Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Not all administrative services available in Germany can be applied for from abroad. The Consular Services Portal focuses on the most important services provided by the German administration that are relevant for people residing abroad.

You can access the Consular Services Portal on any PC, tablet or smartphone. All you need to do is register in order to submit an application and upload documents.

The checklist contains all the documents required to process your application. If another or different document is required, you will be notified via the Consular Services Portal as part of the preliminary review. If you have other documents that you consider to be relevant, you are welcome to bring them with you to the appointment at the German mission.

As an applicant, you are required by law to actively participate in the visa process, e.g. to provide supporting documents. If you fail to comply with requests by the German mission responsible for your visa application within the set time limit, it will be assumed that you do not wish to pursue the visa application further and your application will be deemed to have been “withdrawn”. The German mission will use the contact details provided by you to inform you when the visa procedure has been completed.

Yes, you can check the current status of your application online at any time in your user account in the Consular Services Portal. This is one of the advantages over the previous process.

There are specific requirements for taking biometric photos. Detailed information can be found in the biometric photos guide (PDF; 0.5 MB).

There are plans to introduce online payment, but this is still undergoing legal examination and technical adjustments.

It is still possible to submit applications as before. However, provided that you meet the requirements, we would appreciate it if you could apply online and let us know about your experience with the process.

Passports and visas require submission of biometric data, for instance, fingerprints. This means that you will still have to appear in person. Depending on the mission, you may have to wait longer for the next free appointment.

During the pilot phase, you can only use the Consular Services Portal in the jurisdiction of selected German missions and only for an initially limited number of application types. The precise conditions concerning who can use the online service, where it can be used and under which circumstances can be found on the application pages of the respective service. You can find the required information concerning the Blue Card (EU) on the Visa page. You can find the required passport information on the Passport page.

Your documents will be checked in advance to ensure they are complete, so that you will be well prepared for your appointment to submit your fingerprints. You can check the current status of your visa application at any time on the Consular Services Portal. You do not need to bring all the previously uploaded documents with you to the appointment.

You always need to present your original passport during your appointment at the mission. If the mission needs to see further original documents, they will inform you via the Consular Services Portal. Once the pre-check is completed, you will get a checklist stating everything you need to bring.

Unfortunately, longer waiting times for free appointments are possible even for online applicants, depending on demand and mission.

Your application is processed at the mission you chose after registering and log in. You are not able to change your selection afterwards.

No, this is not possible. Applications that are uploaded despite this cannot be processed and will be deleted. The applicant will be informed accordingly.

You can still correct everything until you have sent your application.

You can log in and log out several times, upload and delete documents until everything is completed. We recommend you save all the files you want to submit in a folder on your device so you can easily find and upload them.

If too many applications are uploaded at the same time, online applications are paused automatically to avoid overloading of the Consular Services Portal. Please try again later.

During the preliminary review, your documents will only be checked to ensure they are complete. The preliminary review takes about one week. No decision is made at this point in time as to whether the visa can be granted. A successful preliminary review does not mean that the applicant is entitled to a visa.

To ensure secure transmission of your data, only PDF files can be processed.

After you have clicked the "FILL OUT VIDEX" button, a new window opened in your browser in which you filled out the application form. After clicking "Continue", a PDF document was automatically generated, which is specifically required for the online application. For technical reasons, it is necessary to upload precisely this document. Printing and signing would change the technical specifications of the document. Therefore, you do not need to sign the form, but can simply upload it without a signature.

Please fill out the application form (VIDEX) completely and then click "Next" (not "SAVE"). You will then receive a PDF file to download. Save the PDF and upload it here. No printout or signature required.

The list contains all the documents that the visa section requires to process your application. If you have any other documents that you consider to be relevant, you are welcome to bring them with you to your appointment.

During the pilot phase of the Consular Services Portal, you can apply for an adult biometric passport. Other ID documents are being planned and will gradually be made available for application on the Consular Services Portal.

At present, you can apply for a biometric passport online if you are resident in one of the following consular/administrative districts: Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek; Norway, Oslo; United Kingdom, London. Further administrative districts are being planned.

You can submit the application form and all the required supporting documents online for preliminary review in the Consular Services Portal. In this way, everything will be perfectly prepared for your appointment in person at the German mission. You need to appear in person to prove your identity and provide your fingerprints. This completes your passport application and you then pay the fee due.

The required documents support the details you provide in the application form. As soon as you have completed the application form, a list of the required supporting documents will be shown. You then upload the required supporting documents to the Consular Services Portal and submit them together with your application form for preliminary examination.

As soon as your new passport has arrived at the German mission, you will be notified of this on the Consular Services Portal. You will also be informed about whether you can collect your new passport or whether it can be sent to you by post.