The Schengen Visa is an entry visa for a short-term stay of a maximum of 90 days per 180 days in the Schengen area. A Schengen Visa generally entitles the holder to enter and stay in all Schengen states. Germany, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic and Hungary have joined the Schengen Agreement and are therefore considered “Schengen States”.
1. Schengen Visa categories
For Schengen Visas, a distinction is made between the following purposes of stay:
a) Schengen Visa Type A – Transit Airport
This visa allows you to stay in the international transit area of an airport.
b) Schengen Visa Type B – Transit by Road
This type of Schengen visa allows transit by land of up to 5 days through the Schengen area to travel to a third country.
c) Schengen Visa Type C – Short-Term Stay
With the Visa Type C, you can stay for up to 90 days in the entire Schengen area, which makes the Schengen C Visa perfect for business trips, visiting family and friends, and tourist purposes. You are not allowed to take up work with the C Visa and this type of visa is usually or only extendable in emergency situations.
Reasons for applying for the Schengen visa type C for short stays
- Business trips
- Visiting friends and relatives
- Tourism and travel
- Cultural and sporting events
- Airport transit visa and port transit visa
- Official visits
- Medical reasons
- Short-term studies and research purposes
Attention: You are not allowed to take up employment with the Visa Type C if this is not noted in the visa.
d) Schengen Visa Type D – Long-term Residence
With a Visa Type D, also called a national visa, you can stay for more than 3 months in a specific Schengen country, e.g. Germany. Nevertheless, with this type of visa you may also travel to other Schengen countries for 90 days. The Visa Type D is primarily intended for people who want to study, work or settle permanently in a Schengen country. The Visa Type D is issued with a maximum validity of 12 months. If you want to stay longer in a Schengen country, you must apply for a residence permit locally.
- Reasons for applying for a long-stay visa
- Taking up employment
- Au pair, internship, voluntary service
- Family reunion
- Intended marriage
- Study, language course, school attendance
2. Requirements
- If you want to work: observe minimum salary for persons over 45 years of age: Provide proof of an annual gross salary of at least EUR 48,180 (approx. USD 52,000) (in 2023) or adequate pension provision
- Equivalence or comparability of the foreign university degree or professional qualification
- If applicable, licence to practise profession
3. Procedure
- Check requirements (we will support you in this)
- Book an appointment with the relevant German Foreign Mission (we will support you in this)
- Prepare documents (we will support you in this)
- Attend a personal appointment at the competent German Foreign Mission (we will support you in this)
- Apply for visa (we will support you in this)
- Entering Germany (we will support you in this)
4. Costs
The processing fee for Schengen visas charged by the Foreign Missions is generally EUR 80.00 (approx. USD 85.00) . However, the following exceptions apply:
- Children 0-6 years: free of charge
- Children 6-11 years: 40,00 EUR
- Spouses of German nationals or nationals of other EU member states: free of charge
- Minor children of German citizens or citizens of other EU member states: free of charge
- Parents of minors of German/EU nationality: free of charge
Unlike many law firms, we do not want to charge our clients an hourly fee in order to protect them from high costs, but rather charge a fixed price. Please contact us for further information.
5. Validity
The duration of validity of the Schengen Visa depends on the respective type mentioned above.
We are happy to support you with the necessary steps and provide you with all the required information, useful overviews and checklists, and are available for any queries in personal calls.
