Germany Visa 2026: Do You Need One? Schengen Requirements, Fee and Appointment

• Visa-free: 90 days in any 180
• Your passport decides
• No work on visa-free entry

Germany is part of the Schengen area, so a short-stay Germany visa is simply a Schengen visa issued by Germany. Whether you need one depends on the nationality printed in your passport. The Federal Foreign Office keeps the official list of who is exempt.

The 90/180-day rule

Visa-free visitors may stay no more than 90 days in any 180-day period. The count covers the whole Schengen area, not Germany alone: days spent in France, Italy or Austria during the same window count too. The 180 days roll forward every day, so look back 180 days from each date of your trip.

How to check your own nationality

Open the Federal Foreign Office's overview of visa requirements and exemptions, find your country and read the "entry visa required" column.

Then read the footnotes next to your country: some exemptions apply only to biometric passports, and holders of certain official passports are treated differently. Dual nationals follow the rule for the passport they travel on.

Source: Federal Foreign Office, overview of visa requirements and exemptions for entry into Germany.

• Main destination decides
• Apply where you legally live
• One application per traveller

A Schengen visa from Germany covers the whole Schengen area. You apply to Germany only when Germany is the main destination of your trip. The German missions use the standard Schengen rule:

Example: five nights in Berlin and two in Prague is a German visa Schengen case. Two nights in Munich and five in Vienna goes to Austria instead.

Which German mission handles it

The responsible mission is the one for the area where you have your ordinary residence. In practice that means:

• Living in the UK on a non-British passport: the German Embassy London accepts applications only from UK residents. Visitors to the UK apply in their own country of residence.
• Living in the US on a visa-required passport: the German consulate whose district covers your state.
• Living in India: any VFS Global centre in India, whatever your home state.

Each traveller, including every child, needs a separate application and, in most countries, a separate appointment.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany; German Embassy London, short-stay Schengen visas and Visa FAQ; German Missions in India, Schengen visa.

• Printed VIDEX form
• Passport issued within 10 years
• Health insurance from €30,000

The requirements for a German visa for tourism come from the checklist of the mission where you apply. Wording differs slightly from country to country, but the core of a Germany tourist visa file is the same. This list combines the checklists of the German Embassy London and the German Missions in India:

A tourist Germany visa application is judged on three questions: is the purpose plausible, can you pay for the stay, and will you leave before the visa ends. Everything in the list serves one of them. Some missions ask for more: the Indian checklist adds a covering letter, a day-by-day itinerary and proof of accommodation in every Schengen country you visit.

Travel health insurance: the €30,000 rule

The policy must cover medical costs of at least €30,000, be valid across the whole Schengen area, and run for every day of the stay you apply for. The German Missions in India accept policies only from approved Indian insurers; other missions publish their own conditions.

We do not recommend any insurer. Read the policy wording for the cover amount, the Schengen-wide validity and the dates before you buy.

Sources: German Embassy London, what documents do I need for a C visa and short-stay Schengen visas; German Missions in India, checklist for a Schengen visa for tourism; EU Visa Code (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009).

• Adults €90
• Children 6 to 11: €45
• Under 6: free

The Germany visa cost has two parts: the Schengen visa fee that goes to the German mission, and the service fee of the visa centre if your mission uses one.

The fee is paid in local currency. In India, for example, the German Missions list ₹9,900 for adults and ₹5,000 for children aged 6 to 12 (page updated 1 October 2026). The fee is not refunded if the visa is refused or the application is withdrawn.

Who pays no fee or a lower fee

EU visa rules waive the fee for children under 6; for school pupils, students and accompanying teachers on a study or training trip; for researchers travelling for scientific research; and for representatives of non-profit organisations aged 25 or under going to a seminar, conference, sports, cultural or educational event. Nationals of some countries pay a lower fee under EU visa facilitation agreements; your mission's fee page says whether yours is one of them.

Visa centre service fees

TLScontact, VFS Global and BLS International charge their own service fee on top of the visa fee. The amount depends on the country and is shown when you book.

In India the VFS service charge is paid when you book the appointment; in the UK, once a waiting-list slot is allocated, the service fee has to be paid within 24 hours. Extras such as premium lounges or courier return are optional.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany; German Embassy London, Visa FAQ and waiting-list notice; German Missions in India, visa fees for Schengen visa; EU Visa Code, Article 16.

• Book only on the official provider's site
• One appointment per person
• No agency needed

To apply for a Germany visa you fill in the form, then book an appointment with the German mission or its external service provider for the place where you live. The mission's visa page names the provider. Three common set-ups:

German visa UK appointment: TLScontact

For a Germany visa in the UK, Schengen (type C) applications can only be made through TLScontact, which runs visa centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh; your place of residence decides which one. So a German visa from the UK always starts on the TLScontact site.

• Waiting lists since 1 June 2026: for some C-visa categories you first join a waiting list on the TLS website. When a slot is allocated, pay the service fee within 24 hours or the appointment is cancelled and you go back on the list.
• Exact details: names and passport data must match your documents, and the category must be right; applicants booked in the wrong category are turned away.
• Per person: a family of four needs four appointments. You can cancel up to 3 days before.

A TLS Germany visa appointment is booked only on the official TLScontact Germany visa site; the embassy says it does not answer emails about waiting times.

United States: BLS International

US citizens need no visa for a short trip. Residents of the US who hold a visa-required passport apply to the German consulate for their state.

The consulates in New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Chicago take Schengen applications through BLS International, so a BLS Germany visa appointment is booked on the BLS site linked from the consulate page. In the Atlanta district you book an appointment at the consulate itself.

India: VFS Global

Indian applicants book at any VFS Global visa application centre in India, regardless of their state of residence, and pay the VFS service charge when booking. The German Missions in India say slots are booked out quickly and suggest checking often.

Other countries

Elsewhere the provider is usually VFS Global, TLScontact or BLS International, and some missions take applications themselves; which one applies depends on the country where you live. Check your mission's own page rather than a search result.

Sources: German Embassy London, visa information, waiting-list notice and Visa FAQ; German consulates in the US (germany.info); German Missions in India, submission at a visa application centre.

• Form: VIDEX, online
• Photo 35 × 45 mm
• Schengen visas not on the Consular Services Portal yet

The application for a German visa for a short stay is made on VIDEX, the German missions' online form. You fill it in on screen, print it with its barcodes, sign it and bring it to the appointment.

According to the Federal Foreign Office, Schengen visas cannot yet be applied for on the Consular Services Portal; the portal currently takes long-stay visa applications for 28 purposes.

Photo size for German visa

Step by step

1. Check the official list: do you need a visa at all?
2. Confirm that Germany is your main destination.
3. Fill in and print the VIDEX form.
4. Book the appointment with the mission or its service provider.
5. Attend in person with the documents, give fingerprints, pay the fee.
6. Collect your passport, or receive it by courier where offered.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany; German Embassy London, Visa FAQ; German Missions in India, checklist for a Schengen visa for tourism; German missions' VIDEX pages.

• Decision: up to 15 calendar days
• Apply from 6 months before
• Latest: generally 15 days before

How long does it take to get a German visa? The Federal Foreign Office says missions need up to 15 calendar days to decide on a correct, complete Schengen application. The clock starts when the mission receives the file, not when you first look for an appointment.

The London embassy lists 45 days as the standard period for nationals of Russia, The Gambia, Somalia and the Republic of Guinea. Waiting for an appointment comes on top of the decision time, and in the UK some categories now go through a waiting list first. Applying close to the six-month mark is the safest plan for Christmas market season or summer trips.

Sources: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany; German Embassy London, short-stay Schengen visas and Visa FAQ; EU Visa Code, Article 23.

• Staying airside: most passports need nothing
• 20 nationalities need an A visa
• India removed on 3 June 2026

If you change planes in Germany and stay in the international transit area, most travellers need no visa. The German Embassy London puts it simply: if you do not need a visa to visit Germany, you do not need one to transit.

If you leave the transit area, for example to change airports or stay overnight, you are entering Germany and need a Schengen visa unless you are visa-free.

Nationalities that need an airport transit visa (type A)

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana (except service passports), Iran, Iraq, Jordan (exceptions for transit to and from Australia and New Zealand), Lebanon, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria and Turkey (except service and special passports).

Even with one of these passports you need no airport transit visa if you stay airside and hold, for example, a valid visa from a Schengen state, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, Canada or the US, or a residence permit from a Schengen state, Andorra, Canada, Japan, San Marino or the US. A UK visa does not exempt you. On 3 June 2026 Germany lifted the airport transit visa requirement for Indian nationals.

Airports with an international transit area

Source: German Embassy London, airport transit visas.

• EES fully running since 10 April 2026
• ETIAS: not running, no date yet
• ETIAS fee €20 once it starts

EES: the Entry/Exit System

The EES records non-EU travellers on short stays at the Schengen external border: passport data, fingerprints and a facial image, plus the date of each entry and exit. It replaces passport stamps. It started on 12 October 2025 and, according to the European Commission, has been fully operational at all Schengen external borders since 10 April 2026.

It applies to everyone on a short stay, visa holders and visa-free travellers alike, so expect the registration on your first entry.

ETIAS: the travel authorisation for visa-free nationals

ETIAS will apply to visa-free nationals, such as US, UK, Canadian and Australian citizens, visiting Germany and the other European countries in the system. It is not running yet. The European Commission says ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications are collected; its latest wording is that ETIAS is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026, and the EU will announce the exact date several months before launch.

As of 30 October 2026 no start date has been announced, so you need no ETIAS for a trip to Germany today.

Sources: European Commission (Migration and Home Affairs), Smart Borders, EES launch notices and "Main differences between the EES and ETIAS"; European Commission, ETIAS fee notice.

• Reasons ticked on the EU refusal form
• No remonstration since 1 July 2025
• New application or court in Berlin

A refusal comes on the standard EU refusal form, with the ground or grounds ticked. The grounds on that form include:

• a false, counterfeit or forged travel document was presented;
• the purpose and conditions of the stay were not justified;
• no proof of sufficient means for the stay and the return;
• you have already stayed 90 days in the current 180-day period;
• an alert in the Schengen Information System;
• you are considered a threat to public policy, internal security or public health;
• no valid travel medical insurance;
• reasonable doubts about the documents, the reliability of your statements, or your intention to leave before the visa expires.

Remonstration no longer exists

The Federal Foreign Office abolished the remonstration procedure for visa refusals worldwide from 1 July 2025. Letters asking the mission to reconsider a refusal issued after that date are not processed.

What you can do

You can file a new application at any time, with a new fee, or bring a lawsuit before the Administrative Court in Berlin; that case runs in German and involves court costs. The refusal notice explains the legal remedy and its deadline.

This is general information, not legal advice. Before reapplying, fix the ground that was ticked: add the missing bank statements, a clearer employer letter or proper insurance, rather than sending the same file again.

Sources: German Embassy London and German Missions in India, abolition of the remonstration procedure from 1 July 2025; EU Visa Code, Annex VI (standard refusal form).

This page covers short trips only. Anyone who plans to work, study, look for a job, move with an EU Blue Card or join family in Germany needs a national (D) visa, even with a visa-free passport for tourism. The fee is normally €75 and processing can take several months, depending on the purpose.

Many long-stay categories are now applied for online on the Federal Foreign Office's Consular Services Portal. Use the Federal Foreign Office visa pages and your mission's website for these; they are outside the scope of this guide.

Source: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany.

• Government and EU sites only
• No agents needed

Any other country: search the Federal Foreign Office site for the German embassy or consulate in the country where you live and use its visa page.

After your visa is approved

Book flights after your visa is approved; until then a refundable reservation is enough for the file. Compare flights to Germany  Ad. For the trip itself, see our guides to Cologne , Düsseldorf , Dresden , Essen  and Dortmund .

(official information)