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Germany visa for Indians Overview


Visa is an indispensable permission or consent for which the authorization is provided by any country to each of its foreigners. This authorization decides whether the foreigner is allowed to enter the country or not. It also decides whether the particular foreigner can remain in the visiting country and for how long he/she is permitted to stay. There is a certain validity to this authorization post which the foreigner cannot stay in the country legally and might be advised to leave the territory.

In order to travel to Germany for any purpose, including business, tourism, or education, it is required first to obtain a German visa from India. The process comprises of submitting an application by providing the relevant documents, fulfilling requirements, and paying fees for the visa, depending on the type of visa like a German student visa or work visa that is needed. Itzeazy helps you complete each step of the application procedure with quick and proper guidance.

Nowadays, visa authorization takes the form of an official stamp endorsed in the passport of the visa applicant. Previously, the immigration officials had the authoritative power to exercise permits or rejection to the entry of the traveler on arrival into the traveling country. If they would permit the traveler then the visa was issued into his/her passport. If they were rejected entry at the time of arrival, the visa was not issued and they would be directed back to their country with the most recent and available flight. 

Travelers do not have to face such inconvenience nowadays, provided all their documents produced are legitimate and completed. Travelers who wish to visit any other country must often apply for it in advance with a visa. This process is done, partially in each case, by going through in person at a consular office, by post, or over the internet, until complete. As per the modern-day change in regulations and according to different countries, a visa may be a sticker or stamp in the passport which may take the form of a physical document or an electronic record of authorization. This electronic record can be printed by the applicant before leaving for his/her flight to the destination country. There are some countries that do not require their visitors to apply for any visa in advance for short travel or business trips. It solely depends on the country if it allows visitors to apply or not to apply for a visa or provide a visa on arrival for these short trips. For

Indian citizens countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Macau, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal do not require a visa in advance, instead they provide visas on arrival but for short trips lasting 15-20 days.

If you plan to travel Germany there is no reason to worry as the process is so much organized and stress-free that no matter what your purpose of travel is, packing your bags would be a more troublesome thing comparatively. As per the Schengen Agreement established in 1985, the citizens of whichever nationality that fall under the Schengen States law can travel visa-free throughout the whole territory. However, nationals of non-Schengen countries are permitted to enter the entire territory with one unified visa document which is known as the Schengen Visa.

This process is come into action to abolish the border control between member states, which allow free and equal access to the citizen of below-mentioned countries, including Germany such as:

Czech Republic, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Belgium Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Latvia Denmark, Austria, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein.

Anyway, exceptions are always there. It depends on your nationality if you require to obtain the Schengen visa to be permitted to enter the Schengen Zone or not. The short-stay Schengen visa allows its holders to a permitted stay of 90 days in Germany. Although, you are not allowed to engage in any sort of paid activity.

In this article, you will learn if in your case whether there is a need for a visa to enter Germany and if yes, how to register yourself to it and obtain one.

Germany Visa

Tourist Visa

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Germany Tourist Visa

Germany Schengen Visa (Tourist/Family/Friends Visit in Germany) There are many alluring tourist places in Germany such as:

  • Brandenburg Gate
  • Museum Island
  • The Berlin Wall
  • Cologne Cathedral
  • The Rhine
  • Miniatur Wunderland
  • St. Michael’s Church
  • Marienplatz
  • Frauenkirche
  • The Black Forest
  • Zugspitze Massif
  • The island Of Rügen etc

If you plan to visit Germany aiming at a short period (3 months) for visiting family members, friends, sightseeing, etc. then you may require a Schengen Tourism/Visitor Visa. A Schengen Tourism/Visitor Visa is established by the Schengen states. This gives freedom to the tourist to not only visit Germany but also 26 other Schengen state member countries mentioned above in this article. This authorization is given in the form of an affixed sticker on the passport of the tourist.

This Schengen Tourism/Visitor visa limits you to only travel and sightseeing in the entire Schengen region. 

Note: You are not allowed to involve in any practice such as paid work or academic study in the Schengen region institutions. For that purpose, you need to apply for a work or student visa accordingly in advance as your purpose of entry.

Who does not require Schengen Tourism/Visitor Visa?

For visiting family and friends in Germany or the Schengen region, one would not need to apply for Schengen Tourism/Visitor Visa if he/she lies into the following categories:

  • He/she is a citizen of the Schengen Region
  • He//she is a citizen of a country which has established ties for a visa-free regime with the Schengen states
  • He/she is a citizen of any third world country that does not have any visa-free regime with Schengen states and is currently residing in the Schengen zone area for a valid whole Schengen territory visa, any Schengen state-issued National visa, or permanent citizenship of any Schengen member state. Note: A new law has been passed for the people who fall in the immediate above category with active routine starting from January 1st, 2020. They would need to apply for an ETIAS preceding any travel towards the Schengen member states.

Who requires Schengen Tourism/Visitor Visa?

The travelers who are citizens of a third world country would need to obtain a Schengen visa before traveling towards Germany if they:

  • Do not have a visa regime agreement with the Schengen member states.
  • They do have a visa regime agreement but were rejected from entering by the border guards.

Germany Business Visa

This type of visa is applied when the traveler is visiting for a short duration of time. The time he/she is allowed in this Schengen Business visa type is of 90 days that too under a span of 6 months after the visa was applied. This type of visa is issued to people who need to visit Germany and its Schengen member states for business work, attending meetings, sign contracts and other corporate acts of importance

Who requires a Schengen Business visa?

In this type of visa, the nationality of the applicant is a major decisive factor. It depends on your nationality whether you need to obtain this visa or not. At present day, there are exactly 62 countries that practice the visa regime agreement program. The citizens of these nationalities do not require to obtain the Schengen Business visa to gain the permission of entry into Germany and the Schengen region.

That is why it is very necessary to first be informed of whether there is a need for applying for a visa before hustling to gather all your documents. After the realization of whether you need to apply, you should start your German Visa Application Process. This process requires only a handful of specific documents and attending an interview at the German Embassy in your country. 

Documents Required

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Germany visa requirements

Tourist Visa Requirements

To apply for Schengen Tourism/Visitor visa, you need to produce some essential documents to complete your visa application which are as follows:

1.Application form filled in German or English. This document needs to be correctly filled, printed and signed. You can find the document here.

2.An application to vary and declare that the information filled by you is 100% legitimate which you can find here.

3.Four passport size identical photographs with dimensions as per the visa requirements which you can find here.

4.Your authorized valid passport not older than 10 years of its registration date.

5.Your bank statements for the last three months.

6.Travel insurance with a minimum amount of 30,000 euros. 

7.Valid proof of booking of accommodation for your entire stay in Germany or the Schengen region. If you are staying at your family/friend's accommodation then you need to produce a letter of invitation in a template provided here.

8.Valid proof of advance flight bookings for both arrival and return.

9.Financial condition proof in the form of a 3-month bank statement and a letter of sponsorship if the trip is sponsored by another person.

10.If you are currently employed then you need to produce a Letter of leave acceptance from the company you are employed to.

11.No-objection certificate is required if you are a student. This can be produced by your school or university. If you are unemployed and if you are not a student then you don’t need to produce this document

12.A letter describing your purpose, duration, and address of the visit.

13.An invitation letter from the person that you are specifically visiting in Germany. This should include address, the period of stay and contact details of the hosting person.

14.Marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration, etc is required to prove your civil status.

15.Your driver’s license or home utility bill in your name for proof of residence.

16.Applicant, if older than 18 years of age, needs to provide an additional consent letter signed by both parents, the application form signed by both parents, and a copy of the parent’s passport.

German Business Visa Requirements

The documents for a Schengen business visa is same as those needed for applying for Schengen Tourist/Visitor visa with some additional documents required such as:

1.Proof of financial status:

a.If you are employed: Paychecks of the past three months with an employment contract.

b.If self-employed: Certificate of ownership and income.

2.Your company bank statements from the previous three months

3.Detailed Business information. 

4.Invitation letter from the business partner in Germany in English or German mentioning the invitee specifics, the dates, and purpose of the trip with a thorough roster of the business meetings or training day by day.

5.A detailed schedule of your business meetings

6.Entire travel itinerary revealing your position, duration of your service, the dates and purpose of the trip and if your expenditures are being covered by the employer or not.

7.Certificate of Incorporation of the company

Visa Fees

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Germany Visa Fees

A fee of 80 euros is to be paid for your application to be processed. Although, there are categories that exempt visa fees payment or reduce it by a margin. You can check if you fall into this category here.

Note: It is important to be noted that the fees are non-refundable in any case of cancellation of your trip subject to visa rejection or any other probable cause.


How to apply for a Germany Visa

You may need to apply at following utilities depending on how the German authorities have regulated visa application in your country

  • The German embassy
  • The German consulate
  • Visa center

You should start with the application form here which has all the necessary detail of the application center near you. This application process is pretty much similar on both Tourist/Visitor and Business type visa. You can learn about this process in even more detail and validate it on the official German website for this purpose here.

You can apply for a German visa at most 6 months before travel and at least 3 weeks before the same travel date.  

Track Application

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Germany Visa Tracking

The applicants may track their visa application status through an online portal and follow some basic steps mentioned as follows:

1. Click the “Tracking Link”.

2. Enter your Application Reference number 

3. Enter Your Date of Birth.

4. Verify your entry by filling the captcha into the text bar.

FAQ's

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FAQs

Do I need a visa for Germany?

Passport holders of the USA, Canada, and all EU-member states do not need a visa to travel to Germany. Citizens of any other nationality require visas based on their purpose and type of travel which you may verify from this article.

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

All foreign students who wish to study or work in Germany would require a visa before entering Germany.

Where can I find an application form for a visa?

You can download the visa application form here which directs you to the website of the German embassy.

My visa has been issued by the German consulate, can I use this visa to travel to other countries (ex. Netherlands or Denmark)

Yes, you can travel to other countries, which lies under the Schengen states, with your authorized Schengen visa. These countries including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

I have already been to Germany, can I use the same visa for a trip to another Schengen state?

Usually, you can. You would need to check carefully on the visa sticker for the duration you are allowed to travel and for how many entries it is valid.

My visa has been issued by an embassy from a Schengen state, can I use that to travel to Germany?

Yes, it is legal for you to use a Schengen visa issued in another country for traveling to Germany.

How long is a Schengen visa valid for?

Schengen visa is valid for up to 90 days. This visa comes under the category of a “short-stay” visa which is valid for only traveling purposes and not for working or studying unless specifically applied for.

What kind of Schengen visa will I get?

It entirely depends on your purpose of travel. You will most likely get a multiple entry visa.

When can I apply for a visa?

You can apply for German Visa at most 90 days before the date of your travel and at least 3 weeks before the arrival in Germany.

Do I need to get travel insurance?

Yes, you must obtain travel insurance with a minimum entitlement of 30,000 euros.

How much does a German visa cost?

The normal German visa fee is €80. However, it varies based on your country region, so kindly check your fee amount through online utility here. 

Where do I have to apply to get my visa?

To apply for a tourist/visit, business, study or work visa you have to apply at the German consulate and start with your application here.