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Visa and Entry into Germany

General information

You will find information on where to apply for your visa in the respective category. Visa appointments for applications which have to be submitted at the Consulate General in Sydney can be booked online and are subject to availability. No special appointments are available outside our online booking system. Please make sure that you book in the visa category. Incorrect bookings in other categories will be deleted without prior notice.
Please read the information on the website carefully and use the contact form for enquiries to specific questions only. If the information requested is readily available on our website, we will not reply to your message.
Please do not send any documents to the Visa Section unless requested to do so, particularly not before you have applied for a visa. We are not able to store such documents and will not know which application they belong to. Please always bring all the necessary documents with you to your appointment.

Short-term visa for Germany

A Schengen visa is required if you wish to stay in the Schengen territory for up to 90 days within a 180 day period for business, visitor and/or tourist purposes, and you do not attempt to work.

An application for a Schengen visa with a pencil is lying on a table in front of an EU flag.

23.02.2024 Page

National visa

If you wish to stay in Germany for more than 90 days, please apply for a German National visa. National visas are sometimes also referred to as “long-term visas” or “D visas”.

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Visa for applicants from Papua New Guinea

Starting February 2020, Schengen visa applications from Papua New Guinea may be handed in at an application center of the Service Provider VFS in Port Moresby. The applications are processed by the…

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Airport Transit

General information The vast majority of foreign travellers benefit from the “transit privilege” - if during a stopover at a German airport, you do not leave the International Airport Area and if the…

Airport of arrival: illuminated “Arrival” sign

27.09.2025 Page

Entry/Exit System (EES) & European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

Germany will introduce new IT systems for the digital registration of entries and exits into and from the Schengen area. The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will start operations in the last quarter of 2026. No action is required from travellers at this point.

Visa Navigator

Which visa do I need for Germany?
I want to travel to Germany as a tourist, on business, for my studies, to work, or to join family members who live there.
Which visa should I apply for?

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Abolition of the remonstration procedure from 1 July 2025

The Federal Foreign Office has decided to abolish the remonstration procedure for visa rejections worldwide from 1 July 2025. This eliminates a legal remedy in the visa application procedure…

FAQ

FAQ - Frequently asked questions

Please read the information on our website carefully. We do appreciate that it might be easier for you to ask questions. However, we do not have sufficient staff capacity to respond to every query. Please understand that we will not respond to questions already answered on our website.