
Entry requirements
You will need a visa to enter Germany. Please apply for this at a German diplomatic mission in your country of origin. After entering the country, you must apply for a residence permit in Germany.
Exceptions
Exceptions apply to the following countries:
- Albania
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- China
- Hong Kong
- Macau
- Macedonia
- Moldova
- Montenegro
- Serbia
- Taiwan
- and British overseas territories.
Although you generally require a visa, you may enter the country without a visa if you hold a biometric passport. This entitles you to a short stay of up to 90 out of 180 days.
You will still require a visa for a stay beyond this period. The same applies to holders of a BN(O) or SAR passport from Hong Kong, Macau, China and the British Overseas Territories.
Passports from Taiwan must contain an identity card number. A Serbian biometric passport must not have been issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
If you wish to stay or work in Germany long-term, you must enter the country with a visa.
Entry from the EU or EEA
If you are a non-EU citizen wishing to enter Germany from a country in the European Economic Area, the entry requirements apply according to your nationality.
Whether you can enter Germany under different conditions depends on the type of residence permit you hold in the EU or EEA country in question.
If you are a family member of an EU or EEA citizen, but are neither an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen yourself, you will need a visa to enter Germany. You will then receive a residence card from the immigration authorities in Germany.
A valid residence card from another member state of the European Union exempts you from the visa requirement.
If you have a right of residence that entitles you to EU-wide mobility, you do not need a visa to visit Germany.
If you intend to stay longer than 90 out of 180 days per year, you should check whether an appropriate visa is required and can be issued in the country where you are currently staying. You must then apply for a residence permit in Germany after entering the country.
However, if you have a permanent right of residence in another EU member state, you can generally enter Germany without a visa and apply for a residence permit from the local immigration authority.