HOW TO APPLY FOR GERMANY TOURIST VISA FROM INDIA – A STEP BY STEP GUIDE

If you are planning to travel to Germany for tourism, you will need a tourist visa. Here is a step by step guide for you if you wish to apply for Germany Tourist Visa from India.

As Germany is a part of the Schengen Area, here is some information for you about Schengen.

What is Schengen?

Schengen area is a group of 26 countries. If you have visa from any one country of the Schengen group then you can travel to all other countries as well within the period for which you have a valid visa.

List of Schengen Countries

26 countries that form the Schengen Area are Austria, Hungary, Norway, Belgium, Iceland, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Latvia, Slovakia, Estonia, Liechtenstein, Slovenia, Finland, Malta, Lithuania, Spain, France, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Greece, Netherlands, and Sweden.

So, if you are applying for Germany visa, you will get Schengen visa and you will be able to travel to any of these countries.

The currency of Germany is Euro.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR GERMANY VISA

Before applying for visa, you must know about the visa requirements including the documents required to be submitted with your visa application. The document requirement depends upon the profile of visa applicant. Therefore, it is important to collect and arrange the documents according to your profile. Let us now have a look on the documents required according to different profiles.

COMMON DOCUMENTS

Irrespective of the profile of the applicant, here is a list of the common documents that are required to be submitted mandatorily while applying for tourist visa of Germany.

Passport – Passport is an essential travel document for travelling abroad and every applicant must possess a passport that is valid up to at least three months from travel date. The passport must also have at least two blank pages. We would like to recommend that if your passport is going to expire within six months, you must renew it before applying for visa.

Visa Application Form – To obtain Germany non-immigrant visa, the applicant must submit the visa application form to the Germany Visa Consulate. The hard copy of the application form must be submitted at the nearest visa application centre of Germany. The applicant is required to fill the form online and then take a print to sign it.

Note – Keep in mind! Avoid making mistakes in the application form because your visa success depends on this form and any small or silly mistakes may result into rejection. Counselor Officer issues visa on the basis of the information that is provided by the applicant in the main application form.  Feel free to contact us to know more about information about the visa application form.

Family Information – The applicant is required to the fill details of family members in the visa application form while applying for Germany tourist visa. The information required includes –

·       DOB

·       Relation to applicant

·       Address

Financial Documents – To get Germany tourist visa from India, some financial documents are also required to be submitted at the Embassy. Here is a list of the common financial documents that are required.

1.  Bank Statement

The applicants are required to submit their bank statement to give a proof of the money they are going to use while travelling. Bank statement of the last three months should be submitted with the Consulate General of Germany. Bank statement is a highly recommended document required while applying for visa.

2.  Income Tax Return

If the applicant is working, he/she is also required to submit the Income Tax Return of the previous three years. In case the applicant is working and is not having an ITR, he/she can also submit Form 16 along with the visa application form.

Note – Farmers can submit their Income Certificate from Tehsil of their district instead of ITR.

3.  PAN Card/Tax Number

Applicant must submit tax number document along with the visa application. In India, this document is referred to as the PAN Card, therefore, Indian citizens have to submit their PAN Card.

4.  CA Report/ Property Evaluation

The applicant should also submit a CA Report or property evaluation to show assets and financial ties in the home country so that he/she can convince the Visa Consulate that he/she will return back to the home country.

Travel Itinerary

To apply for tourist visa, the applicant must submit a travel itinerary to the Visa Consulate. Here is the list of documents for the travel itinerary.

·       Hotel Booking

·       Day to day travel plan

·       Pre-booked or dummy flight booking

Covering Letter – Covering letter is one of the most crucial document that is required while applying for a tourist visa. In this letter, the applicant must mention the purpose of travel, job profile, travel itinerary, and any past travel history.

As it is an essential document, it should be written in an effective manner in order to increase the chances of obtaining the desired visa.

If you wish to draft a good covering letter containing all the required details, you can contact us.

Photographs – In addition to all these documents, two photographs with 45mm X 35mm dimensions are also required. The background of the photographs should be white and the face should be 80%.

Travel Insurance – While travelling to Germany, the applicant is required to have travel insurance with a minimum coverage of 30K Euro.

Hotel Bookings – The applicant must also have hotel booked in advance for stay at Germany. Hotel booking confirmation document is a necessary requirement to get Germany tourist visa from India.

Return Ticket – A copy of return-ticket reservation is also required. The applicant can book dummy ticket with pay later option. It is not recommended to buy the ticket before obtaining Germany tourist visa from India.

These are some common documents that are required to be submitted while applying for Germany Tourist Visa. However, there are some other specific documents also that are required while applying for Germany Tourist Visa. These documents are as per their profession of the applicant. Lets us now have a look on these documents.

SPECIFIC DOCUMENTS

Apart from the above-mentioned common documents, various specific documents are also required depending upon the profile of the applicant.

If the Applicant is Self Employed – If the applicant is doing business or is otherwise self-employed, then these are the documents that are required while applying for Germany tourist visa from India.

1)  For Proprietor – If the applicant is a proprietor, the following documents are needed –

·        Business Registration: The applicant must have a valid registration certificate from the government or authorization. In India, you can show a GST registration certificate or MSME registration certificate.

·        Tax invoice or sale/purchase bill.

·        The applicant can also submit rent agreement copy or shop ownership certificate.

·        Current account: It is optional for the proprietor but it is recommended to submit the details of the current account for successful visa grant.

2)   For Partnership – If the applicant is doing business in partnership, then some extra documents are required while applying for Germany tourist visa which are –

·        Partnership Deed: The applicant must submit a copy of contract between the applicant and his/her partner(s). It is one of the most recommended documents while applying visa.

·        Current Account: The applicant must have a current account in the name of his/her business.

·        Company Tax Number: Company’s Tax Number or a PAN Card in the name of the company is also required.

·        Balance Sheet: The balance sheet is also a recommended document for getting visa as it shows the annual income of the applicant from the business.

3)   For Farmers – If the applicant is in the business of farming and is planning to apply for Germany tourist visa from India, he must submit these required documents –

·       Income certificate (If not submitting an ITR).

·       J form which is for the sale receipt of the crops.

·      Agriculture land registration proof (In case of lease, the lease agreement can also be submitted). 

Apart from the above-mentioned documents, farmers can also submit some other important documents to get tourist visa easily (Although these documents are optional but they are recommended).

·       Purchase receipts of pesticides on the applicant’s name.

·      Purchase receipts of agriculture machinery on the applicant’s name.

4)  If involved in Dairy Farming – In case of dairy farming, following documents are required –

·       Receipt of milk sale.

·       Any pet animal insurance receipts.

·      Money receiving proof (in account).

If the Applicant is doing Job – Those who are doing a job in any company need to submit the following documents while applying for visa –

1)  NOC (No Objection Certificate) – The applicant will get a no objection certificate from the company in which he/she is working. In this letter, the employer will mention that they do not have any objection if the applicant is travelling abroad for tourism. The NOC should also mention the current job role of the applicant.

2) Job Confirmation Letter – The applicant may also submit the copy of the offer letter that is given to him/her by the company at the time of joining.

3) Salary Slips – Salary slips are also required to be submitted along with the visa application. It is recommended that at least six months’ salary slips should be submitted by the applicant.

4) Salary statement – If the applicant is getting salary in account, then the salary account statement must also be submitted along with the tourist visa application.

GERMANY TOURIST VISA APPLICATION FEES

The multiple tourist visa application fees for Germany is €80 which is approximately 7200 INR per applicant.

Visa application fee is non-refundable.

STEP BY STEP GERMANY VISA PROCESS

If you are looking to apply for Germany tourist visa from India, then you must follow these steps.

Step 1: Fill the Germany visa application form electronically and sign it.

Step 2: Complete the Visa Checklist Form.

Step 3: Arrange all the necessary and supporting documents and keep one photo copy of every document. Make sure that the text is clear and readable.

Step 4: Get two photographs with 45mm X 35mm dimensions, white background, and face coverage of 80%.

Step 5: Book an appointment for file submission and biometric.

Step 6: Pay visa application fees and VFS fees in cash at the VFS.

Step 7: Wait for the visa decision. The Visa Officer may take up to 40 days to give decision on your visa application. Normally it takes 5-15 working days.

Step 8: Track your visa application online on VFS website.

Step 9: The information regarding issuance of visa will be sent to you via courier.

DO’S AND DON’TS

Here are some points that should be kept in mind while applying for Germany Tourist Visa.

Do’s

·       Apply at least six to eight weeks before travel date for best and smooth process.

·       Fill up your visa application form carefully.

·      Submit all the supporting documents along with tourist visa application.

Don’ts

·       Never submit false documents with the application as it may result into refusal and five years ban.

·       Never misrepresent the visa immigration officer and hide information.

·      Don’t hide refusal if you are refused from any country.

TIPS

1.   At the time of departure, carry all the important documents because visa officer may ask you at the time of entry in Schengen area.

2.   Germany travel visa is a short stay visa. The validity of the visa will be written on it. From February 2020, you may now also get 5 years Schengen visa.

3.   Through Schengen visa you can travel to all 26 Schengen countries but keep in mind that your visa is issued by Germany embassy then your first port of entry must be Germany. If you will try to enter the Schengen area from some other country, your entry can be denied and visa can be revoked.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT GERMANY TOURIST VISA

Can I work during a tourist visa?

No, you are not allowed to work in Germany while on Tourist Visa.

Can I apply for Citizenship while in Germany on tourism?

No, as you are on a tourist visa, so you are not allowed to apply for Citizenship. Moreover, we will not recommend you to breach any immigration law.

Can I join study during tourism?

No, but you can apply for a student visitor visa to study for a short period.

Can I travel to other Schengen countries with Germany visa?

Yes you can travel to all the 26 Schengen countries but your port of entry should be Germany.

What if my visa expires while I am still in Germany?

You must return to your home country before your visa expires. However, if there is a genuine reason to stay, you must apply for the visa extension.

HOW WILL BLUEBIRD TRIVO HELP YOU?

We are a team of experienced and qualified members. We are in the visa industry since 2015 and have processed thousands of successful visa applications. We are providing online and offline visa services for more 55 countries. Not just Indian citizens but people of other countries also take our services online despite of their nationalities.

If you are looking to apply for a non-immigrant visa for Germany in any of the categories, you can rely upon us and we assure the best guidance on every single step. Our team helps the applicants in filling out their visa application forms, writing covering letters, arranging documents, preparing for interviews (if required), making itinerary, and guiding them in collecting essential documents required for successfully obtaining visa.

HOW DO WE WORK?

When the applicants submit their visa application online on Bluebird Trivo portal, our team members contact the applicants through phone and email within few hours for further steps.

The applicant can also submit the required documents on our portal or send it to us via email. The applicants can also submit the documents through WhatsApp for easily initiating the application process.

We process the visa application within 24 hours of receiving all the required documents. So, if you are looking to apply for Germany Tourist Visa, you should definitely get in touch with our team and we will provide you the best services to ensure easy visa approval.

Note: Visa documents checklist depends upon the applicant’s nationality as the citizens of some countries are covered under visa waiver program, because of which, they do not require visa for traveling to Germany. Such people can easily get entry permit at the port of entry.