Who needs a visa?

Foreigners who plan to stay for more than three months or take up gainful employment generally require a visa. EU citizens, EEA nationals and Swiss nationals are exempt from this requirement.

If you have a nationality other than those mentioned above, you can find out here whether you need a visa to enter Germany.

After entering the country, the foreigners authority issues a residence permit on the basis of the visa. We strongly recommend contacting the local immigration office as soon as possible after your arrival in Germany in order to secure a timely appointment.

Which visa should I apply for?

The type of visa you need to apply for depends on the purpose of your intended stay. The Visa Navigator can help you find out which visa you need to apply for.

Working, training and studying in Germany

How do I apply for a visa?

Select your intended purpose of residence below to find out about the relevant application procedure:

You can apply online for visas to take up employment, to pursue studies or vocational training, or for the purpose of family reunification – either individually for yourself or by submitting a group application for your family or other people travelling with you. The Consular Services Portal thus also helps skilled workers access the German labour market and enables German employers or agencies to make applications in support of their future employees or people for whom they have found employment.

An appointment in person at the mission is still required so that you can provide your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) and pay the fee, and we can verify any original documents. The process is however streamlined if you submit your application securely online through the Consular Services Portal. The preliminary digital checks give staff at the mission the opportunity to advise you if anything is missing.

This is how it works:

Register securely on the portal by creating a user account – whether on your smartphone, tablet or laptop.

Anytime, anywhere

You can submit your online application from home or on the go, at your convenience. Simply enter your details and upload your documents. When you’re ready, send your online application directly to the relevant German mission or via an external service provider working for Germany’s missions abroad.

Well prepared for your in-person appointment

Your application will undergo a preliminary check and you will be told online whether everything is correct and complete. If there’s an issue with your information or documents, you can take immediate action to rectify the problem online.

After that, you can use the Consular Services Portal to schedule an appointment at your mission or with the relevant external service provider. This all ensures that you are as well prepared as possible. Your in-person appointment will be quick and efficient. You will, if required, present the original documents specified in the system, provide your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) and pay the application fee.

Track your application

You can check the current status of your application online in the Consular Services Portal. Once a decision has been made, you will be notified of the next steps via your user account.

An expanding range of services

All visa sections at Germany’s missions abroad have been connected to the system since 1 January 2025, and since November 2025 it has been possible to submit group applications using a single user account. Over 100,000 applicants have successfully used the platform in the first year alone. At present, long-term visas for 28 different purposes can be applied for online. Applications for Schengen visas cannot yet be accepted online. The Consular Services Portal is constantly being further expanded to increase the range of services available and make it even more user-friendly. Additional functions and new categories of online applications will be added over time.

If a particular application is not yet available online at the visa section responsible for you, you can, as before, book an appointment at your mission or at an external service provider’s visa application centre to submit your application on paper. Which mission abroad is responsible for you is in no way affected by the Consular Services Portal. Please therefore do not attempt to apply online at a different mission abroad if the application you want to submit is not yet available online at the mission responsible for you. If you have already submitted an application or are registered on a waiting list, no further action is required.