a reason for doing so. You must apply for a student visa, a work visa (national visa), or other visa types depending on your purpose of entry.

Learn more about residence permits based on your purpose of visiting Germany

💡 Do you know that our AZAPA visa service team can assist you with Visa Application processes?

Our government-licensed Schengen and National Visa Service consultants are experts in German visa requirements and are up to date on the most recent criteria. We will provide you with the greatest possible assistance, and if you desire it, we will manage the full visa application process for you. Do you want to schedule a consultation? Now is the time to schedule a visa consultation with us.