The possibility of creating your visa application online and having the completed and printed form electronically scanned through a barcode during the appointment with the service provider (VFS Global) contributes significantly to reducing the processing time.

Therefore please use the electronic application form: VIDEX

​​​​​​​Visa Types

Select the visa type that is right for you to see important information on visa fees, documents required, forms, photo specifications and processing times.

VFS Global

Information about Health Insurance

The Embassy can generally only accept insurance policies issued in Bahrain. If your host or business partner has already bought a health insurance in Germany or one of the Schengen Member States, the insurance can also be accepted if you provide the original policy to the Embassy and the insurance meets the requirements mentioned below.

Health insurance requirements:

• Minimum insurance coverage for medical expenses must be € 30.000,-.
• The insurance policy has to cover all Schengen Member States and must generally be valid for the validity of the visa.
• Schengen or Europe should be mentioned as main destination on the policy.
• Insurance cards cannot be accepted unless accompanied with the insurance policy.
• Hand-written policies cannot be accepted.

The German Embassy Manama works with the Visa Application Center called VFS Global.

Please book your appointment by visiting their website.

The visa application must be submitted personally by the applicant to the nearest service provider with all necessary documents. Biometric data (fingerprints) are collected if this has not been done before by any Schengen Mission in the past 59 months. In that case, appearing in person is not required. You can submit your application for a Schengen Visa at the visa acceptance center in Bahrain. The service provider supports you during the visa process. It accepts your application, checks it for completeness, collects the visa and service fees, forwards it to the German Embassy and then returns your passport to you. The service provider has no influence on the decision made by the Embassy regarding your application or any additional documents requested.

The competent German Mission will decide on the issuance of a visa taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. There is no legal claim to the issuance of a Schengen Visa. In each individual case, the mission must establish that the following conditions have been met:

• Plausibility and comprehensibility of the purpose of travel in Germany
• Financing of living and travel expenses
• Willingness of the visa holder to leave the Schengen Area before the visa expires
• Proof of a travel health insurance valid for the entire Schengen area and for the entire duration of the stay with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros

Should an applicant be unable to prove that he/she can finance the journey and sustain him/herself, a third person may undertake to cover all costs associated with the trip in accordance with sections 66 and 68 of the Residence Act. This undertaking is normally to be made to the foreigner authority in the place of residence of the person making the undertaking.

According to the Visa Code the processing time of the visa application can take up to 15 days, occassionally in single cases up to 45 days.

The embassy decides on your application based on the provided documents. Your passport will be returned to you as soon as the visa application has been decided. Please note that questions regarding the status of your visa application cannot be answered. Due to data protection regulation, no status updates can be given via phone or unauthorized people.

Persons whose entry into the Schengen Area would jeopardize security or public order in the Schengen States or who do not fulfil one or more of the above mentioned requirements, cannot be granted a visa.

In the case of denial of an application, the applicant will be informed about the relevant reasons. Legal recourses are available to all applicants.

If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel.

The issuance of a Schengen visa alone does not constitute a legal entitlement to entry. The final decision is only made by the border police when you enter the Schengen area.

Enter the country during the period of validity and do not exceed the permitted days of stay! The Schengen visa is a visa for all Schengen countries. However, it is important that the visa is issued by the diplomatic mission of the country in which your main destination is located.

Important information for Palestinians - Only the following passports / travel documents are recognized:

• Passport or Travel document issued by the Palestinian National Authority, only if the ID-Number mentioned in the document begins with the numbers 4, 8 or 9
• “Document de Voyage pour les Réfugiés Palestiniens”/“Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees” issued by the Egyptian authorities, only if the document contains a valid re-entry visa and the holder resides in Egypt
• Alien’s passport (T-series) issued by the Jordanian authorities
• “Document de Voyage pour les Refugies Palestiniens”/“Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees” issued by the Syrian authorities, only if Germany is included in area of validity and the right to return is secured.

Model 2023: “Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees” is not recognised.

Important information for Syrian Passport Holders:

Passport Model issued in 2023:

The new Syrian electronic passports issued by the Syrian Arab Republic since 2023 are not in accordance with the ICAO requirements as there is no signature field. However, they will be temporarily recognized when they are signed by the bearer, except if the passport owner is younger than 10 years and in the case of minors for whom the issuing body has different regulations under national law. If the passport is not duly signed on page 2, the owner will have to sign the passport at a Syrian Embassy/Consulate.

This provisional recognition applies until July 31, 2024.

Passport Model issued from 2024:

The new passport model (ePassports) issued from 2024 will initially only be recognized on condition that the passport holder's signature has been provided on page 3 and their identity is sufficiently verified.

This provisional recognition applies until September 30, 2024.

Who is responsible for processing my data, and who is the Data Protection Commissioner?

Responsibility for processing the data lies with the mission of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bahrain and the Federal Foreign Office (postal address: Federal Foreign Office, 11013 Berlin, Germany).

You can contact the Federal Foreign Office Data Protection Commissioner as follows:
Werderscher Markt 1
10117 Berlin
Germany
Email
Tel.: + 49 30 5000 2711
Fax: + 49 30 5000 5 1733

What data does the mission process when I apply for a visa, and where do the data come from?

The categories of personal data to be processed include data requested in the visa application form. These generally include, in particular, your surname, name at birth, first name, date and place (including the country) of birth, gender, nationality/nationalities, marital status, current address, telephone number, email address, occupation, details of your travel document (type of document, serial number, issuing state and authority, date of issue, expiry date), your photograph and fingerprints.

The data in these categories derive from the information you provide in the course of the visa application process.

What data does the mission process when I issue a letter of invitation for someone to use to apply for a visa, and where do the data come from?

The categories of personal data to be processed include data relating to the person issuing the invitation as requested in the visa application form. These include, in particular, your surname and first name, address, fax number and email address.

The data in these categories derive from the information provided by you in the invitation letter and by the applicant in the course of the visa application process.

Why are my data collected, and what happens if they are not?

Your data are collected as this is necessary for the proper processing of the visa application and is required by law. If you apply for a visa, you are required under section 82 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) to provide the data required for the processing of the application and to make available the necessary information. If your data are not provided, your application may be rejected and the fee retained.

For which purposes and on which legal basis are my data processed?

Your personal data are processed solely in order to ensure the proper completion of the visa application.

The legal basis is provided by Art. 6 (1) (c) and (e) and (2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation) in combination with Regulation (EC) No. 767/2008 (VIS Regulation) and Regulation (EC) No. 810/2009 (Visa Code) including its Annexes, and Sections 72a ff. of the Residence Act and Section 69 of the Ordinance on residence, as well as the implementing regulation on the Central Register of Foreigners Act (AZRG-DV), the Visa Warning File Act (VWDG) and further special regulations as appropriate or Section 3 of the Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG 2018).

How long are my data used for?

Your data are deleted as soon as they are no longer required for completion of the visa application procedure. They are generally deleted two years after the visa procedure has been concluded, but at the latest five years after the final decision on the visa application.

Who receives my data?

Your data are transferred to third parties only where necessary for the proper processing of the visa application. As part of this procedure, your personal data may be passed to the competent authorities in Germany, to the responsible visa offices of other Schengen member states or to the responsible authorities in your place of habitual residence. In the event that an external service provider is tasked with the performance of individual steps in the visa application process, your data will be collected by or transmitted to such service provider insofar as this is required in order to complete the process. Data are only transmitted to recipients outside the European Union if this is permissible in accordance with Chapter 5 of the GDPR. Applications for visas are received by our external visa service provider, including Visametric, VFS Global, BLS and TLS and forwarded to the Embassy or Consulate General. This visa service provider processes personal data on behalf of the Federal Foreign Office as a “processor” within the meaning of Article 28 of the GDPR. The Federal Foreign Office remains responsible for the processing of data (see above for the controller’s name and contact information). The processor will ensure that your data is processed in accordance with the requirements of the GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act and that the protection of your rights is guaranteed. To this end, the Federal Foreign Office has concluded a contract with the processor which incorporates the stipulations contained in Article 28 (3) of the GDPR and guarantees that your data will be handled with due care.

What data protection rights can I invoke as a data subject?

You can request information about the personal data stored about you from the abovementioned entities responsible for data processing. In addition, under certain conditions, you can request that your data are corrected, erased or that processing is restricted. Further, under certain conditions, you can object to the processing of your data.

Where can I file a complaint?

You have the right to file a complaint about the processing of your personal data with a data protection authority, particularly in the member state in which you have your place of residence or employment or in the place where the alleged breach of data privacy occurred.