Visa requirement

Nationals of EU countries

EU citizens do not need a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany.

Nationals from non-EU countries

Generally speaking, all other foreigners require a visa for stays in Germany. A visa is not required for visits of up to 90 days in a 180‑day period for nationals of those countries for which the European Community has abolished the visa requirement.

Please click here to find out if you require a visa.

Bodies responsible for issuing visas

In the Kingdom of Saudi-Arabia, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany is responsible for issuing visas for trips where Germany is the sole or main destination.

Subject‑matter responsibility lies with the mission of the Schengen State in whose territory the sole or main destination is situated

Application preparation

The possibility of creating your visa application online and having the completed and printed form electronically scanned through a barcode during the appointment with the service provider contributes significantly to reducing the processing time. Therefore please use the electronic application form “VIDEX” .

Applying

You can apply for the visa 6 months prior to your trip. The visa application must be submitted in person by the applicant to the nearest service provider with all necessary documents. Biometric data (fingerprints) are collected if this has not been done before by any Schengen Mission in the past 59 months. In that case, appearing in person is not required. You can submit your application for a Schengen Visa at one of the visa acceptance centres in Riyadh, Al-Khobar and Jeddah.

The service provider supports you during the visa process. It accepts your application, checks it for completeness, collects the visa and service fees, forwards it to the responsible German mission and then returns your passport to you. The service provider has no influence on the decision made by the Embassy regarding your application or any additional documents requested.

Application procedure

The Embassy will decide on the issuance of a visa taking into account all the circumstances of the individual case. There is no legal claim to the issuance of a Schengen visa. In each individual case, the mission must establish that the following conditions have been met:

• Plausibility and comprehensibility of the purpose of travel in Germany
  
• Financing of living and travel expenses
  
• Willingness of the visa holder to leave the Schengen Area before the visa expires
  
• Proof of a travel health insurance valid for the entire Schengen area and for the entire duration of the stay with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros
  

Should an applicant be unable to prove that he/she can finance the journey and sustain him/herself, a third person may undertake to cover all costs associated with the trip in accordance with sections 66 and 68 of the Residence Act. This undertaking is normally to be made to the foreigners authority in the place of residence of the person making the undertaking.

Persons whose entry into the Schengen Area would jeopardise security or public order in the Schengen States or who do not fulfil one or more of the above‑mentioned requirements, cannot be granted a visa.

In the case of denial of an application, the applicant will be informed about the relevant reasons. Legal recourses are available to all applicants.

Processing time

Normally it takes up to 15 calender days to process and make a decision about a Schengen visa application.

Please note that we are unable to release your passport while processing your visa request. Please coordinate your travel and visa plans accordingly.

Important information

for Syrian citizens:

Syrian passports are only valid if they have been signed by the passport holder in front of the issuing authority. If your passport is not signed, please go to the nearest Syrian Embassy in ( Riyadh / Manama) and sign your passport in front of the respective officer.

for Palestinians:

You can only apply for a Schengen visa if you hold a travel document recognized by Germany:

• passport or travel document issued by the Palestinian National Authority, only if the ID-number mentioned in the document begins with the numbers 4, 8 or 9
• “Document de Voyage pour les Réfugiés Palestiniens”/“Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees” issued by the Egyptian authorities, only if the document contains a valid re-entry visa and the holder resides in Egypt
• Alien’s passport (T-series) issued by the Jordanian authorities
• “Document de Voyage pour les Refugies Palestiniens/”Travel Document for Palestinian Refugees“ issued by the Syrian authorities, only with valid visa and only if Germany is included in area of validity

for Somali citizens:

Please note that passports and additional travel documents issued by the Somali authorities after 31^st January 1991 are not recognized by Germany. You cannot apply for a Schengen visa if you hold such a document.

Abolition of the remonstration procedure from 1 July 2025

The Federal Foreign Office has decided to abolish the remonstration procedure for visa rejections worldwide from 1 July 2025. This eliminates a legal remedy in the visa application procedure that is not statutorily prescribed and which up to now has been granted voluntarily.

This decision is based on a pilot project conducted in several German visa sections, where suspension of remonstrations for both Schengen visas and national visas was tested from 1 June 2023.

Evaluation of the pilot project has shown that Dispensing with the remonstration procedure has released considerable staff capacity in visa sections in some cases, freeing up staff to process more visa applications. As a result, it has been possible to process both more national and more Schengen visa applications and to reduce waiting times compared to the same period in the previous year.

The processing of a greater number of visa applications and a reduction in waiting times benefits all applicants. Adequate legal protection will also be guaranteed in the future, for judicial review under law will not be limited by the abolition of the remonstration procedure. Furthermore, it goes without saying that all applicants have the option of submitting a new visa application at any time in the case of a rejection.

With the general option to apply for national visas for skilled workers, apprentices, students or for family reunification purposes online via the Consular Services Portal available worldwide since 1 January 2025, applicants also receive clear and intuitive step-by-step guidance through the application process to ensure that they submit complete (digital) applications. Experience from the online application pilot project has shown that this significantly improves the quality of the procedure and avoids delays caused by incomplete applications.