My country has an agreement which allows me to enter the Schengen area without a visa. Can I stay as long as I want?
As part of the Schengen area, Germany allows citizens of some countries to enter its territory without a visa. Even if your country is on this list, this doesn’t mean that you are allowed to stay for an unlimited period. Find out whether you need a visa to enter the Schengen area and which rules you need to keep in mind before you come.
Citizens of the Schengen area can cross borders between the Schengen states without passport controls. Nationals of other countries usually need a Schengen visa for short visits of up to 90 days. There are some countries whose nationals are exempted from holding a visa when entering the Schengen area. These are, amongst others, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Georgia, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. The full list of countries can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/sites/homeaffairs/files/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy/apply_for_a_visa/docs/visa_lists_en.pdf
The Schengen area encompasses Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
If you are a citizen of these countries, you need to keep in mind that you are not allowed to stay in the Schengen area for an unlimited period. Just like holders of Schengen visas, you are only allowed to stay there for visits of up to 90 days within a period of 6 months.
If you plan to stay longer, you need to apply for a specific national visa. The German embassy in your country can give you plenty of information about the options you have. It is important that you check this information in advance. While you are in the Schengen area, there are hardly any opportunities to formally extend your stay.
What happens if I overstay?
Overstaying is forbidden, no matter whether you entered the Schengen area from a visa-free country or not. Once your time is up, you need to leave the Schengen area. Keep in mind:
An overstay never goes unnoticed: Each person who enters and leaves the Schengen area is registered in databases by the immigration authorities. Every overstay, even just for a day, is recorded.
No overstay is left unpunished, whether it was intentional or unintentional. You risk fines, immediate deportation or being banned from entering the Schengen area for a certain period of time.
Will Germany grant asylum to 25 percent of all refugees coming to Europe via Italy?
NO. Although Germany, along with a number of other EU member states, has agreed on a temporary mechanism for rescue operations in the Mediterranean Sea, this is only intend-ed for a limited number of asylum seekers. Even people who are transferred to Germany are not automatically granted asylum.
Refugees taken on board rescue ships will be registered and undergo background security checks. Subsequently, they can be sent to EU member states willing to accept them without further delay. The states involved in this temporary agreement are France, Germany, Italy, Cyprus and Spain.
Asylum seekers transferred to Germany will start their asylum application process immedi-ately. In the event that they are not entitled to full refugee protection, they will be deported back to their country of origin swiftly.
This temporary emergency mechanism initially applied for six months starting in October 2019 was replaced in 2022 by the Voluntary Solidarity Mechanism including member states already involved in the emergency mechanism. Should the number of refugees rise signifi-cantly, each country may terminate the agreement unilaterally.
Please remember: The temporary emergency mechanism or any other measure for redistri-bution do not reduce the risks involved in the life-threatening journey across the Mediterra-nean Sea.
More information on the regulations regarding which EU member state or Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein is responsible for an asylum claim (Dublin procedure), go to:
Is it possible to apply again for asylum in another EU country?
No. Even though refugees sometimes hope to improve their situation by moving from one EU country to the other, they do not have the right to apply for asylum again in another EU country. This also applies if the services provided to asylum seekers in one country appear to be better than in the other or if their asylum claim has been rejected in the first country.
Those who wish to apply for asylum in the EU need to do so in the country where they first entered the EU (or one of the other Schengen countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland). If a person has a visa or a residence permit for an EU or Schengen country, he or she can only apply for asylum in that specific European country.
According to European law, the purpose of what is known as the “Dublin procedure” is for each asylum application to be examined under the law of only one country.
For more information on recent developments concerning asylum applications in Germany for people recognised as refugees in other countries, go to:
More information on the regulations governing which member state of the EU or Norway, Iceland, Switzerland or Liechtenstein is responsible for an asylum claim (Dublin procedure) is available here:
No. Anyone wanting to join their spouse in Germany must first meet certain requirements.
The initial step is to apply for a family reunification visa. To obtain this, the couple must present proof that they have are legally married and that the marriage is recognised in Germany. Both spouses must have reached the age of majority. Moreover, the couple must prove that they can support themselves. This means that they must be able to cover both partners’ living and health insurance costs without any support from the state. They must also show that the apartment in which the couple intends to live in Germany is large enough.
Spouses desiring to move to Germany must also meet several formal requirements. For example, he or she must present proof of identity. Additionally, a valid passport or a recognised replacement passport is required. The spouse who wishes to join his or her partner in Germany needs to be able to communicate in simple German and must hold a specific language certificate documenting this. The requirements specific to the country where the application will be processed can be found on the homepages of the German missions abroad.
These rules apply to couples in which neither partner has German or EU citizenship. If one partner is a German national, then, generally speaking, fewer requirements have to be met. The couple will usually not need to present proof that they can meet their living costs or that they have a sufficiently large apartment. If one of the spouses is an EU citizen, then the regulations of the EU Freedom of Movement Act apply.
If the spouse who lives in Germany is a refugee and a beneficiary of protection, and if a final decision has already been taken on his or her case, then different family reunification conditions apply. These depend, among other things, on the individual’s refugee status and on whether or not the application for family reunification was filed in due time.
Detailed information on family reunification for refugees is available at fap.diplo.de.
The websites of the embassies and consulates of the Federal Republic of Germany also provide detailed information on visas and family reunification requirements.
Last updated: 30.09.2020Published: 01.03.2019
Is it true that people who are recognised as refugees in Greece are allowed to work in Germany?
No. The rule is that citizens of non-EU countries are not allowed simply to enter the Federal Republic of Germany and work there. They must apply for a work visa before they enter the country. This also applies for holders of a travel document for refugees issued by another EU state, for example Greece.
Further information about work visas is available here:
Are the children of refugees allowed to stay in Germany if they are born in the country?
Basically no. Even if a child is born in Germany, it will not automatically obtain a residence permit.
If both parents have a temporary residence permit or are still in the asylum procedure, then the child, too, may reside in Germany. Their child’s case is considered under a separate asylum procedure. The parents or the competent foreigners authority must report the birth of the child to the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
If one of the parents is a German citizen, then the newborn child, too, will be granted German citizenship. For the children of foreign citizens, different regulations apply. Only if the father or mother has legally resided in Germany for at least five years when the child is born, and if he or she has a permanent right of residence, will the child automatically be granted German citizenship.
The Federal Office for Migration and Refugees can provide more information on this topic:
No. Only people who have been recognised as refugees by the UNHCR in their country of first asylum and have been identified to be in particular need of protection have any prospect of resettlement. This is the case when there is neither a chance for a person to return to his or her home country nor any prospect for integrating into the country of first asylum. Special consideration is given to the elderly, sick people and children, as well as victims of torture and violence.
Germany has agreed to take in a total of 13.100people for the years 2024 and 2025. The acceptance criteria for the resettlement programme are very strict.
Only people who have been recognised as refugees by the UNHCR in their country of resi-dence and are classed as being particularly in need of protection have any prospect of re-settlement. That is mostly the case when the chances of returning are very slim and there is also no prospect that the person will be able to live a normal life in the country of admis-sion. Special consideration is given to old people, sick people and children as well as victims of torture and violence.
The UNHCR assesses who is in principle eligible for the resettlement programme.
An Afghan girl @dpa
Multi-stage procedure
The decision on whether refugees may benefit from the German resettlement programme is at the end of a multi-stage process. To start with, the UNHCR selects people who are eligi-ble for resettlement as a matter of principle. In the next stage, the Federal Office for Migra-tion and Refugees conducts interviews to decide which of these candidates might actually be accepted. Potential candidates are also subject to security checks and will, as a final step, have to successfully complete a visa procedure.
Before travelling to Germany, selected resettlement candidates attend a three-day prepara-tion course (the “pre-departure orientation”) carried out by the International Organization for Migration that covers topics such as education, housing and finding employment in Germany. In Germany, recognised resettlement refugees have the right to work, are entitled to social security payments and may attend an integration course.
Upon their arrival in Germany, the resettlement refugees spend the first two weeks either at the Friedland reception centre in northern Germany or the Doberlug-Kirchhain reception centre in eastern Germany. During this period, induction courses provide them with an in-troduction to the German culture and language as well as general information about life in Germany. In addition, individual sessions are available as part of migration support services, in which individual and practical questions can be addressed in a confidential setting, for example regarding medical care or housing in the new place of residence. Following their time in the reception centre, the refugees are distributed among the municipalities in the various Länder.
Within the EU resettlement programme for 2024 and 2025, Germany has pledged to offer 13.100 places in total. The acceptance criteria for the resettlement programme are laid down in the respective order of the Federal Ministry of the Interior.
No. A visa for entering Germany is personalised and issued only to a specific individual. Visas cannot be sold or given to someone else. Only embassies and consulates general of the Federal Republic of Germany can issue visas. In some countries, visas can also be applied for through an external service provider – however, only those that have been contracted by the German mission abroad may do so. For information on these external service providers, visit the websites of the respective German missions abroad. No person or organisation other than those listed on the websites may issue visas or make visa application appointments. Visas have anti-falsification features. They can therefore not be forged. Forgeries will be immediately identified at the border.
What is a visa needed for?
Many foreign nationals who want to enter Germany require official permission to do so, in the form of a visa. The visa must be obtained before arriving in Germany. Entering without a visa is illegal.
For planned stays of up to 90 days in the so-called Schengen area, the decision on whether or not a visa is issued is taken according to uniform criteria. The Schengen area comprises 26 European countries. Most of these are members of the European Union (EU). A Schengen visa entitles its holder to stay in the Schengen area as long as the visa is valid, but no longer than 90 days in any 180-day period. When a visa is granted, stays for the purpose of tourism, visiting friends or family, and conducting business are generally allowed. EU visa regulations contain a list of third countries whose citizens require a visa, and those whose citizens do not (https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/-/231148).
Applicants for a Schengen visa must meet the following four requirements in particular:
The purpose of the trip to Germany must be plausible and comprehensible.
The applicant must be in a position to cover his/her living and travel costs from his/her own funds or income. Some applicants cannot provide these guarantees on their own. For them, an acquaintance or relative in Germany may agree to cover the costs of their stay – but only by making an official declaration of commitment at a Foreigners Registration Office in Germany.
Anyone who wishes to travel to Germany must demonstrate that he/she will leave the country after his/her Schengen visa expires.
For a visa, documentary evidence must be provided of travel health insurance for the entire duration of the trip. This insurance must be valid throughout the Schengen area, with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros.
Stays of more than 90 days in any 180-day period are not governed by the Schengen process. For these, national regulations apply. The Federal Republic of Germany requires nearly all citizens of non-EU countries to obtain a visa.
Please note: longer stays may be authorised for certain purposes only, such as to rejoin a spouse, study at a university or take up employment (in particular, researchers and highly qualified workers). Depending on the place of residence, different prerequisites must be met, and different documents need to be presented. Whether or not an applicant will be granted a visa is decided by the respective visa section, based on the presented documents. The documents required for this vary, depending on the case.
How can a visa be obtained?
For both Schengen and national visas, anyone wishing to apply must go in person to a German mission abroad. An appointment is required. In some countries, visa applications can also be submitted via an external service provider that has been contracted by the German mission abroad. At some missions abroad, you can also make an appointment online. At others, you must call and schedule an appointment. For all relevant information and telephone numbers, visit the websites of the missions in the country in which you wish to apply.
You may need to schedule an appointment well in advance. In some cases, your actual appointment will be several weeks after you arrange it by phone. Use only visa services that you find on the website of the German mission abroad in your country.
Appointments are made only by the mission abroad, or by its external service provider. Applicants must make appointments directly and in person. Do not trust any so-called agency that claims it can make an early appointment for you. This is not possible.
You must bring all necessary documents with you to your appointment. You should definitely find out in advance which documents will be required. This information can also be obtained on the websites of the missions abroad.
How long does it take the visa section to decide whether or not a visa will be issued?
In general, it takes missions abroad between two and ten working days to make decisions on visas for stays of up to 90 days. For longer stays, a decision may take more than three months, because authorities in Germany will need to be involved.
Is there a visa fee?
The fee for a Schengen visa is 80 euros. A national visa for Germany normally costs 75 euros. The fee can also be paid in a country’s national currency. There are exceptions to the fees. For example, applicants for a vocational training or study visa are not required to pay a fee. Minors pay a reduced fee. Stays of more than three months will generate additional costs, such as the fee for a German residence permit.
If my visa was rejected, can I apply again?
Yes. Everyone is welcome to apply for a visa at a German mission abroad. However, if a previous visa application of yours has been rejected, you must show that the reason for this rejection is no longer valid. This will be more difficult to prove the more applications you have filed.
Whether or not relatives can be reunited with you depends first and foremost on your own current legal status in Germany. Persons who are entitled to asylum or refugee protection may be reunited with their immediate family members. Applications for family reunification should, if possible, therefore be submitted within three months of your protective status being recognized.
From 1 August 2018, those who are granted subsidiary protection in Germany may also be reunited with immediate family members. Subsidiary protection is granted to those who are not persecuted personally in their country of origin, for example for political reasons or because they belong to a religious community, but who are nevertheless at risk of serious harm – for example as a result of a civil war such as in Syria. The residence permit based on subsidiary protection is initially limited to one year and may be extended afterwards. The number of family members of persons eligible for subsidiary protection who may reunite in Germany is limited to 1000 people per month. Therefore, by no means every family can be reunited immediately.
Persons whose protection status has not yet been definitively determined may not be reunited with their family members.
Generally speaking, only members of the nuclear family are entitled to family reunification. The nuclear family includes spouses and minor children. However, further restrictions apply. For instance, a requirement for the subsequent immigration of spouses to those eligible for subsidiary protection is that the marriage was entered into prior to their displacement.
In different locations, support is available should family reunification be a realistic possibility. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) assists family members of beneficiaries of protection when emigrating to Germany under the Family Assistance Programme (FAP). IOM has established family support centres in Istanbul, Beirut, Erbil and Amman. Visiting an IOM family support centre may speed up processing of the visa application because people receive support, e.g. in preparing the necessary documents. This may also help to shorten the time until a family member might leave for Germany. In Istanbul, IOM also offers advice prior to submitting an application at the German Consulate General.
In general, those who wish to reunite must submit their application to the German Embassy or Consulate responsible for them. This is only possible if you have booked an appointment beforehand! Please note that the German missions abroad also offer important information on their homepages about how to book an appointment and which documents you need to organise in advance. Unfortunately, waiting times can be long, as the German missions abroad continue to have large numbers of applications to process.
Further information in German, English and Arabic is available at the following link: Fap.diplo.de
Last updated: 16.09.2024Published: 01.08.2018
Is there a lottery for immigration to Germany?
Fake website (Screenshot)
A lottery ticket for immigration to Germany just a click away – sounds too good to be true? It is. There is no such thing as a lottery for coming to Germany. Be careful of fake websites and rumours on social media.
Yet again, there is another dubious website with a fake offer for immigration to Germany making the rounds. It asks you to send a message to 30 friends on Whatsapp before you can register for a lottery ticket to come to Germany. Obviously, offers on websites like these are fake – there is no lottery for immigration to Germany.
The people behind websites such as these are trying to fool you. The comments on the website might look real but are just there to convince you that the offer is legitimate. But you know better: just because a website shows the German flag does not mean it’s official. And anyway, the German government would not ask you to spam your friends.
Do not fall for the smugglers’ lies! Migration is a life decision – do not take it easily without getting the facts first.
Greek refugee passport = full healthcare in Germany?
No. Registered refugees in Greece can apply for a blue refugee passport that allows them to travel to other European countries including Germany for up to 90 days without a visa, but only if they have enough money for their stay and return trip. And even then, they are not entitled to full medical services or asylum in Germany.
There is a rumour going around in Athens: “Many refugees here apply for the blue Greek refugee passports with the text ‘1951 Geneva convention’ on the cover”, says a source at the United Nations Refugee Agency UNHCR on site. “These people think that upon obtaining a passport, they would be able to legally travel to Germany and immediately access full medical services upon arrival.”
This story holds a grave problem: Only a small part of it is true. Registered refugees with a passport issued by an EU member state may indeed travel within the European Union without requiring a visa, but only if they meet the entry conditions: They must prove that they have enough money to pay for their expenses during the trip and for the return back to their country of residence – Greece in this case. And even if they are allowed to Germany, they will find that “free full healthcare” is a rumour: In Germany, refugees travelling with the 1951 Geneva passport are excluded from social benefits – by law.
Entering Germany without sufficient financial means and with the intention to get medical treatment at government expense is against the law and may have legal consequences. As a rule, only a long-term right of residence entitles to full social and medical benefits. Persons who entered Germany without sufficient financial means may only receive health care at an absolute minimum level, which does not compare to standard social benefits for residents.
Medical care at a greek transit camp @ dpa
Registered refugees in Greece should be aware that the Greek medical system offers them first care at no cost.
No shortcut to asylum status in Germany
Very importantly, refugees travelling to Germany or another European country on the blue refugee passport also need to know that they cannot apply for asylum there. If they do, their application will be denied immediately and they will be asked to go back to the country where they were registered as a refugee – Greece in this case. If they do not leave Germany on their own, they may be returned by force.
Last updated: 30.12.2017Published: 05.10.2017
Will the German government give you money to live?
In Germany, asylum seekers do receive some aid. But it is based on strict conditions and only granted when all savings and income have been spent. Furthermore, most of the aid is provided in kind, such as shelter, hygiene products or clothes.
While you will receive clothing and hygiene products and live under humane conditions, you will not receive money for these things.
If you have been granted a temporary permission to reside in Germany during your asylum application procedure you will be accommodated in housing close to a nearby reception centre. However, it is important to point out that first, you cannot choose freely where you will be living and second, most types of aid will be given to you in form of goods or, in some cases, vouchers. Hence, while you will receive clothing and hygiene products and live under humane conditions that meet the government’s concern for every human being’s dignity, you will not receive money for these things. Cash payments are limited to exceptions.
Although this will allow you to buy clothing and other goods necessary for your everyday-life, be mindful that the cost of living in Germany is considerably higher than in most countries of origin and this money will hardly enable you to save or spend money for different purposes.
Finally, if you have income or savings that you have access to and that you have been using prior to coming to Germany, you are required to use this money first. You are then also obligated to pay a certain amount of money for the accommodation, heating and goods which may be automatically provided to you in your accommodation.
