Welcome
Visa FAQs
Please check whether your question is answered below before contacting us.
FAQ
Yes! Applications can only be handed in with a prior appointment:
Appointment system for visa applications
Visa applications can be submitted by appointment only. Appointments are made free of charge online and cannot be scheduled by telephone, e-mail or fax. Cancelations or rebookings can only be made by sending the booking confirmation together with a passport copy to the Embassy by e-mail.
As a courtesy to your fellow visa-applicants, please do not book double or multiple appointments. By paying attention, waiting and processing times can be held to minimum.
For SCHENGEN visa appointment please click here
For German residence permit click here.
For all the FAQs regarding the visa for Germany click here
For cancelation of appointments please contact us. The Embassy will then cancel the appointment and you can book a new one.
By taking the time to cancel your appointments you will enable other travelers to get an early appointment. Thank you.
You should apply a minimum of 2 weeks in advance for your visa before your travel date. It is possible to apply 3 months in advance of your intended date of departure.
Depending on your nationality and main travel destination the process takes between 4 to 15 calendar days.
You will need to come to the Embassy for a 10-digit finger scan if your fingers have not been scanned when applying for a Schengen visa in the past (applications after October 2, 2012 only). Frequent travelers to the Schengen Area do not have to give new finger scans every time they apply for a new visa. Once finger scans are stored in the Visa Information System (VIS), they can be re-used for further visa applications for a 5-year-perion. The applicant then does in general not need to come in person to the Embassy to apply for the visa. The Embassy can however always request personal appearance of any applicant.
10-digit finger scans are not required from children under the age of 12 or from people are physically cannot provide finger scans.
The visa does not guarantee entry into the Schengen area. The requirements for entering are checked again at your point of entry by immigration officials. Travelers are therfore advised to carry copies of documents (hotel bookings, invitation, insurance, etc) submitted with the visa application and provide them to Immigration officials upon request.
Yes, in general you can as long as you do not change your main travel destination.
According to the present regulation a Schengen visa is - unless stated otherwise - valid for the following countries:
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Hungary, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
If your visa will expire during the time you plan your trip, you will need to apply for a new visa before you travel as a visa can in general not be extended after entering the Schengen states! However, in case of emergencies (medical treatment, hospital stays, etc) you have to contact the respective alien's authority (Ausländerbehörde) to extend your visa before it expires. It is important not to overstay your visa and have it extended before it expires to avoid fines and possibly expulsion and denial of entry/visa in the future.
The passport should be valid for more than 3 months than your intended stay.
The original passport needs to be presented at the time of the application. In case you need to travel and cannot leave your passport in the Embassy for the processing time you can get it back immediately after filing the application in person. After the visa has been approved you need to resubmit the passport for the issue of the visa for usually 1 day.
By using the Videx -application form you will reduce the time needed for processing your visa application considerably and therefore decrease your waiting time at the Embassy. You can however also print out the application form and complete it by hand (English or German only).
For long- term stay click here
You must apply at the Embassy of the country which is your main travel destination. The main travel destination is usually the country where you will spend most of your time. Please note that the stays in the countries are counted individually per country and are not added up.
| main travel destination | where to apply |
| Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Slovenia and Iceland | German Embassy |
| France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Austria | French Embassy |
| Italy, Malta | Italian Embassy |
| Switzerland | Swiss Embassy in Kuwait |
| Denmark | visa.vfsglobal.com/bhr/en/dnk/ or Danish Embassy in Riyadh |
| Czeck Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia | please contact their respective Embassies in Egypt, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE |
You can find the contact details of the Embassies here
In that case you apply at the Embassy of the country of your first entry into the Schengen zone.
For inquires you can write to us by using the contact formular.
You will find a map and the address here.
Yes, you can send a messenger to collect your passport. Please make sure the messenger carries the original receipt as well as his or her ID.
Please Note: Although the information on this website has been prepared with utmost care, the Embassy cannot accept any liability for inaccuracies contained herein.
Schengen visa applicants may submit complaints about the conduct of the consulate staff, the external service provider VFS Global Bahrain or the visa application process via the contact form. In the contact form, please select the option “Beschwerde zum Schengen-Visum-Verfahren”. Please note that complaints may only be submitted in German or English. We are unable to follow up on complaints in languages other than German or English. Please enter one of the following three options in the “Subject” field of the contact form:
•Complaint about the conduct of consulate staff
•Complaint about the conduct of the external service provider VFS Global Bahrain
•Complaint about the visa application process
We will follow up on your complaint once it has been received.
Important information: No legal remedies against decisions to refuse, annul or revoke a visa – in particular no remonstrations – may be submitted via the complaints contact form.
