Documents

Students are theoretically not exempted from the visa fee, if their trip to Germany is not included as compulsory in their academic program or in an official exchange program. Internship visas are also not exempted from fees.

Proof: invitation, student card, reference from the university / school, statement of employment for the accompanying teachers
- People with physical disabilities and their helpers, if necessary.
Proof: disability  card
- International sport events participants and assistants.
Proof: invitation or endorsement of Azerbaijan Sports Federation
- Participation in scientific, cultural and artistic activities, including participating in university exchange or similar programs
Proof: invitation
- People who need urgent medical treatment and their helpers .
Proof: invitation issued by a hospital or clinic stating the need for urgent medical treatment and for the assitance of another person
- People going to the funeral of an immediate relative
Proof: confirmation of the funeral and of close relation. Close relatives are spouses, children (also adopted children), parents (or legal guardians),  grandparents and grandchildren
- People who are visiting chronically-ill relatives
Proof: confirmation of the funeral and of close relation. Close relatives are spouses, children (also adopted children), parents (or legal guardians),  grandparents and grandchildren
- Representatives of civil society organizations, who are attending courses, seminars, conferences or exchange programs.
Proof: membership card / employment certificate from the organization and invitation letter.
- Senior and retired citizens
Proof: Social Security certificate
- Children under 12 years of age.
- Journalists and their technical work team.
Proof: press credentials and invitation. The supporting documents have to be provided at the time of the application. The Embassy checklists of required documents are still valid, the above-mentioned documents only serve to prove the applicant's right to be exempted from the payment of the visa fee.

What is an invitation letter?

An invitation letter is issued in favor of a third-country citizen to guarantee for his/her living expenses, and serves as proof in administrative proceedings that the economic conditions required for obtaining a residence permit are fulfilled, as stated in § 5 paragraph 1 of the Residence Act.
By writing an invitation letter, the inviter accept his/her duty to bear all the costs related to the applicant's living and travelling expenses. This role can be performed by an individual or a legal entity.

I received an invitation letter valid for 90 days / six months, but I would like to apply for a two-year visa. Is that possible?

 Yes, but according to the invitation letter, the financial guarantee only covers the first 90 days. You will have to provide other proof of solvency for the remaining term of the visa you are applying for, such as bank account statements of the last 3-6 months, which can show your monthly income source as well as your financial capacity to support yourself while abroad.

Can I apply for a visa with a long validity (many years) with an invitation letter?

Yes. Your host should report the intended duration of your stay (from one to four years) to the Authority for Foreigners and include a specific remark about this in the invitation letter.
By doing so, the financial guarantee will cover the entire period of your stay in Germany.
If the Authority for Foreigners accepts the invitation letter only for a short period of time, then you (the applicant) should provide additional proof of solvency, such as bank account statements of the last three to six months, which can show your monthly income source as well as your financial capacity to support yourself while abroad.

Our company is known to you and has invited customers several times in the past. Why do we have to provide proof of our financial situation with each new  application?

According to the current regulations, the Embassy cannot store information about the the inviter. The documents you provided for previous applications are stored in the Embassy with each single visa application, and are not grouped according to the inviting company. For this reason, you are required to provide documents separately for each application. The Embassy would like to thank you for your understanding.

What should we do if we realise there is a mistakes in the invitation letter, for example if a name is not spelled correctly?

As long as the identity of the inviter and that of the applicant can be ascertained unambiguously, differences in the spelling of the names between the invitation letter and the passport will not cause the rejection of an invitation letter.

What is a proof of family relation?

The Embassy checks each statement before issuing a visa and is able to verify, when necessary, the relation between the inviter and the applicant(s).
Birth and/or marriage certificates can be provided as proof of kinship, for example a relationship between two siblings can be proved by providing birth certificates of both of them, as this would show that these two people have at least one common parent.

What is an informal invitation letter and what does it look like?

When submitting an application for a visa to visit your family or friends, you should provide an informal invitation letter written by the person who is inviting you.
An informal invitation letter has to be written in German and must include information about the purpose and duration of your trip. It can be written by hand or using a computer and must be signed by the inviter (a family member or a friend). It is not required to get the signature authenticated.

Where can I find the application form, and how much is it?

Application forms are available for free at our application centers or can also be downloaded from our website.

What should I do if I am a single parent / divorced / widowed mother/father?

Please, submit proof of custody with the application.

Permission to travel for minors

In case a minor is travelling alone or with only one of his/her legal guardians (usually the parents) a permission to expatriate, signed by both parents or legal guardians, must be submitted with the application. This letter must be notarized.
The permission to expatriate must state that the parent/legal guardian agrees to let the child travel and as a rule, it must also state the dates and purpose of journey, as well as details of the person accompanying the child during the trip.
This permission safeguards the rights of the legal guardian for a designated period of time in order to perform the requested journey.
For this reason, only permission to expatriates issued no longer than 6 months ago will be taken into consideration. Permission to expatriate written more than six months before the application cannot be accepted. In this case, please provide a new notarized permission to expatriate.

Can I obtain the visa without an invitation letter?

It is possible to obtain a visa without invitation letter, if you are able to prove that you have the financial capacity of paying for your trip, by providing for example:
- bank certificates or bank account statements
OR
- credit card (s) and credit card statements.
In addition to this, you also have to for your health insurance.

Where can I submit an official invitation letter for a guest, and how much does it cost?

You can submit an official invitation letter to the Authority for Foreigners competent for your place of residence in Germany. Here you wil also have to prove your financial standing. In addition, you have to state the name, surname, date of birth, address and passport number of your guest(s). Usually a fee of EUR 29 applies.

How long is an invitation letter valid for?

The Embassy usually accepts invitation letters no older than six months.

We are a company and would like to issue an official invitation letter for a business partner. How can we do it?

Please include the following sentence in your invitation letter: "... assume the responsability to bear the costs according to §§ 66 - 68 of the Residence Law of..."
As proof of financial means of your company, please submit an excertpt from the Commercial Register of Companies. Please, make sure that the invitation letter is signed by the person, who has the right to represent the company in legal matters in foreign affairs, as stated in the Commercial Register of Companies and provide a copy of the passport or ID of this person.
If the invitation is signed by a person, who does not have the right to represent the company in legal matters in foreign affairs, he/she should be authorized by the person with such authority dto do so. In this case, please provide the required power of attorney as well as copies of the passport or ID document of both people.

I/my guest was required to submit documents that are not included to the list, why?

The Embassy always makes decisions according to each specific situation. The cheklist of documents can only include general information covering most, but not all, the possible cases. Consequently, a document not included in the list might be required. This doesn't mean that a visa cannot be issued.

My application was refused, what can my inviter in Germany do?

Both you and your receiving party can write to the Embassy and request for an explanation and/or re-examination of this decision. In this case, you should also take into account the reason(s) for refusal stated in the refusal letter you received when you collected your passport. Your host should submit also a power of attorney, which allows him/her to receive information about your visa on your behalf.
If the Embassy does not agree with the explanations of your inviter, he/she will receive a detailed written explanation by mail. An appeal can be presented to the Administrative Court in Berlin.

I have provided an invitation letter for an applicant, which includes proof of my financial capacity. The application was refused because of doubts about the willingness of the applicant to return to his/her country, in spite of the fact that, in my invitation letter, I guaranteed that the person will leave Germany as planned.

The invitation letter can only ensure financial support for the applicant while in Germany. It is not possible to guarantee that the applicant will leave the country. This can only be determined according to the specific personal situation of the applicant.

Visa-free entry for diplomatic passport holders ?

Since September 1, 2014, diplomatic passport holders do not need a visas for short-term trips to Schengen countries.

What should I bring along when submitting an application?

Please bring all the required documents listed in the checklist related to the specific purporse of your journey. Please note that only complete applications can be accepted. It is impossible to add any required document at a later stage.

Passport of a minor: what should I pay attention to?

Minor children can only apply for a visa if they have their own passport or if they are registered in the passport of one of their parents or legal guardians. If the minor is registered in the passport of a grandparent, sibling or teacher, the application can not be accepted. A separate passport is required in any case if the minor travels alone or unaccompanied by his/her legal guardian(s).

What should I keep in mind regarding the application form for a minor?

The application form must be filled for minor applicants too, and has to be signed by both parents or legal guardians. If one of the legal guardians cannot sign it, then a notarized permission to travel to the Schengen area must be provided.
Applicants who are 16 or older should sign the form on their own.
You can check a sample of a completed application form for minors here.

Validity of foreign passports:

Only undamaged valid passports which have been signed by hand (for applicants over 18 years of age) can be submitted.
In addition to this, according to the Visa Code, Schengen visas can be issued only to applicants whose passport
- is valid for at least 3 months after the end of the trip,
- were issued within the last 10 years,
- have at least two blank and unmarked pages (for the visa sticker) * * If a visa is issued for a minor children registered in the parent’s passport, then the parent's passport must have one extra blank and unmarked page (for the visa sticker) for each child.

What language should I use to fill in the form?

The form can be filled in German or in English.

Can I fill in the application form by hand as well?

If you can not fill in the online form because of technical problems, you can fill in the application form by hand. Please note that this wil result in a longer waiting period for submitting your application.