Information on Applications for Schengen Visa
A Schengen Visa entitles the holder to an accumulated stay of up to 90 days within a period of six months and is valid for Germany, Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (Schengen Area).
Please submit your application for a Schengen Visa to the Embassy/Consulate of the country which - considering the length of your intended stay - is your main destination among the countries listed above. If no such main destination can be ascertained, please contact the Embassy/Consulate of the country of your first entry into the Schengen Area.
If your main destination is Germany and you are residing in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu or Pondicherry, you have to submit your visa application to the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany in Chennai. Please note that the place of issue of your passport is of no relevance in this regard.
The German Consulate General in Chennai will also accept applications for tourism and business purposes from travellers with main destination in Norway, Sweden and Iceland. For travel for any other purposes (e.g. training purposes, guest scientists/lectures) and for residence permits please contact the Embassies/Consulates of the above mentioned countries directly.
In order to submit your visa application, please contact any of the German Application Centers in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Cochin. Please note that you are required to present all required documents for a check there.
Please be informed that the Consulate General does not accept faxed,mailed or e-mailed invitations from individuals and or/companies inviting visa applicants to visit Germany and/or Schengen Area. They should be sent directly to the visa applicants and not to the Consulate General.
After the document check, an appointment for the mandatory visa interview in the German Consulate General in Chennai will be scheduled. Frequent travellers (holder of at least two Schengen Visas issued in the last two years, at least one of these visas issued by any German Consulate or Embassy) may also submit their applications via an Application Center without scheduling an appointment for a visa interview. This option, however, is not available for first time applicants or applicants with a recent reject from any German Mission. Please note that applications may not be submitted by courier, regular post, fax or e-mail.
The German Consulate General requires approximately two working days to process your visa application. In some cases, however, we might need more time due to the necessary involvement of German and/or Schengen authorities. We, therefore, would appreciate it very much, if you could apply for your visa at least 4 weeks prior to your intended date of departure. Never the less, it is only possible to apply at a maximum of 3 months before your intended travel.
