Welcome
Schengen Visa FAQs
Have a query regarding Schengen Visa? Check out our FAQs.
General information and common misconceptions
Looking at months of waiting time for a Schengen appointment, we have come up with a special solution for business travelers.
If you cannot reschedule your business trip and do not see an available appointment under the normal business category Schengen, we kindly request you to schedule an appointment under the new category “urgent business”.
No extra charges apply! This is simply a splitting of our appointment allocation to give preference to business travelers.
By this, we aim at strengthening German-Indian business relations.
However, just by applying under the “urgent business” category will not give you a fast-track visa procedure, it is only a way to make sure that appointments are given to business travelers on priority! The average processing time can take up to 15 days and there is no guarantee that your application will be processed on time when you apply on very short term.
PLEASE NOTE: If the purpose of your trip is: business meeting/ training/ conference/ guest scientist/ work/ paper presentation, you may book under “urgent business”.
Please be advised that no further applications from family members will be accepted under this category. This offer is exclusively for business travelers.
Applicants who wish to travel under urgent business must commence their journey within four weeks. If the travel is scheduled after four weeks, it is not considered under the urgent category and will not be accepted by VFS.
If you book an appointment under “urgent business” but actually want to go for trade fair/ visit/tourism/ student/ anything else not mentioned and appear at VFS - your appointment will be considered as cancelled and null & void. You may then re-apply under the correct category. VFS has the right to turn you down at the counter directly without confirmation from the German Consulate.
Looking at months of waiting time for a Schengen appointment, we have come up with a special solution for trade fair exhibitors & visitors.
If you cannot reschedule your trade fair trip and do not see an available appointment under the normal trade fair category Schengen, we kindly request you to schedule an appointment under the new category “trade fair urgent”.
No extra charges apply! This is simply a splitting of our appointment allocation to give preference to trade fair travelers.
By this, we aim at strengthening German-Indian business relations.
However, just by applying under the “trade fair urgent” category will not give you a fast-track visa procedure, it is only a way to make sure that appointments are given to trade fair travelers on priority! The average processing time can take up to 15 days and there is no guarantee that your application will be processed on time when you apply on very short term.
PLEASE NOTE: If the purpose of your trip is: visit of a trade fair/ trade fair exhibitor, you may book under “trade fair urgent”.
Please be advised that no further applications from family members will be accepted under this category. This offer is exclusively for trade fair exhibitors and visitors.
Applicants who wish to travel under the urgent trade fair category must commence their journey within four weeks. If the travel is scheduled after four weeks, it is not considered under the urgent category and will not be accepted by VFS.
If you book an appointment under “trade fair” but actually want to go for business/ visit/tourism/ student/ anything else not mentioned and appear at VFS - your appointment will be considered as cancelled and null & void. You may then re-apply under the correct category. VFS has the right to turn you down at the counter directly without confirmation from the German Consulate.
Mythbuster: the regular Schengen visa (C) cascade has always been in place.
- Old rule and rule still applicable to all third country nationals permanently residing in India: According to the rule in place until now you needed three Schengen visas, correctly used within the past 2 years to qualify for a C1 (one year duration), after that C1 you could qualify for a C2 and then for a C5. If your passport is not valid long enough, you will receive the next lower category (e.g. passport cannot take a C5 because your passport requires a validity of three months after visa expiry date - hence we give a C4) - this in accordance with Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
- New/additional rule for Indian nationals living in India: Because of the sustained growth of the Indian economy, the number of bona fide applicants of Indian nationality that have lawfully used previous visas continues to increase, more favourable rules than those provided for by Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 should apply in respect of those applicants. We will now issue a C2 (two year visa) if you have 2 lawfully used Schengen visas within the past 3 years! After that applicants qualify for a C5 according to the regular cascade. For certain travelers who are deemd trustworthy or out of other reasons the visa section may even give up to C5 straight up, this in accordance with Article 24(2c) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
- However, applicants do not have an entitlement to any of this. If the visa sections comes to the conclusion that still you should get a day-to-day after 2 used Schengen visas within the past 3 years, they are right to do so. If your passport is not valid long enough, you will receive the next lower category (e.g. passport cannot take a C5 because your passport requires a validity of three months after visa expiry date - hence we give a C4) - this in accordance with Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
Looking at months of waiting time for a Schengen appointment, we have come up with a special solution for business travelers.
If you cannot reschedule your business trip and do not see an available appointment under the normal business category Schengen, we kindly request you to schedule an appointment under the new category “urgent business”.
No extra charges apply! This is simply a splitting of our appointment allocation to give preference to business travelers.
By this, we aim at strengthening German-Indian business relations.
However, just by applying under the “urgent business” category will not give you a fast-track visa procedure, it is only a way to make sure that appointments are given to business travelers on priority! The average processing time can take up to 15 days and there is no guarantee that your application will be processed on time when you apply on very short term.
PLEASE NOTE: If the purpose of your trip is: business meeting/ training/ conference/ guest scientist/ work/ paper presentation, you may book under “urgent business”.
Please be advised that no further applications from family members will be accepted under this category. This offer is exclusively for business travelers.
Applicants who wish to travel under urgent business must commence their journey within four weeks. If the travel is scheduled after four weeks, it is not considered under the urgent category and will not be accepted by VFS.
If you book an appointment under “urgent business” but actually want to go for trade fair/ visit/tourism/ student/ anything else not mentioned and appear at VFS - your appointment will be considered as cancelled and null & void. You may then re-apply under the correct category. VFS has the right to turn you down at the counter directly without confirmation from the German Consulate.
Looking at months of waiting time for a Schengen appointment, we have come up with a special solution for trade fair exhibitors & visitors.
If you cannot reschedule your trade fair trip and do not see an available appointment under the normal trade fair category Schengen, we kindly request you to schedule an appointment under the new category “trade fair urgent”.
No extra charges apply! This is simply a splitting of our appointment allocation to give preference to trade fair travelers.
By this, we aim at strengthening German-Indian business relations.
However, just by applying under the “trade fair urgent” category will not give you a fast-track visa procedure, it is only a way to make sure that appointments are given to trade fair travelers on priority! The average processing time can take up to 15 days and there is no guarantee that your application will be processed on time when you apply on very short term.
PLEASE NOTE: If the purpose of your trip is: visit of a trade fair/ trade fair exhibitor, you may book under “trade fair urgent”.
Please be advised that no further applications from family members will be accepted under this category. This offer is exclusively for trade fair exhibitors and visitors.
Applicants who wish to travel under the urgent trade fair category must commence their journey within four weeks. If the travel is scheduled after four weeks, it is not considered under the urgent category and will not be accepted by VFS.
If you book an appointment under “trade fair” but actually want to go for business/ visit/tourism/ student/ anything else not mentioned and appear at VFS - your appointment will be considered as cancelled and null & void. You may then re-apply under the correct category. VFS has the right to turn you down at the counter directly without confirmation from the German Consulate.
Mythbuster: the regular Schengen visa (C) cascade has always been in place.
- Old rule and rule still applicable to all third country nationals permanently residing in India: According to the rule in place until now you needed three Schengen visas, correctly used within the past 2 years to qualify for a C1 (one year duration), after that C1 you could qualify for a C2 and then for a C5. If your passport is not valid long enough, you will receive the next lower category (e.g. passport cannot take a C5 because your passport requires a validity of three months after visa expiry date - hence we give a C4) - this in accordance with Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
- New/additional rule for Indian nationals living in India: Because of the sustained growth of the Indian economy, the number of bona fide applicants of Indian nationality that have lawfully used previous visas continues to increase, more favourable rules than those provided for by Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 should apply in respect of those applicants. We will now issue a C2 (two year visa) if you have 2 lawfully used Schengen visas within the past 3 years! After that applicants qualify for a C5 according to the regular cascade. For certain travelers who are deemd trustworthy or out of other reasons the visa section may even give up to C5 straight up, this in accordance with Article 24(2c) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
- However, applicants do not have an entitlement to any of this. If the visa sections comes to the conclusion that still you should get a day-to-day after 2 used Schengen visas within the past 3 years, they are right to do so. If your passport is not valid long enough, you will receive the next lower category (e.g. passport cannot take a C5 because your passport requires a validity of three months after visa expiry date - hence we give a C4) - this in accordance with Article 24(2) of Regulation (EC) No 810/2009.
It is an authorisation to travel issued by one of the Member States of the Schengen Area with the intention to
1. transit through OR 2. stay in the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days (short stay) in any 180 day period.
The processing of visa applications is based on the VISA CODE (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009, last amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of 20 June 2019).
There are currently 27 European countries in the Schengen Area, 23 of which are Member States of the European Union (below with *). These 27 countries share a common legal framework and there are no checks on the borders between them.
The countries issuing Schengen visas (“Schengen Member States”) are: Austria*, Belgium*, Bulgaria, Croatia*, Czechia*, Denmark*, Estonia*, Finland*, France*, Germany*, Greece*, Hungary*, Iceland, Italy*, Latvia*, Liechtenstein, Lithuania*, Luxembourg*, Malta*, the Netherlands*, Norway, Poland*, Portugal*, Romania, Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Spain*, Sweden* and Switzerland.
More information on the Schengen Area can be obtained visiting this web page.
Short stay visa
- UNIFORM VISA: the holder of a uniform visa is allowed to travel to the States mentioned above for a period not exceeding 90 days during any 180-day period. In order to calculate the period of allowed stay the applicant can consult the short stay calculator available on the website of the Directorate-General for Home Affairs of the European Commission.
- VISA WITH LIMITED TERRITORIAL VALIDITY: the holder of a visa with limited territorial validity is allowed to travel to the State(s) indicated on the visa sticker but not to any of the other Schengen States
Airport transit visa
- Some Schengen Member States require Airport Transit Visas for Indian nationals, a list can be found here.
- Airport transit visas are systematically required for nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
- The holder of an airport transit visa is only allowed to transit through the international transit areas of the issuing Schengen Member State and possible other States, if indicated on the visa sticker.
More on airport transit visas in the next Q&A!
First, please check whether you require an airport transit visa.
- Some Schengen Member States require Airport Transit Visas for Indian nationals, a list can be found here.
- Indian nationals require an airport transit visa for the Schengen area - Germany! This visa allows a short stopover at an international airport only, without leaving the airport’s international transit area or overnight stay in a hotel. If you need to leave the international transit area (e.g. in order to catch a connecting flight at another airport to leave the Schengen area), please apply for a regular Schengen visa.
Exemptions:
a) Indian nationals holding a valid visa or residence permit from a member state of the Schengen area or Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Ireland, Canada, Japan, USA (except for holders of an US “Advanced Parole Document”)
b) Indian nationals holding a valid residence permit for Andorra, Monaco or San Marino
c) Diplomatic passport holders
generally do not require an airport transit visa.
- Airport transit visas are systematically required for nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
IMPORTANT! If you travel to the UK via Germany and do not fall under the exemptions stated above, you will need to apply for a transit visa or change your flight if you cannot find an appointment slot!
You shall present a valid travel document (passport)! the validity of which extends at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen Member States (or, in the case of several visits, after the last intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen Member States).
It shall contain at least two blank pages and shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.
If these conditions are not fulfilled, the visa section is allowed to send your passport with the unprocessed application back to you, visa fee will be refunded, any VFS service fee not.
On the visa sticker the “number of entries” is indicated: “1”, “2” or “MULT”. The holder of a multiple entry visa (“MULT”) may enter the Schengen area an unlimited number of times during the validity of the visa while respecting the rules on duration of stay.
After receiving your passport you are requested to check whether this aligns with what you applied for.
Indian nationals and nationals of other countries legally residing in India can apply.
Persons who do not reside in India may only apply if they are legally present in India and can present a justification for lodging an application in India rather than in their country of residence.
It is an authorisation to travel issued by one of the Member States of the Schengen Area with the intention to
1. transit through OR 2. stay in the territory of the Member States of a duration of no more than 90 days (short stay) in any 180 day period.
The processing of visa applications is based on the VISA CODE (Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 July 2009, last amended by Regulation (EU) 2019/1155 of 20 June 2019).
There are currently 27 European countries in the Schengen Area, 23 of which are Member States of the European Union (below with *). These 27 countries share a common legal framework and there are no checks on the borders between them.
The countries issuing Schengen visas (“Schengen Member States”) are: Austria*, Belgium*, Bulgaria, Croatia*, Czechia*, Denmark*, Estonia*, Finland*, France*, Germany*, Greece*, Hungary*, Iceland, Italy*, Latvia*, Liechtenstein, Lithuania*, Luxembourg*, Malta*, the Netherlands*, Norway, Poland*, Portugal*, Romania, Slovakia*, Slovenia*, Spain*, Sweden* and Switzerland.
More information on the Schengen Area can be obtained visiting this web page.
Short stay visa
- UNIFORM VISA: the holder of a uniform visa is allowed to travel to the States mentioned above for a period not exceeding 90 days during any 180-day period. In order to calculate the period of allowed stay the applicant can consult the short stay calculator available on the website of the Directorate-General for Home Affairs of the European Commission.
- VISA WITH LIMITED TERRITORIAL VALIDITY: the holder of a visa with limited territorial validity is allowed to travel to the State(s) indicated on the visa sticker but not to any of the other Schengen States
Airport transit visa
- Some Schengen Member States require Airport Transit Visas for Indian nationals, a list can be found here.
- Airport transit visas are systematically required for nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
- The holder of an airport transit visa is only allowed to transit through the international transit areas of the issuing Schengen Member State and possible other States, if indicated on the visa sticker.
More on airport transit visas in the next Q&A!
First, please check whether you require an airport transit visa.
- Some Schengen Member States require Airport Transit Visas for Indian nationals, a list can be found here.
- Indian nationals require an airport transit visa for the Schengen area - Germany! This visa allows a short stopover at an international airport only, without leaving the airport’s international transit area or overnight stay in a hotel. If you need to leave the international transit area (e.g. in order to catch a connecting flight at another airport to leave the Schengen area), please apply for a regular Schengen visa.
Exemptions:
a) Indian nationals holding a valid visa or residence permit from a member state of the Schengen area or Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Ireland, Canada, Japan, USA (except for holders of an US “Advanced Parole Document”)
b) Indian nationals holding a valid residence permit for Andorra, Monaco or San Marino
c) Diplomatic passport holders
generally do not require an airport transit visa.
- Airport transit visas are systematically required for nationals of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia and Sri Lanka.
IMPORTANT! If you travel to the UK via Germany and do not fall under the exemptions stated above, you will need to apply for a transit visa or change your flight if you cannot find an appointment slot!
You shall present a valid travel document (passport)! the validity of which extends at least three months after the intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen Member States (or, in the case of several visits, after the last intended date of departure from the territory of the Schengen Member States).
It shall contain at least two blank pages and shall have been issued within the previous 10 years.
If these conditions are not fulfilled, the visa section is allowed to send your passport with the unprocessed application back to you, visa fee will be refunded, any VFS service fee not.
On the visa sticker the “number of entries” is indicated: “1”, “2” or “MULT”. The holder of a multiple entry visa (“MULT”) may enter the Schengen area an unlimited number of times during the validity of the visa while respecting the rules on duration of stay.
After receiving your passport you are requested to check whether this aligns with what you applied for.
Indian nationals and nationals of other countries legally residing in India can apply.
Persons who do not reside in India may only apply if they are legally present in India and can present a justification for lodging an application in India rather than in their country of residence.
The Schengen Member State competent for examining and deciding on an application for a uniform visa shall be:
- the Schengen Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s). OR if this does not apply:
- if the visit includes more than one destination, or if there are several separate visits within 2 months, the Member State whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay. (For example you want to visit your daughter in Germany for 5 days - main purpose of the whole trip is to visit - and then extend your trip with 7 days in Italy, Germany will process the case a visit category. However, it can be difficult to determine what is the exact purpose of stay sometimes, therefore, it is better to apply with the country with the max. number of days!) OR if this does not apply:
- if no main destination can be determined, the Schengen Member State whose external border the applicant intends to cross first in order to enter the territory of the Member States.
When an application has been filed, the visa section verifies whether it is competent for examining and deciding upon it.
If it is not competent, it will, without delay, return the application form and any documents submitted by the applicant, reimburse the visa fee, and indicate which consulate is competent.
Please find the current Schengen visa fees here.
In India we have introduced that all applicants have to pay their visa fee at the VFS visa application center (VAC). All applicants will receive a VFS receipt. Only the visa section will decide then whether the application is free of cost or not.
If we decide to reimburse the visa fee and issue a gratis visa because your case falls under a certain regulation, we issue a receipt from our end indicating that 0,00 EUR were booked, you can find the receipt in the envelope. VFS will then refund your fees after a couple of days or will reach out to you regarding the refund.
Kindly see more info here
We have to differentiate between applicants for whom the visa fee IS or MAY be waived!
Applicants who receive a gratis visa
- Children under six years;
- School pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
- Researchers as defined in Article 3(2) of Council Directive (EU) 2016/801 from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research or participating in a seminar or conference;
- Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations.
- Spouses of German nationals (proof required!)
The visa fee may be waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories
- Children from the age of six years and below the age of 18 years;
- Holders of diplomatic and service passports;
- Participants aged 25 years or less in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events, organised by non-profit organisations.
We advise you to hand in your application as early as possible and at least 15 calendar days before the intended visit. Please note that applications can be handed in no more than six months before the start of the intended visit (nine months for seafarers).
Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months!
The days start to count the moment the applications reaches the visa section. If you hand in your documents with VFS at Mumbai, it will reach the Consulate the next day. If you hand it in at any other VFS, account for +2/+3 days for transportation.
You need to account for enough processing time.
If we see that you want to travel within 15 calender days after your application reached the visa section, we will return your passport and unprocessed application with a refund of fees to you immediately. Only in exceptional circumstances we might process the application.
All applicants need an appointment to submit their documents, passports and biometric data.
We invite you to check with our external service provider VFS on how to book an appointment via their appointment booking system.
That unfortunately means that all available appointment slots are fully booked. You might need to consider to reschedule your travel plans.
If no suitable appointment is displayed there, our capacity limit has already been reached on this date and your desired appointment is therefore not possible.
We at times also try to open additional appointment windows as our capacity builds up, it then remains for you to check the VFS system regularly for appointments that become available and then book.
We are ensuring a fair and transparent appointment booking process for all applicants regardless of their travel purpose, even if we are currently unable to fulfill every appointment request.
This means that the granting of a special appointment is generally limited to compelling and unplanned medical and humanitarian reasons. If this is the case, kindly get in touch with us via our contact form.
Each applicant must
- submit a completed and signed application form
- present a set of supporting documents
Check here what all you need to hand in for the application form and supporting documents.
Please stick to this list, however, if you feel that you need to hand in more documents to prove your purpose of stay, you may do so. VFS is instructed to take whatever documents the applicants present. On the other hand it should be clear that if you hand in too many documents, the important information can be disguised and hard to find, which could also lead to a rejection (if your additional documents are confusing).
Please note that during the examination of your application we may in individual cases request additional documents and you may be called for an interview.
The Schengen Member State competent for examining and deciding on an application for a uniform visa shall be:
- the Schengen Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s). OR if this does not apply:
- if the visit includes more than one destination, or if there are several separate visits within 2 months, the Member State whose territory constitutes the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay. (For example you want to visit your daughter in Germany for 5 days - main purpose of the whole trip is to visit - and then extend your trip with 7 days in Italy, Germany will process the case a visit category. However, it can be difficult to determine what is the exact purpose of stay sometimes, therefore, it is better to apply with the country with the max. number of days!) OR if this does not apply:
- if no main destination can be determined, the Schengen Member State whose external border the applicant intends to cross first in order to enter the territory of the Member States.
When an application has been filed, the visa section verifies whether it is competent for examining and deciding upon it.
If it is not competent, it will, without delay, return the application form and any documents submitted by the applicant, reimburse the visa fee, and indicate which consulate is competent.
Please find the current Schengen visa fees here.
In India we have introduced that all applicants have to pay their visa fee at the VFS visa application center (VAC). All applicants will receive a VFS receipt. Only the visa section will decide then whether the application is free of cost or not.
If we decide to reimburse the visa fee and issue a gratis visa because your case falls under a certain regulation, we issue a receipt from our end indicating that 0,00 EUR were booked, you can find the receipt in the envelope. VFS will then refund your fees after a couple of days or will reach out to you regarding the refund.
Kindly see more info here
We have to differentiate between applicants for whom the visa fee IS or MAY be waived!
Applicants who receive a gratis visa
- Children under six years;
- School pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training;
- Researchers as defined in Article 3(2) of Council Directive (EU) 2016/801 from third countries travelling for the purpose of carrying out scientific research or participating in a seminar or conference;
- Representatives of non-profit organizations aged 25 years or less participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organised by non-profit organisations.
- Spouses of German nationals (proof required!)
The visa fee may be waived for applicants belonging to one of the following categories
- Children from the age of six years and below the age of 18 years;
- Holders of diplomatic and service passports;
- Participants aged 25 years or less in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events, organised by non-profit organisations.
We advise you to hand in your application as early as possible and at least 15 calendar days before the intended visit. Please note that applications can be handed in no more than six months before the start of the intended visit (nine months for seafarers).
Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months!
The days start to count the moment the applications reaches the visa section. If you hand in your documents with VFS at Mumbai, it will reach the Consulate the next day. If you hand it in at any other VFS, account for +2/+3 days for transportation.
You need to account for enough processing time.
If we see that you want to travel within 15 calender days after your application reached the visa section, we will return your passport and unprocessed application with a refund of fees to you immediately. Only in exceptional circumstances we might process the application.
All applicants need an appointment to submit their documents, passports and biometric data.
We invite you to check with our external service provider VFS on how to book an appointment via their appointment booking system.
That unfortunately means that all available appointment slots are fully booked. You might need to consider to reschedule your travel plans.
If no suitable appointment is displayed there, our capacity limit has already been reached on this date and your desired appointment is therefore not possible.
We at times also try to open additional appointment windows as our capacity builds up, it then remains for you to check the VFS system regularly for appointments that become available and then book.
We are ensuring a fair and transparent appointment booking process for all applicants regardless of their travel purpose, even if we are currently unable to fulfill every appointment request.
This means that the granting of a special appointment is generally limited to compelling and unplanned medical and humanitarian reasons. If this is the case, kindly get in touch with us via our contact form.
Each applicant must
- submit a completed and signed application form
- present a set of supporting documents
Check here what all you need to hand in for the application form and supporting documents.
Please stick to this list, however, if you feel that you need to hand in more documents to prove your purpose of stay, you may do so. VFS is instructed to take whatever documents the applicants present. On the other hand it should be clear that if you hand in too many documents, the important information can be disguised and hard to find, which could also lead to a rejection (if your additional documents are confusing).
Please note that during the examination of your application we may in individual cases request additional documents and you may be called for an interview.
If your documents are not according to the checklist, we will have to consider a rejection.
Your application isthen missing documents that are listed in our checklists which are essential for checking and approving your application. Upon submission of your application via VFS you get informed about the consequences of the submission of incomplete documentation, in particular that the visa section is not obliged to offer you the possibility of late submission of documents mentioned on the checklists.
Due to the missing documents, the visa section will then be unable to check certain legal aspects of your application such as purpose of travel, financing of the intended journey or your willingness to return to India within the validity of the applied visa.
Therefore, your visa application might get rejected.
Please note: German Missions accept Indian Travel Medical Insurances only from approved Indian Travel Insurance companies, you can find more information here.
Applicants for one or two entries must also prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, covering emergency medical, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in case of death). The minimum cover should be of 30,000 EUR. This insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area and throughout the duration of the stay.
Applicants for a uniform visa for more than two entries (multiple entries) shall be in possession of travel medical insurance covering their stays; at the time of application, they need to prove that they have a travel medical insurance covering the period of their first intended visit, and sign the related statement in the application form.
All Schengen visa applicants in India have to appear in person in order to provide biometric data (fingerprints and digital photography).
- The photograph can be digitally taken at the time of the application or scanned from a recent one, if conform to ICAO standards. We require min. 1 biometric passport picture (35x45mm white/grey background, 70%-80% face coverage), not older than six months!
- For subsequent applications (within 5 years), the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file.
- In case of reasonable doubt regarding the identity of the applicant, the consulate will collect again fingerprints within the 5 year-period specified above. Furthermore, the applicant may request that they be collected if, at the time when the application is lodged, it cannot be immediately confirmed that the fingerprints were collected within this 5 years period.
Visa applicants' biometric data can be collected by Schengen Member States' consulates and external service providers but not commercial intermediaries (e.g. travel agencies).
The following applicants shall be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints:
[Please note that applicants falling under category (b) must still appear personally at a consulate or external service provider]
(a) children under the age of 12;
(b) persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible. If the fingerprinting of fewer than 10 fingers is possible, the maximum number of fingerprints shall be taken. However, should the impossibility be temporary, the applicant shall be required to give the fingerprints at the following application. The competent authorities shall be entitled to ask for further clarification of the grounds for the temporary impossibility.
(c) heads of State or government and members of a national government (Ministers and Ministers of State only) with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegation when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organisations for an official purpose;
This list is mandatory and exhaustive. Holders of diplomatic passports are not exempted as such from the fingerprinting requirement. They may be exempted if they are members of the official delegation of heads of State/ members of a national government invited for an official purpose.
Applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application. The 15 days start the moment the application reaches the visa section, not the moment you hand in your documents at VFS!
This period may be extended up to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, if a more detailed examination of the application and/or additional documents are required.
Applicants who have been refused a visa receive a standard form notifying and motivating refusal. They have the right to appeal, following the procedure and respecting the time limit indicated in the standard form. Appeals are made against the Schengen Member State that has taken the decision, in accordance with its national legislation.
You have the right to submit a complaint regarding:
- the conduct of staff at the consulate or from the external service provider;
- the application processing
Kindly use our contact form for the same.
You can find additional info on the bottom your individual rejection letter.
However, you can also simply re-apply!
You are free to re-apply again if your application has been refused earlier. However, it is recommended that you take note of the reasons for the earlier refusal before submitting a new application and make amendments, where necessary. The visa fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. The visa fee covers the cost of the examination of the visa application.
Just having a Schengen visa does not give you the automatic right to enter the Schengen Area.
At the external border, visa holders may be requested to produce documents justifying the purpose and conditions of their intended stay; that they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third state into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully.
Whatever documents you handed in for your visa application - those same documents you carry on your trip - simple!
For full information see here.
If your documents are not according to the checklist, we will have to consider a rejection.
Your application isthen missing documents that are listed in our checklists which are essential for checking and approving your application. Upon submission of your application via VFS you get informed about the consequences of the submission of incomplete documentation, in particular that the visa section is not obliged to offer you the possibility of late submission of documents mentioned on the checklists.
Due to the missing documents, the visa section will then be unable to check certain legal aspects of your application such as purpose of travel, financing of the intended journey or your willingness to return to India within the validity of the applied visa.
Therefore, your visa application might get rejected.
Please note: German Missions accept Indian Travel Medical Insurances only from approved Indian Travel Insurance companies, you can find more information here.
Applicants for one or two entries must also prove that they are in possession of adequate and valid travel medical insurance, covering emergency medical, hospitalisation and repatriation (including in case of death). The minimum cover should be of 30,000 EUR. This insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area and throughout the duration of the stay.
Applicants for a uniform visa for more than two entries (multiple entries) shall be in possession of travel medical insurance covering their stays; at the time of application, they need to prove that they have a travel medical insurance covering the period of their first intended visit, and sign the related statement in the application form.
All Schengen visa applicants in India have to appear in person in order to provide biometric data (fingerprints and digital photography).
- The photograph can be digitally taken at the time of the application or scanned from a recent one, if conform to ICAO standards. We require min. 1 biometric passport picture (35x45mm white/grey background, 70%-80% face coverage), not older than six months!
- For subsequent applications (within 5 years), the fingerprints can be copied from the previous application file.
- In case of reasonable doubt regarding the identity of the applicant, the consulate will collect again fingerprints within the 5 year-period specified above. Furthermore, the applicant may request that they be collected if, at the time when the application is lodged, it cannot be immediately confirmed that the fingerprints were collected within this 5 years period.
Visa applicants' biometric data can be collected by Schengen Member States' consulates and external service providers but not commercial intermediaries (e.g. travel agencies).
The following applicants shall be exempt from the requirement to give fingerprints:
[Please note that applicants falling under category (b) must still appear personally at a consulate or external service provider]
(a) children under the age of 12;
(b) persons for whom fingerprinting is physically impossible. If the fingerprinting of fewer than 10 fingers is possible, the maximum number of fingerprints shall be taken. However, should the impossibility be temporary, the applicant shall be required to give the fingerprints at the following application. The competent authorities shall be entitled to ask for further clarification of the grounds for the temporary impossibility.
(c) heads of State or government and members of a national government (Ministers and Ministers of State only) with accompanying spouses, and the members of their official delegation when they are invited by Member States’ governments or by international organisations for an official purpose;
This list is mandatory and exhaustive. Holders of diplomatic passports are not exempted as such from the fingerprinting requirement. They may be exempted if they are members of the official delegation of heads of State/ members of a national government invited for an official purpose.
Applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application. The 15 days start the moment the application reaches the visa section, not the moment you hand in your documents at VFS!
This period may be extended up to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, if a more detailed examination of the application and/or additional documents are required.
Applicants who have been refused a visa receive a standard form notifying and motivating refusal. They have the right to appeal, following the procedure and respecting the time limit indicated in the standard form. Appeals are made against the Schengen Member State that has taken the decision, in accordance with its national legislation.
You have the right to submit a complaint regarding:
- the conduct of staff at the consulate or from the external service provider;
- the application processing
Kindly use our contact form for the same.
You can find additional info on the bottom your individual rejection letter.
However, you can also simply re-apply!
You are free to re-apply again if your application has been refused earlier. However, it is recommended that you take note of the reasons for the earlier refusal before submitting a new application and make amendments, where necessary. The visa fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. The visa fee covers the cost of the examination of the visa application.
Just having a Schengen visa does not give you the automatic right to enter the Schengen Area.
At the external border, visa holders may be requested to produce documents justifying the purpose and conditions of their intended stay; that they have sufficient means of subsistence, both for the period of the intended stay and for the return to their country of origin or transit to a third state into which they are certain to be admitted, or are in a position to acquire such means lawfully.
Whatever documents you handed in for your visa application - those same documents you carry on your trip - simple!
For full information see here.
As soon as you receive your Schengen visa, make sure that all the information it
contains is correct.
Check the following:
- Your passport has a passport number. This number is also indicated on the visa sticker. Make sure that these numbers are the same.
- You applied for your visa for a specific period or periods. Check that your air ticket corresponds with the entry and exit dates indicated on the visa sticker.
- Check that the number of entries you applied for (one, two, or multiple) corresponds with the number of entries indicated on your visa sticker.
- Check that your name is spelled correctly.
Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, tell immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.
You can contact us via the contact form OR by sending an e-mail to visa@mumb.diplo.de
How to read the visa sticker
- DURATION OF STAY.........DAYS indicates the number of days, you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included.
- The period of time between “FROM ...UNTIL” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “DURATION OF STAY” field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “DURATION OF STAY ...DAYS” field. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “UNTIL” field.“
Controls at the border
Your short-stay visa allows you to travel to Germany and usually to other Schengen States. But it does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. So you may have to provide certain information at border or other controls. You may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in Germany and why you are visiting Germany. In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter
Germany or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
You must keep to the period of stay allowed by your visa. Misuse and overstay may result in you being expelled and banned from obtaining a new visa for a certain period of time.
If you are a family member of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, you shall benefit from a simplified and accelerated visa procedure, including exemption from the visa fee, as long as you meet the following criteria:
- You are a family member (this includes a spouse, registered partner, child who is under 21 or a depending family member) of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national (or of his/her spouse/registered partner); AND
- That EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national is residing in another Member State than that of which he/she is a national or travelling there to take up residence; AND
- You are accompanying the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national or planning to join him/her for residence.
The visa should be applied for at the Embassy/Consulate of the country of future residence of the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, not at the Embassy of his/her country of origin.
If you think you qualify for visa facilitation you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application!
Please submit your application as early as possible!
Schengen visa applications can be submitted up to six months before the start of the planned trip (nine months for seafarers). Holders of a multiple -entry longer duration visa may file an application before the expiry of their valid visa up to six months prior to their intended travel.
We recommend that you apply at least three weeks before your intended travel dates.
This way, the visa can be issued at least one week before departure. It also leaves enough time to correct possible errors in the data on your visa or its validity period.
The regular processing time for a Schengen visa is 15 calendar days according to the Schengen Visa Code.
However, in some cases the processing time might be longer, for example if your documents need to be checked more thoroughly or you are asked to submit additional documents. Please make sure to schedule an appointment as early as possible before your intended trip to Germany.
The visa office of the German Consulate General Mumbai usually decides on complete applications within 15 calendar days of receipt at the visa office (not after submission to VFS). In addition, transport from VFS to the German Consulate General Mumbai and back may take a few days. Around public holidays (e.g. Easter/ Diwali/ Christmas/ etc. ) there may be longer processing times. Please plan accordingly.
Applicants can check the status of their application via the application tracking on the VFS website. Written inquiries about the processing status can only be answered after the above-mentioned regular processing time of 15 days has expired. There may be delays in responding to emails due to volume.
Passports will only be returned via VFS.
To enter Germany, you must have a valid passport issued within the past ten years and with a validity of at least three months left (after the day you plan to leave the Schgen area).
The passport must also have at least two blank pages and should not be mutilated /damaged /tampered in any manner.
If your old passport has expired or is renewed due to exhaustion of pages, damage etc. and your Schengen visa is still valid, you can travel with your old passport that contains the valid visa together with the new passport.
Travelers’ who have a valid Schengen visa for the duration of the planned trip in the old passport may use this old visa in connection with the new passport to travel to Germany, only
- if the new passport is attached to the old one and
- if the spelling of the name and alphanumerical data is exactly the same between the two passports and does not differ.
The German Consulate General Mumbai reserves the right to return your passport and application unprocessed, if the above conditions remain unfulfilled. In such cases, the Schengen fees are refunded, however, VFS service charges are non-refundable.
For travels to other Schengen countries please reconfirm with the respective Embassies.
If you wish to apply for a multi-entry visa, you must demonstrate your increased travel needs. In the case of business trips, the necessity of multiple trips should be stated in the invitation and/or assignment letter. For private visits (e.g. of close relatives who travel regularly), a note should be included in the invitation letter. You will also need to include proof of previous travels.
Please state your request clearly in your application form e.g. ”one year“ for the period of validity, ”90“ for days of stay and ”MULT“ for the number of entries.
You only have to provide proof of travel health insurance for your first upcoming trip. However, you are obliged to take out appropriate insurance for further trips and show evidence of your insurance cover at the entry control into the Schengen area.
Please note that you can stay in Germany with a (multiple-entry) annual visa for up to a maximum of 90 days per period of 180 days. In cases of employment, this may be reduced to a maximum of 90 days per year.
There is no entitlement to the issuance of a (multiple-entry) annual visa. Long-term Schengen visas are usually issued to reliable, frequent travelers with several past visas, depending on the period of validity of the passport and evidence of the purpose of the journey, financing and willingness to return to one’s home country/ country of residence.
Related to this question there is another FAQ point further up.
If you wish to travel to one or more Schengen countries, you must apply for your visa at the representation of the country that is your main destination.
To sum it up:
- Visit to one country: Apply at the diplomatic representation of the Schengen country you will visit, located in your country of residence.
- Visits to more than one country: Where you need to apply depends on your purpose of your travel and the number of days you will spend in each state.
- Equal amount of days – Apply at the diplomatic representation of the country you will arrive in first.
- Unequal amount of days – Apply at the diplomatic representation of the country where you will spend more time or the one that is the destination of your purpose of travel, e.g. visit a friend in one country and then visit another for tourism.
Please check the current Schengen visa fees here.
Schengen fees are charged in accordance to Art. 16 of the Visa Code and an application counts as ”processed“ the moment it is handled for review and processing in the visa section.
Schengen fees can be waived or reduced for certain categories of applicants.
Whether or not you can benefit from a fee exemption can only be determined when your visa application is submitted.
We already have a FAQ point called ”How much do I need to pay for my visa?“
The German Consulate General, Mumbai will decide whether to waive the fee after receiving your application. If you qualify for a fee waiver, the fee will be refunded to you by VFS Global within 21 business days.
For applicants who qualify for a Schengen fee waiver, the receipt mentioning 0,00 EUR is issued at the time of passport return.
The Visa Application Centers (VAC) operated by our external service provider VFS charge additional service fees which are non-refundable. 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.
Enquiries regarding visa fees in individual cases should be directed to the German mission responsible for the application in question.
As soon as you receive your Schengen visa, make sure that all the information it
contains is correct.
Check the following:
- Your passport has a passport number. This number is also indicated on the visa sticker. Make sure that these numbers are the same.
- You applied for your visa for a specific period or periods. Check that your air ticket corresponds with the entry and exit dates indicated on the visa sticker.
- Check that the number of entries you applied for (one, two, or multiple) corresponds with the number of entries indicated on your visa sticker.
- Check that your name is spelled correctly.
Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, tell immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.
You can contact us via the contact form OR by sending an e-mail to visa@mumb.diplo.de
How to read the visa sticker
- DURATION OF STAY.........DAYS indicates the number of days, you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included.
- The period of time between “FROM ...UNTIL” is usually longer than the number of days printed in the “DURATION OF STAY” field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the “DURATION OF STAY ...DAYS” field. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the “UNTIL” field.“
Controls at the border
Your short-stay visa allows you to travel to Germany and usually to other Schengen States. But it does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. So you may have to provide certain information at border or other controls. You may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in Germany and why you are visiting Germany. In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter
Germany or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents which you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
You must keep to the period of stay allowed by your visa. Misuse and overstay may result in you being expelled and banned from obtaining a new visa for a certain period of time.
If you are a family member of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, you shall benefit from a simplified and accelerated visa procedure, including exemption from the visa fee, as long as you meet the following criteria:
- You are a family member (this includes a spouse, registered partner, child who is under 21 or a depending family member) of an EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national (or of his/her spouse/registered partner); AND
- That EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national is residing in another Member State than that of which he/she is a national or travelling there to take up residence; AND
- You are accompanying the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national or planning to join him/her for residence.
The visa should be applied for at the Embassy/Consulate of the country of future residence of the EU/Iceland/Liechtenstein/Norway or Swiss national, not at the Embassy of his/her country of origin.
If you think you qualify for visa facilitation you will need to show proof that you meet these criteria when you submit your visa application!
Please submit your application as early as possible!
Schengen visa applications can be submitted up to six months before the start of the planned trip (nine months for seafarers). Holders of a multiple -entry longer duration visa may file an application before the expiry of their valid visa up to six months prior to their intended travel.
We recommend that you apply at least three weeks before your intended travel dates.
This way, the visa can be issued at least one week before departure. It also leaves enough time to correct possible errors in the data on your visa or its validity period.
The regular processing time for a Schengen visa is 15 calendar days according to the Schengen Visa Code.
However, in some cases the processing time might be longer, for example if your documents need to be checked more thoroughly or you are asked to submit additional documents. Please make sure to schedule an appointment as early as possible before your intended trip to Germany.
The visa office of the German Consulate General Mumbai usually decides on complete applications within 15 calendar days of receipt at the visa office (not after submission to VFS). In addition, transport from VFS to the German Consulate General Mumbai and back may take a few days. Around public holidays (e.g. Easter/ Diwali/ Christmas/ etc. ) there may be longer processing times. Please plan accordingly.
Applicants can check the status of their application via the application tracking on the VFS website. Written inquiries about the processing status can only be answered after the above-mentioned regular processing time of 15 days has expired. There may be delays in responding to emails due to volume.
Passports will only be returned via VFS.
To enter Germany, you must have a valid passport issued within the past ten years and with a validity of at least three months left (after the day you plan to leave the Schgen area).
The passport must also have at least two blank pages and should not be mutilated /damaged /tampered in any manner.
If your old passport has expired or is renewed due to exhaustion of pages, damage etc. and your Schengen visa is still valid, you can travel with your old passport that contains the valid visa together with the new passport.
Travelers’ who have a valid Schengen visa for the duration of the planned trip in the old passport may use this old visa in connection with the new passport to travel to Germany, only
- if the new passport is attached to the old one and
- if the spelling of the name and alphanumerical data is exactly the same between the two passports and does not differ.
The German Consulate General Mumbai reserves the right to return your passport and application unprocessed, if the above conditions remain unfulfilled. In such cases, the Schengen fees are refunded, however, VFS service charges are non-refundable.
For travels to other Schengen countries please reconfirm with the respective Embassies.
If you wish to apply for a multi-entry visa, you must demonstrate your increased travel needs. In the case of business trips, the necessity of multiple trips should be stated in the invitation and/or assignment letter. For private visits (e.g. of close relatives who travel regularly), a note should be included in the invitation letter. You will also need to include proof of previous travels.
Please state your request clearly in your application form e.g. ”one year“ for the period of validity, ”90“ for days of stay and ”MULT“ for the number of entries.
You only have to provide proof of travel health insurance for your first upcoming trip. However, you are obliged to take out appropriate insurance for further trips and show evidence of your insurance cover at the entry control into the Schengen area.
Please note that you can stay in Germany with a (multiple-entry) annual visa for up to a maximum of 90 days per period of 180 days. In cases of employment, this may be reduced to a maximum of 90 days per year.
There is no entitlement to the issuance of a (multiple-entry) annual visa. Long-term Schengen visas are usually issued to reliable, frequent travelers with several past visas, depending on the period of validity of the passport and evidence of the purpose of the journey, financing and willingness to return to one’s home country/ country of residence.
Related to this question there is another FAQ point further up.
If you wish to travel to one or more Schengen countries, you must apply for your visa at the representation of the country that is your main destination.
To sum it up:
- Visit to one country: Apply at the diplomatic representation of the Schengen country you will visit, located in your country of residence.
- Visits to more than one country: Where you need to apply depends on your purpose of your travel and the number of days you will spend in each state.
- Equal amount of days – Apply at the diplomatic representation of the country you will arrive in first.
- Unequal amount of days – Apply at the diplomatic representation of the country where you will spend more time or the one that is the destination of your purpose of travel, e.g. visit a friend in one country and then visit another for tourism.
Please check the current Schengen visa fees here.
Schengen fees are charged in accordance to Art. 16 of the Visa Code and an application counts as ”processed“ the moment it is handled for review and processing in the visa section.
Schengen fees can be waived or reduced for certain categories of applicants.
Whether or not you can benefit from a fee exemption can only be determined when your visa application is submitted.
We already have a FAQ point called ”How much do I need to pay for my visa?“
The German Consulate General, Mumbai will decide whether to waive the fee after receiving your application. If you qualify for a fee waiver, the fee will be refunded to you by VFS Global within 21 business days.
For applicants who qualify for a Schengen fee waiver, the receipt mentioning 0,00 EUR is issued at the time of passport return.
The Visa Application Centers (VAC) operated by our external service provider VFS charge additional service fees which are non-refundable. 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.
Enquiries regarding visa fees in individual cases should be directed to the German mission responsible for the application in question.
As a general rule you may cross any Schengen border with the visa issued by any Schengen country. However, the short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area in a country other than the issuing Schengen visa country.
At border controls (or during other controls) besides the visa you may also have to provide the documents which you presented when applying for the visa!
Yes, you can.
According to the Schengen agreement, Schengen visas are also valid for
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Please note, however, that you always have to apply at the consulate of the country where you are going to spend most of the days of your trip.
If you intend to visit several of the above-mentioned countries but do not have a primary destination (equal days in all countries that you are going tovisit), you should apply at the consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.
Technically, also a longer duration Schengen visa can be used for travel to other Schengen countries as well but preferably and only once travel has taken place to the issuing country and for the purpose it was applied for.
No.
A long stay visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen State allows you to travel or stay in other Schengen States, while respecting the maximum duration of a ”short stay“ (a stay of ”90 days in any 180 day period“).
As a general rule, once a Schengen visa application is submitted to the Consulate, we take a decision within 15 working days. This period may be extended up to 30 days or 60 days depending on the additional verification checks and answers awaited.
Yes, you can.
Please check your visas validity, its number of entries and the maximum duration of stay (both are mentioned on your visa sticker) carefully.
If your travel plans change and the visa is not valid at the time of your actual travel you have to apply for a new visa and submit documents with altered travel dates (i.e. health insurance, invitation, travel itinerary). We cannot provide you with a special appointment for that.
For the Schengen short-stay visa, the European Commission website has created a calculator that can help you check how many days are left on your visa.
(Reminder: the total length of your stay must not exceed a total of 90 days over a period of 180 days).
As a general rule you may cross any Schengen border with the visa issued by any Schengen country. However, the short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area in a country other than the issuing Schengen visa country.
At border controls (or during other controls) besides the visa you may also have to provide the documents which you presented when applying for the visa!
Yes, you can.
According to the Schengen agreement, Schengen visas are also valid for
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
Please note, however, that you always have to apply at the consulate of the country where you are going to spend most of the days of your trip.
If you intend to visit several of the above-mentioned countries but do not have a primary destination (equal days in all countries that you are going tovisit), you should apply at the consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.
Technically, also a longer duration Schengen visa can be used for travel to other Schengen countries as well but preferably and only once travel has taken place to the issuing country and for the purpose it was applied for.
No.
A long stay visa or a residence permit issued by a Schengen State allows you to travel or stay in other Schengen States, while respecting the maximum duration of a ”short stay“ (a stay of ”90 days in any 180 day period“).
As a general rule, once a Schengen visa application is submitted to the Consulate, we take a decision within 15 working days. This period may be extended up to 30 days or 60 days depending on the additional verification checks and answers awaited.
Yes, you can.
Please check your visas validity, its number of entries and the maximum duration of stay (both are mentioned on your visa sticker) carefully.
If your travel plans change and the visa is not valid at the time of your actual travel you have to apply for a new visa and submit documents with altered travel dates (i.e. health insurance, invitation, travel itinerary). We cannot provide you with a special appointment for that.
For the Schengen short-stay visa, the European Commission website has created a calculator that can help you check how many days are left on your visa.
(Reminder: the total length of your stay must not exceed a total of 90 days over a period of 180 days).
Visa applications should be filed at the competent Schengen missions, capable of checking visa application requests, in compliance with the Visa Code.
The requirements for being the competent Member State to examine and decide on a uniform short-stay visa are stated in these FAQs further up. Have a look!
If the German Consulate General, Mumbai is not the competent mission to process your application, your passport and application along with the supporting documents will be returned without delay and your Schengen fees refunded at the earliest by VFS Global. The applicant shall be informed of where to submit the application.
VFS Global service charges are non-refundable.
You can only enter Germany if you have valid identity papers. On the planned date of departure from Germany, your passport has to be valid at least for another three months and it has to be issued within the last 10 years.
In certain cases, documents have to be presented that prove the purpose and circumstances of the visit.
Similarly, proof may also have to be provided that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself during your stay and to finance the return trip. The amount of funding depends on the type and length of stay. There are no fixed daily rates.
You are advised to take out health insurance before your trip which also covers return transport to your home country.
In cases of repeated entries and a longer duration foreigners who are not nationals of a European Union or European Economic Area state must bear in mind that visits to the Schengen area are restricted to 90 days in any period of 180 days.
You may carry copies of relevant documents submitted at the time of your Schengen application submission.
As an applicant, you are required by law to actively participate in the visa process, e.g. to provide supporting documents.
If documents submitted are not as per our checklist, your application will be considered incomplete and may result in a rejection.
Failure to submit mandatory documents such as travel and health insurance and return flight reservations may also result in a rejection.
VFS Global staff informs applicants regarding the consequences of submitting incomplete documentation as well as late submission of documents as mentioned on our checklist.
Non submission of certain mandatory documents as per our checklist, may result in us being unable to verify certain legal aspects of your application such as purpose of travel, financial sustenance or the willingness to return to the country of origin or residence.
In certain cases, as part of the preliminary review, if another or different document is required, you will be notified via email on the registered email address mentioned on your application form.
If you fail to comply with requests by the German mission responsible for your visa application within the set time limit, it will be assumed that you do not wish to pursue the visa application further and your application will be rejectedfor non-submission of documents.
If a person who is lawfully present in the jurisdiction of the consulate where the application is made, but who does not reside there, can justify why the application could not be made at the consulate having jurisdiction over his or her place of residence, the application may be accepted. It is at the consulate's discretion whether to accept the applicant's justification or not.
Therefore, the visa section must check in each individual case whether you meet the requirements or not. You can write us via the contact form and explain your situation. It must be unreasonable for you to travel back to your home country to apply for your visa. Scheduling constraints or long travel routes are usually not sufficient reasons.
You can apply for a visa for your trip to Germany up to six months before your planned stay. However, if the circumstances for the trip do not occur until after your arrival in India, this constitutes grounds for applying.
The submission of a travel document by the visa applicant is one of the main and crucial requirements.
As per every other requirement, there are strict specifications on the criteria a passport should fulfill in order for it to be acceptable.
As a rule, passports and travel documents issued by countries outside the EU, the EEA and EFTA are only recognized as valid for entering and staying in Germany if the following criteria are fulfilled:
- It must have three more months of validity on the day you leave the Schengen-area.
- Passport with extended validity will not be accepted.
- It must be no older than 10 years, on the day you plan to leave Germany.
- It must have at least two blank pages.
- Passports with additional pages (added later on the document) will not be accepted as well.
- Your passport must not be damaged.
Your passport is an official document and as per the cautionary rules mentioned on the hard cover, your passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Alteration could make the passport invalid.
Most countries prohibit ”defacing“ passports, and most countries will refuse entry if the passport is ”damaged“.
A damaged passport is officially defined as one that is not in a condition to be accepted as proof of identity. This could include an ink spillage on a page, water damage, a hole punch, the chip or antenna showing through the end-paper on the back cover of an e-passport, indecipherable personal details, scribbling by pen on any of the passport pages, missing or detached pages, the laminate lifting enough to allow the possibility of photo substitution, discoloration to the bio-data page and wearing out near binding threads.
If you have older passports with visa stickers or stamps on them, the validity of which expired or without any blank pages left, then you should submit them too, alongside with the other documents. If you have more than one passport, please rubber band them with each other.
As soon as you receive your visa, please make sure that all the information it contains is correct.
Check the following:
- Check that your name is spelt as in your passport.
- Your passport has a passport number. This number is also indicated on the visa label. Make sure that these numbers are the same.
- You applied for your visa for a specific period or periods. Check that your air ticket corresponds with the validity dates indicated on the visa label.
- Check that the number of entries you applied for (one, two, or multiple) corresponds with the number of entries indicated on your visa label.
- Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, inform the German Consulate Mumbai immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.
- DURATION OF STAY………DAYS indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included.
- If you have been granted a visa with long-term validity (e.g. between 6 months and 5 years), the entry in this field indicates the number of days you may spend in the Schengen area within a period of 180 days.
- The period of time between ”FROM …UNTIL“ is usually longer than the number of days printed in the ”DURATION OF STAY“ field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the ”DURATION OF STAY …DAYS“ field
- In case of visas with long-term validity: 90 days within a period of 180 days. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the ”UNTIL“ field.
You should be aware that the duration of stay and overall validity specified in the visa are a discretionary decision taken by a visa officer based on the individual merits of the application and the applicant’s personal circumstances in line with the Schengen Visa Code.
The validity of the passport must always exceed the visa validity by at least 3 months. Additionally, the validity of any residence permit (if required for the country of residence) must always exceed the visa validity by at least 1 month.
Your short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At border or during other controls you may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in the Schengen State, and why you are visiting the Schengen State.
In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter the Schengen State or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents, that you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
IMPORTANT: always make sure to have sufficient personal travel health insurance cover each time you travel.
You must keep to the period of stay allowed by your visa. Noncompliance with the validity and the conditions attached to the visa may result in you being denied entry, expelled and banned from obtaining a new visa for a certain period of time.
Visa applications should be filed at the competent Schengen missions, capable of checking visa application requests, in compliance with the Visa Code.
The requirements for being the competent Member State to examine and decide on a uniform short-stay visa are stated in these FAQs further up. Have a look!
If the German Consulate General, Mumbai is not the competent mission to process your application, your passport and application along with the supporting documents will be returned without delay and your Schengen fees refunded at the earliest by VFS Global. The applicant shall be informed of where to submit the application.
VFS Global service charges are non-refundable.
You can only enter Germany if you have valid identity papers. On the planned date of departure from Germany, your passport has to be valid at least for another three months and it has to be issued within the last 10 years.
In certain cases, documents have to be presented that prove the purpose and circumstances of the visit.
Similarly, proof may also have to be provided that you have sufficient funds to maintain yourself during your stay and to finance the return trip. The amount of funding depends on the type and length of stay. There are no fixed daily rates.
You are advised to take out health insurance before your trip which also covers return transport to your home country.
In cases of repeated entries and a longer duration foreigners who are not nationals of a European Union or European Economic Area state must bear in mind that visits to the Schengen area are restricted to 90 days in any period of 180 days.
You may carry copies of relevant documents submitted at the time of your Schengen application submission.
As an applicant, you are required by law to actively participate in the visa process, e.g. to provide supporting documents.
If documents submitted are not as per our checklist, your application will be considered incomplete and may result in a rejection.
Failure to submit mandatory documents such as travel and health insurance and return flight reservations may also result in a rejection.
VFS Global staff informs applicants regarding the consequences of submitting incomplete documentation as well as late submission of documents as mentioned on our checklist.
Non submission of certain mandatory documents as per our checklist, may result in us being unable to verify certain legal aspects of your application such as purpose of travel, financial sustenance or the willingness to return to the country of origin or residence.
In certain cases, as part of the preliminary review, if another or different document is required, you will be notified via email on the registered email address mentioned on your application form.
If you fail to comply with requests by the German mission responsible for your visa application within the set time limit, it will be assumed that you do not wish to pursue the visa application further and your application will be rejectedfor non-submission of documents.
If a person who is lawfully present in the jurisdiction of the consulate where the application is made, but who does not reside there, can justify why the application could not be made at the consulate having jurisdiction over his or her place of residence, the application may be accepted. It is at the consulate's discretion whether to accept the applicant's justification or not.
Therefore, the visa section must check in each individual case whether you meet the requirements or not. You can write us via the contact form and explain your situation. It must be unreasonable for you to travel back to your home country to apply for your visa. Scheduling constraints or long travel routes are usually not sufficient reasons.
You can apply for a visa for your trip to Germany up to six months before your planned stay. However, if the circumstances for the trip do not occur until after your arrival in India, this constitutes grounds for applying.
The submission of a travel document by the visa applicant is one of the main and crucial requirements.
As per every other requirement, there are strict specifications on the criteria a passport should fulfill in order for it to be acceptable.
As a rule, passports and travel documents issued by countries outside the EU, the EEA and EFTA are only recognized as valid for entering and staying in Germany if the following criteria are fulfilled:
- It must have three more months of validity on the day you leave the Schengen-area.
- Passport with extended validity will not be accepted.
- It must be no older than 10 years, on the day you plan to leave Germany.
- It must have at least two blank pages.
- Passports with additional pages (added later on the document) will not be accepted as well.
- Your passport must not be damaged.
Your passport is an official document and as per the cautionary rules mentioned on the hard cover, your passport must not be altered or mutilated in any way. Alteration could make the passport invalid.
Most countries prohibit ”defacing“ passports, and most countries will refuse entry if the passport is ”damaged“.
A damaged passport is officially defined as one that is not in a condition to be accepted as proof of identity. This could include an ink spillage on a page, water damage, a hole punch, the chip or antenna showing through the end-paper on the back cover of an e-passport, indecipherable personal details, scribbling by pen on any of the passport pages, missing or detached pages, the laminate lifting enough to allow the possibility of photo substitution, discoloration to the bio-data page and wearing out near binding threads.
If you have older passports with visa stickers or stamps on them, the validity of which expired or without any blank pages left, then you should submit them too, alongside with the other documents. If you have more than one passport, please rubber band them with each other.
As soon as you receive your visa, please make sure that all the information it contains is correct.
Check the following:
- Check that your name is spelt as in your passport.
- Your passport has a passport number. This number is also indicated on the visa label. Make sure that these numbers are the same.
- You applied for your visa for a specific period or periods. Check that your air ticket corresponds with the validity dates indicated on the visa label.
- Check that the number of entries you applied for (one, two, or multiple) corresponds with the number of entries indicated on your visa label.
- Do this yourself in order to avoid any problems or extra costs arising when using your visa. If you think that the information on the visa is incorrect, inform the German Consulate Mumbai immediately, so that any errors can be corrected.
- DURATION OF STAY………DAYS indicates the number of days you may stay in the Schengen area. The days should be counted from the date you enter the Schengen area (the entry stamp) to the date you exit the Schengen area (the exit stamp), i.e. both days included.
- If you have been granted a visa with long-term validity (e.g. between 6 months and 5 years), the entry in this field indicates the number of days you may spend in the Schengen area within a period of 180 days.
- The period of time between ”FROM …UNTIL“ is usually longer than the number of days printed in the ”DURATION OF STAY“ field. The difference in period is meant to give you flexibility to plan your entry into and exit from the Schengen area, but your stay in the Schengen area must never exceed the exact number of days in the ”DURATION OF STAY …DAYS“ field
- In case of visas with long-term validity: 90 days within a period of 180 days. No matter how many days you have stayed in the Schengen area, you must leave no later than the date printed in the ”UNTIL“ field.
You should be aware that the duration of stay and overall validity specified in the visa are a discretionary decision taken by a visa officer based on the individual merits of the application and the applicant’s personal circumstances in line with the Schengen Visa Code.
The validity of the passport must always exceed the visa validity by at least 3 months. Additionally, the validity of any residence permit (if required for the country of residence) must always exceed the visa validity by at least 1 month.
Your short-stay visa does not automatically entitle you to enter the Schengen area. At border or during other controls you may, for instance, have to provide information on your means of support, how long you intend to stay in the Schengen State, and why you are visiting the Schengen State.
In some cases, such checks may result in a refusal for the visa holder to enter the Schengen State or the Schengen area.
It is therefore recommended that you carry with you copies of the documents, that you presented when you applied for the visa (e.g. letters of invitation, travel confirmations, other documents stating the purpose of your stay). This will help to make the border control procedure easier and avoid delays at the border.
IMPORTANT: always make sure to have sufficient personal travel health insurance cover each time you travel.
You must keep to the period of stay allowed by your visa. Noncompliance with the validity and the conditions attached to the visa may result in you being denied entry, expelled and banned from obtaining a new visa for a certain period of time.