As a rule, we will only accept visa applications from UK residents, including foreign residents holding a UK Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or a UK short-term study visa. If you are not a UK resident please apply through the German Mission in your country of residence or its Visa Application Centres. Likewise, non-resident British citizens need to file their application in their respective country of residence.

Applications from anyone other than UK residents will only be accepted in very exceptional cases and at the ultimate discretion of a visa officer. Contact us outlining your particular situation in detail here. Visas may be applied for six months in advance of your anticipated travel date and we are likely to require you to demonstrate why you were unable to apply in your country of residence.

All applications have to be submitted in person, as we are required to take your biometrics including fingerprints (exceptions may apply if you have been issued a Schengen visa within the last 5 years). You will need to schedule an appointment with the respective Mission or the Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact. Please make sure that you book your appointment in the correct category. A separate appointment is required for each individual applicant; i.e. a family of four requires four appointments. Children must be present for the appointment. Please schedule your appointment well ahead of your anticipated travel date and make sure you have all the required documents available. Visas may be applied for six months in advance of your anticipated travel date.
We strongly recommend that you do not make any travel arrangement or make any other financial commitments before your visa has been approved.

Selected types of long-term visas (category D ONLY) can now also be submitted online (see respective section).

While supporting documents required vary from one visa category to the next there are only two application forms:
For A and C visas please use the online Schengen visa application form.
For all national (D-) visas please use the online National visa application form.

Please complete the application form, print the form including the barcodes (one printout for A and C visas, two printouts for D visas) and sign all copies. You are required to bring all printouts as well as all supporting documents (including copies) to your appointment.

Offline application forms may only be used in event of technical failure and with prior approval of the Mission or the Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact. Please include a copy of the approval with your application.

Passport photographs required for visa applications must be recent (no older than three months) and comply with German biometric standards, including

• Photo to be taken in full-face view, directly facing the camera.
• The face must take up 70 to 80% of the photo. This corresponds to a height of 32 to 36mm.
• Photo must show a neutral facial expression with both eyes open.
• Do not wear a hat or head covering that obscures the hair or hairline (religious face coverings are acceptable). Your face must be fully visible, and the head covering must not cast any shadows on your face.
• Photos must be taken in front of a white or off-white background.
• Glasses/ spectacles are permitted in as far as the frames do not cover any part of the eyes.

All photos must be printed on photo quality paper sized 35 x 45 mm. Review the sample photos to see examples of acceptable and unacceptable photos. Photos copied or digitally scanned from driver’s licenses or other official documents are not acceptable.

A self-service photo machine operated by an external service provider is available both at the Embassy and at the TLScontact Visa Application Centre (VAC) (set of four pictures for £10).

Following the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union the general EU exemption for pupils travelling on travellers' lists is no longer available to pupils at British schools.

Under German national legislation pupils at schools in the UK are exempt from visa requirements if they are included in a list of travellers meeting the conditions of the Council Decision of 30 November 1994 and endorsed by a “responsible authority” confirming the pupils' right to re-enter the UK. It is our understanding that the UK no longer issues lists of travellers meeting this requirement. The British Council, who previously had been designated to provide this service, has ceased to endorse travellers' lists.

This means that school children now require a visa for any school trip/excursion unless they are UK citizens or nationals of another country generally exempt from visa requirements for short stays.

Please make sure that you book your appointment in the correct category. A separate appointment is required for each individual applicant; i.e. a family of four requires four appointments.
Please note that only those individuals whose attendance is indispensable for the application will be permitted access to the Mission or the Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact. This includes applicants and required accompanying persons (i.e. both parents will need to attend appointments for children, carers or chaperones can attend appointments for those requiring special assistance).

Owing to high demand, we have compressed appointments into tight slots; please make sure that you arrive about ten minutes prior to the appointment.
Please make sure that you bring all required documents including all necessary photocopies with you. We may choose to refuse your application simply because it has been submitted too late or because it is incomplete.

Visa fees are €90 for Schengen (A or C) visas and €75 for national (D) visas. Fees can be waived or reduced for certain categories of applicants. Details are available here.

The European Council has completely suspended the visa facilitation agreement between the European Union and the Russian Federation as of 12 September 2022. This includes the provisions on reduced visa fees. For details, please click here.​​​​​​​

Your visa fees need to be paid at the time of application. The German Missions accept Mastercard or Visa credit or debit cards. You must have the actual card with you. The named card holder must be present to sign the debit voucher. Digital wallet or mobile payments including Apple Pay or Google Pay are not available.

The Visa Application Centres (VAC) operated by our external service provider TLScontact charge additional service fees. For details and payment facilities please refer to their website.
Visa fees are processing fees. They are payable as soon as your visa application is submitted. Visa fees will not be reimbursed should your application be denied or should you decide to withdraw your application.

We do not offer application status tracking. Once you submit your application, we will indicate the approximate timeframe that we anticipate will be required for processing your application. A and C visa applications will usually be processed within 15 working days from the date the application is received by the Embassy or the Consulate General. A further 2-3 working days should be allowed for the return of your passport. For some visa categories, we will require approval from other entities beyond our control, such as the local immigration office at your intended place of residence in Germany or the Federal Employment Agency.

If you have previously resided in Germany this will add to processing times, as the immigration office may need to look into your previous immigration record.
Although we will provide you with a file number, please understand that we cannot respond to questions regarding the status of your visa application. Should we have any questions or should we require additional documentation to process your application, we will be in touch with you. Likewise, once a decision has been made on your application, we will contact you.

We will always communicate with you using either the e-mail address or the mobile phone number provided in your application. If we phone you, please be aware that our phone number will be withheld. Please also make sure that you whitelist e-mails originating from 'auswaertiges-amt.de', otherwise our e-mails may end up in your spam folder. Should we ask you to email us additional documents, always quote your file number in the subject line. Please do not send us any documents unless specifically requested to do so. This particularly applies to unsolicited invitation letters. We simply do not have the capacity to store these documents. You are required to submit all relevant documents at the time of application.

If you are applying for any of the visa categories accepted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact (all A and C visas as well as some D visas), you will need to leave your passport with them.

For visa categories accepted by the German Missions, we will indicate the timeframe that we anticipate will be required for processing your application at the time we accept your application. If we anticipate the processing time to be six weeks or less we will require you to leave your passport with us.

In all other cases, we will only view your passport at the time of application. Once your visa is ready to be issued we will contact you. You will then need to send in your passport immediately in order for the visa to be affixed.

We will return your passport to you by post.

If applying through a German Mission please provide a self-addressed, pre-paid Royal Mail “Special Delivery envelope” with your application. “Special delivery” envelopes“ are available from any Post Office. Passports can only be returned to an addressee currently present in the UK.

If applying through a Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact please refer to their guidance.

Royal Mail is currently operating a system where the delivery person may sign for any delivery made. Please note that the German Missions will only accept liability for an incoming delivery if receipt has been acknowledged by a Mission staff member.

As a rule, Schengen visas (categories A and C) may be applied for six months in advance of your anticipated travel date. The standard processing time for a Schengen visa is 15 working days from the date the application is received by the Embassy or the Consulate General. A further 2-3 working days should be allowed for the return of your passport. Please arrange your appointment to submit your application as early as possible.

Visa applications by Ethiopian, Gambian and Russian nationals are usually being processed within 45 days. You may apply up to six months before the start of the intended visit.

When preparing your D visa application please read the information on processing times given for each visa category. Additionally, you should bear in mind that any D visa may not be issued more than 3 months ahead of the intended travel date.

If you are applying for any of the visa categories accepted by the Visa Application Centre (VAC) operated by TLScontact (all A and C visas as well as some D visas), you will need to leave your passport with them.

For visa categories accepted by the German Missions, we will indicate the timeframe that we anticipate will be required for processing your application at the time we accept your application. If we anticipate the processing time to be six weeks or less we will require you to leave your passport with us.

In all other cases, we will only view your passport at the time of application. Once your visa is ready to be issued we will contact you. You will then need to send in your passport immediately in order for the visa to be affixed.

We strongly recommend that you do not make any travel arrangement or make any other financial commitments until your visa has been approved. We recommend that you make travel arrangements only if and when you have received your passport containing the appropriate visa. When reserving/ booking a ticket for an A or a C visa, please be aware that filing a complete application does not guarantee that a visa will be granted. It may be advisable to book a fully refundable ticket.

Germany’s borders are policed by the Federal Police (Bundespolizei). The Federal Police at major German airports can be contacted as follows:

• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Hamburg: bpolifh.ham@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeirevier Flughafen Bremen: bpolrfh.bre@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Hannover: bpolifh.haj@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Berlin Brandenburg: bpoli.ber@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Düsseldorf: bpolifh.dus@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Köln/Bonn: bpolifh.cgn@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeirevier Flughafen Erfurt-Weimar: bpoli.erfurt@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeirevier Flughafen Leipzig/Halle: bpoli.leipzig@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeirevier Flughafen Dresden: bpoli.dresden.fh-leitstelle@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeidirektion Flughafen Frankfurt am Main: bpold.frankfurt@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeirevier Flughafen Saarbrücken: bpolr.scn@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizeiinspektion Flughafen Stuttgart: bpolifh.str@polizei.bund.de
• Bundespolizei Flughafen München: bpol.muc@polizei.bund.de

Please read the information on our website carefully. We do appreciate that it might be easier for you to ask questions. However, we do not have sufficient staff capacity to respond to every query. Please understand that we may choose not to respond to questions already answered on our website. If you do need to contact us, please make sure that you give your full name, your nationality, the type of visa you are applying for and your specific question in plain English (or German) so that we may respond to the point.

For questions regarding visa applications handled by our external service provider, please contact TLScontact directly.

Both the Embassy in London and the Consulate General in Edinburgh can be contacted by using our contact form. We aim to respond within 3 working days. Due to the high volume, we are currently unable to answer telephone inquiries