Visum für Reisen ins Ausland beantragen

• § 5 Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG) – Allgemeine Erteilungsvoraussetzungen
• § 6 AufenthG – Visum
• Schengener Grenzkodex
• EU-Visumverordnung

As a citizen of the European Union, you can travel to almost all countries in the world without a visa or you can easily obtain a tourist visa on entry.

However, you will need a visa in many cases if you intend to stay in the country for

• stay longer than three months in the destination country,
• to pursue a job or
• to complete a course of study.

Whether and when you need a visa for your destination country depends solely on the law of the country of entry. There is no general principle governing a visa requirement. The Federal Foreign Office will inform you about the entry requirements that apply in the individual countries. EU citizens do not require a visa when travelling within the EU.

Contact

Foreign representation of the country in question in Germany (consulate / consulate general)

–> Vertretungen fremder Staaten in Deutschland
Auswärtiges Amt

The following documents are often required:

• the completed and signed application form (sometimes in several copies)
• one or, if applicable, several recent passport photos (please note the format requirements)
• a passport, which must often be valid for a certain period of time beyond the planned trip
• an invitation or other documents proving the purpose of stay and the financing of the stay
• proof of payment of consular fees

Note: Please enquire at the diplomatic mission or consular post of the country concerned about exactly which documents and applications you need to submit and, if applicable, where you can obtain the application forms.

To obtain a visa, you usually need to prove:

• Purpose of the trip
• Financing of the stay including health insurance cover
• Willingness and possibility to return to Germany

Note: The details vary from country to country. Legally binding information can therefore only be given to you by the diplomatic mission or consular post of the respective country.

Fees vary (depending on visa type, duration and purpose of stay, number of entries and processing effort)

Depending on the country of destination, you can apply for and hand over documents in person or by post, in some countries also via the internet. However, the exact procedure depends on the regulations of the respective country. Therefore, please enquire at the diplomatic mission or consular post of the country concerned.

Note: Special application requirements may mean more work for you. For example, some countries require the personal presence of the applicant or photos in a certain format, which is unusual in Germany and therefore more difficult to obtain.

The processing time also depends strongly on the country-specific requirements. Typically, it takes about 14 days, but processing can also take considerably longer.

You should contact the relevant diplomatic mission or consular post of your destination country as early as possible to find out what processing times you should expect. If a personal appointment at the mission abroad is necessary, this may involve a lead time of several weeks.

Some countries offer priority application processing for a fee, which shortens the process.