Germany Tourist Visa: Requirements, Documents, Fees and How to Apply

A Germany tourist visa is a short-stay Schengen visa that lets you visit Germany, and the rest of the Schengen Area, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period for holidays, sightseeing or visits to friends and family. There is no separate national tourist visa: Germany issues the uniform Schengen visa (type C), so the same rules on fees, documents and length of stay apply as in the other 28 Schengen countries.

This guide explains who needs a Germany tourist visa, what it allows, the documents German missions ask for, the 2026 fees, how to apply and what happens at the border. For long stays such as work, study or joining family, see our overview of the types of Germany visa.

Do you need a Germany tourist visa?

It depends on your nationality. The EU sets one list of countries whose citizens need a visa for short stays, and Germany applies it. The Federal Foreign Office publishes an overview of visa requirements by country, and its Visa Navigator asks a few questions about your passport and purpose before telling you which visa applies. The table below gives examples from that overview.

Table 1: Who needs a Germany tourist visa (examples)

Visa required for a Germany tourist trip	No visa needed for up to 90 days
Bangladesh	Argentina
China (People’s Republic)	Australia
Egypt	Brazil
Ghana	Canada
India	Colombia
Indonesia	Japan
Kenya	Malaysia
Morocco	Mexico
Nigeria	New Zealand
Pakistan	Singapore
Philippines	South Korea
Russia	United Arab Emirates
Saudi Arabia	United Kingdom
South Africa	United States
Türkiye	Ukraine (biometric passport)
Vietnam	Serbia
Source: Federal Foreign Office, Overview of visa requirements/exemptions for entry into Germany (dated 3 June 2026). Selected examples only; check the full list for your nationality. Visa-free stays are limited to 90 days in any 180 days and do not allow work.

Citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland never need a visa for Germany. If your passport is on the visa-free list, you can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but you may not work. Some visa-free nationalities, such as Ukrainians, Georgians and Kosovars, qualify only with a biometric passport.

Visa-free visitors: EES now, ETIAS later

Visitors who do not need a Germany tourist visa still face two EU systems. The Entry/Exit System (EES) started in stages on 12 October 2025 and, according to the European Commission, has been fully operational across the Schengen Area since 10 April 2026. ETIAS, an online travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers, is not yet in operation. The EU had pointed to the last quarter of 2026, but no start date had been announced by late October 2026. When it launches it is expected to cost €20 and last three years or until the passport expires. Anyone who holds a Germany tourist visa will not need ETIAS. US travellers can find wider context in our list of countries US citizens can visit without a visa.

What a Germany tourist visa allows

A Germany tourist visa allows short visits for tourism, visiting relatives or friends, and similar non-work purposes. It is valid for travel throughout the 29 Schengen countries, which the Council of the EU lists as 25 EU member states plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025. Cyprus and Ireland are not part of the Schengen visa area, and neither is the UK.

The visa does not allow you to work, to study for a degree or to settle. A Schengen visa is not a work permit, as our German work visa guide explains, and degree students need a national visa, as the German student visa guide sets out. Family members who want to live with a relative in Germany need a Germany dependent visa rather than a tourist visa.

Applying to Germany or another Schengen country

Apply to Germany if Germany is your main destination, meaning the country where you will spend the most days. If you will spend the same number of days in several countries, apply to the country you enter first. A trip of six days in Berlin and three in Prague goes to Germany; a trip of four days in Paris and four in Munich goes to the first country you enter.

How long the visa lasts

The sticker in your passport shows the period of validity, the number of entries and the duration of stay. You must leave before both the validity ends and your permitted days run out. Frequent travellers with a good visa history may be given multiple-entry visas valid for a year or longer, but each stay still counts against the 90/180 rule explained in our Schengen visa guide.

Germany tourist visa requirements and documents

German missions and their visa centres publish local checklists, so the exact list can vary slightly by country. The core documents for a Germany tourist visa are the same everywhere.

Table 2: Germany tourist visa documents checklist

Document	What German missions expect
Application form	Schengen form completed through VIDEX, printed and signed
Passport	Issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen Area, with 2 blank pages
Photo	Recent biometric passport photo, 35 x 45 mm, plain light background
Travel medical insurance	Minimum €30,000 cover for the whole Schengen Area and the whole trip, including repatriation
Travel plan	Return flight reservation and a day-by-day itinerary
Accommodation	Hotel bookings or an invitation letter from your host in Germany
Proof of funds	Bank statements for the last 3 months, payslips or a formal obligation letter from a host
Ties to home	Employment letter, business registration, student enrolment or property records
Previous visas	Copies of earlier Schengen visas, if any
Local checklists from German missions and visa centres may add documents. Bring originals and copies.

Travel medical insurance

Every Germany tourist visa applicant needs travel medical insurance covering the whole Schengen Area for the entire trip. The minimum cover is €30,000, and it must include emergency medical treatment, hospital care and repatriation. Buy a policy that meets Schengen visa requirements, and keep a copy for the border.

Proof of funds

Germany does not publish a fixed daily amount for tourists. You need to show that you can pay for the trip and support yourself, usually with bank statements for the last three months, payslips or a pension statement. If someone in Germany is paying, they can sign a formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) at their local foreigners’ authority.

Extra documents for minors

Children need their own application. German missions usually require a birth certificate and consent from both parents, signed in person or notarised, plus a copy of each parent’s passport. A child travelling with only one parent or with another adult needs written consent from the parent who is not travelling.

How to apply for a Germany tourist visa, step by step

The Federal Foreign Office states that Schengen applications cannot yet be submitted online. You prepare the form online, then apply in person at the German embassy, consulate or external visa centre responsible for your place of residence.

Step 1: Complete the VIDEX form

Fill in the Schengen application form through the VIDEX online tool, print it and sign it. VIDEX produces a barcoded form that speeds up processing at the mission.

Step 2: Book an appointment

Most German missions use an external service provider, such as VFS Global or TLScontact, to take applications. Book through the provider listed on your country’s German mission website. Appointments can be scarce before summer and at Christmas, so book early.

Step 3: Submit your file and give biometrics

Bring the signed form, your passport and the supporting documents. Staff take your fingerprints unless you gave them for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months. You pay the visa fee and, at a visa centre, a separate service charge. An interview is possible but not routine.

Step 4: Track and collect your passport

The mission decides on your Germany tourist visa and returns your passport through the visa centre or by courier. Check the visa sticker immediately: name, dates, number of entries and days allowed. Ask for corrections before you travel.

Germany tourist visa fee in 2026

The Schengen visa fee rose to €90 for adults on 11 June 2024. Children aged 6 to under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 pay nothing. Nationals of countries with an EU visa facilitation agreement, such as Albania, Serbia and Ukraine, pay a reduced €35 where they still need a visa. The fee is not refunded if the German tourist visa is refused.

Table 3: Germany tourist visa fees in 2026

Applicant	Visa fee	Notes
Adult (12 and over)	€90	Standard Schengen fee since 11 June 2024
Child aged 6 to under 12	€45	Half the adult fee
Child under 6	Free	No fee
Nationals with a visa facilitation agreement	€35	Where these nationals still need a visa, for example from Albania, Serbia or Ukraine
Cabo Verde nationals	€67.50	Set by a separate agreement
Visa centre service charge	Up to €45	Paid on top of the visa fee where you apply through a visa centre
Source: Federal Foreign Office, Visas for Germany (page dated 16 June 2026). Waivers apply to some groups, such as pupils and students on study trips. Fees are non-refundable.

Visa centres add a service charge on top of the visa fee. EU rules cap it at half the visa fee, which is €45 for an adult. Some missions accept only local currency, so check the converted amount on the mission’s website.

Germany tourist visa processing time and when to apply

You can apply up to six months before your trip and generally no later than 15 days before it. The Federal Foreign Office says it usually decides a complete Schengen application within 15 calendar days. EU rules allow up to 45 days if further checks are needed, and peak seasons mean longer appointment waits. Plan for at least four weeks between booking an appointment and travel.

Arriving in Germany: border checks and EES

At the first Schengen border, officers can ask for the same documents you used for your Germany tourist visa, so carry copies of your return ticket, accommodation, insurance and proof of funds. Under the Entry/Exit System, officers no longer stamp your passport. Instead, the system records your name, passport details, facial image, and fingerprints, along with each entry and exit date. The system calculates your remaining days automatically, so it’s easy to detect an overstay, which can lead to a fine, an entry ban, and refusals of future visas.

A Germany tourist visa cannot normally be extended. The foreigners’ authority can extend it only in exceptional cases, such as illness, a natural disaster or a cancelled flight.

If your Germany tourist visa is refused

Common reasons for refusal include doubts about your intention to return home, unclear travel plans, insufficient funds and insurance that does not meet the rules. The refusal notice states the reason and how to challenge it.

Germany abolished the free remonstration procedure worldwide on 1 July 2025, as the German Embassy in London explains. You now have two options: submit a new application that addresses the reasons for refusal, or take legal action at the Administrative Court in Berlin. You must file court action in German within the deadline stated in the refusal notice, and it involves court costs. For most applicants, a stronger new application is the faster route.

Germany tourist visa FAQs