German Tourist Visa

After several days of searching through travel sites such as Germany.com and reading up on all the attractions and entertainment that tourist destinations have to offer, you have finally decided on coming to Germany for some vacation time. But before you start booking hotels, scheduling scuba diving lesson, and buying plane tickets, one of the first things you have to do is get a German Tourist Visa if you need one.

When planning to spend a few weeks or a couple of months in Germany for recreational purposes, meaning not for business or for studies, a German Visa may be necessary. Now there are certain occasions when you may not need to get a German tourist Visa. One occasion is when you are a citizen of a nation belonging to the European Union or the European Economic Area. European Union nations include the likes of Austria, Sweden, Belgium, United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy and several others.

Another occasion wherein you may not require a German Tourist Visa to enter the nation of Germany during a 3 month period is when you are a citizen of the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Brunei, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore and several other countries. In order to see a full list, you can visit several tourism websites dedicated to Germany.

If an American citizen for instance with an American passport, although you will not be required to apply for a German Visa when staying within 3 months only, your American passport should not expire during those three months in Germany.

However, when you are a citizen of a country not among the list of those excluded from the necessity of a German Visa, then it is imperative that you get one. The only body responsible for issuing German visas are those appertaining to the Federal Republic of Germany. Thus, you can apply for one in the German embassies and consulates-general in which city in the world you are in. The usual visa fee is around 60 Euro although there are some instances when you may be exempted from this fee such as if you are 6 years old or younger.

Some requirements necessary when applying for a German Tourist Visa includes a fully completed application form, a valid passport, current bank statement, passport type photos, proof that your health insurance will cover trips outside your country, proof of hotel reservation, airline reservation etc.