Visa regulations

Germany requires visitors from certain countries to have a visa. EU member states and a number of other countries are exempt from this requirement. You can find out whether or not you need a visa by checking the website of the Auswärtiges Amt (Federal Foreign Office).

Visas have to be applied for at German embassies or consulates. Please make early contact with the German embassy or the German consulate in your homeland, in order to clear up any questions about entering Germany. You will find addresses of German embassies or the German consulates at the Federal Foreign Office’s website. 

After their arrival, most foreigners must ask for a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis) if their stay will be for longer than three months. It is important to declare your actual purpose of stay already when applying for a visa. There will be no possibility to change the purpose of stay after you have entered Germany. Do not enter Germany with a tourist visa! It is only valid for three months and can not be transformed into a residence permit.

Even if you are allowed to enter Germany without a visa you might need to apply for a residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis)) if you stay in Germany longer than three months! Only EU-citizens are exempt from this requirement. They, like German citizens, simply have to register at their new place of residence.