SHORT-STAY GERMAN VISA
PROGRAM DETAILS
Short Stay Visas are of three types :
- Short Stay Uniform Visa 6 months visa that lets you travel any Schengen member state with a maximum stay of up to 90 days.
- Short Stay Visa with Limited Territorial Validity Lets you visit State(s) indicated on the visa sticker and not any of the other Schengen countries.
- Airport Transit Visa. It’s for people in transit travelling from any of the member States and need to change the aircraft at any other member State.
Irrespective of the visa type, a Schengen visa holder can make number of entries as indicated on the visa. It can either be 1, 2, or multiple depending on the visa requirements and the decision taken by the consulate.
SCHENGEN VISA
If you are visiting Germany for a period of three months (90 days) or less, you can apply for a short-stay Schengen visa. These can be granted for tourism, short work-related or study stays, or for other purposes such as to attend seminars or trade fairs.
You need to apply for a Schengen visa at the German embassy, consulate or mission in your country of residence. The Federal Foreign Office website has detailed information on all aspects of Schengen visa regulations.
If you enter Germany on this visa, you cannot change it to a German residence permit once you are in Germany, except in exceptional circumstances. You will typically have to leave Germany, apply for the residence permit from abroad and then re-enter the country.
AIRPORT TRANSIT VISA
If you are stopping briefly in a German airport (even for just a few hours) en route to another destination, you may need an airport transit visa if you are from one of the following countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkey.
An airport transit visa only allows you into the international zone of a German airport for a maximum of 12 hours. There are some airports, however, for which an airport visa isn’t required to pass through the International Transit Area, such as Cologne/Bonn, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich.
If you are leaving the airport, even for less than a day, you may need to get the three-month German Schengen visa. This also applies to leaving the International Transit Area of the airport to check in again or pick up luggage. Schengen visas allow you to enter Germany (or any other country in the Schengen area listed above) for up to three months (90 days) within a six-month period.