How to get a visa for Germany from India

When you’re travelling from India to Germany, no matter on which purpose, you need a visa. In this article we’ll give an overview of the application process, the cost and the processing time for a visa for Germany from India. 

Where to apply for a visa

Firstly, you have to find out which type of visa for Germany you need. If you want to travel you need a tourist visa, for studying you need a student visa and for working an employment visa. The German Embassy has a useful tool to determine which visa is the one you need (find the Visa Navigator here). 

Secondly, you need to find out where to apply for a visa. In any case you have to submit the application in person in one of the German missions (or at the visa agency vfs). There is only one German embassy in India which is located in the capital city and four consulates spread across the metro cities. They are as follows:

• German Embassy, New Delhi
• German Consulate, Kolkata
• German Consulate, Mumbai
• German Consulate, Bengaluru
• German Consulate, Chennai

There are certain jurisdiction areas that one needs to follow when they do not belong to any of the metro cities. 

Embassy in New Delhi: People from the states of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand and the Union Territories can visit the Embassy in New Delhi. 

Consulate in Kolkata: People from the states of  West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Manipur can visit the consulate in Kolkata. 

Consulate in Mumbai: People belonging to the states of Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Daman and Diu can visit the German consulate in Mumbai. 

Consulate in Bengaluru: People from the states of Kerala and Karnataka can visit the German consulate in Bengaluru. 

Consulate in Chennai: People from the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Pondicherry and Telangana can visit the German Consulate in Chennai. 

Apart from this, there are numerous vfs Global Germany Visa Application Centers in India from where one can get a German Visa. 

Application process step by step 

Once you have compiled the necessary documents for your type of visa, you need to follow the steps below in that exact order:  

• Book an online appointment at the embassy, consulate or VFS (find out which German Mission you need to visit here) 
• Be on time at the day of appointment, that means that you should arrive way before your scheduled appointment time
• Carry all the necessary documents arranged serially (Check the website of the German Embassy for document checklists!)
• Submit your digital image, fingerprints and biometrics
• Wait patiently for a response to your application
• Collect your visa or receive visa rejection

Cost of a Visa for Germany 

A Schengen visa costs the same for all the Schengen areas inside the European Union. The fee for Schengen visas has been 80 EUR since 02 February 2020. However, there are certain exemptions to paying this fee such as:

• children below 6 years
• School students, undergraduates, postgraduates, and teaching staff who accompany children in the trip for the purpose of study or educational training
• Researchers who are travelling within the European Union for the purpose of carrying out scientific researches
• People who represent any non-profit organisations aged 25 years or less with the intention of participating in seminars, sports events or conferences, educational or cultural events, that are organised by non-profit organisations

For the German National Visa there is a fee of 75 EUR for adults and 37,5 EUR for minors. Please check the website of your German mission for the regulations of payment!

Time to process your visa application

Usually, a Schengen visa application for short stays takes about 10-15 working days to be processed by the German missions. A number of reasons could be there for delays such as missing documents, travel restrictions, rejections of visas. For German National visas such as an employment visa the processing time can be up to a few months. 

If you have any more questions, check out the other Visa articles of New2Germany or connect with people in our FORUM for questions on specific cases! 

Last Update: 24 Jan 2022

Written by: Sanchari Banerjee and Tanja Holbe 

Cover Photo illustrated by: Ananya Singh

Disclaimer: Unless otherwise indicated, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs and graphics on the site (collectively, the 'content') are owned by or licensed to New2, and are protected by copyright and trademark laws.