Why is the questionnaire needed?
First of all, it is necessary to study the availability of grounds for obtaining a national visa. To do this, you will need a certain package of documents. Validity period is six months. This is the first thing a person who claims to become a German resident must do.
The application form is the first document that is considered when obtaining a visa, as it contains all the important information about the citizen.
Before traveling to Germany, you need to obtain a national visa
Types and categories of German visas
There are several types of national visas for staying in Germany. They differ in terms of validity, as well as the purpose of stay in the country. Each type of visa differs not only in the time it takes to be allowed to stay in the country, but also in its validity period. If a person is approved for a tourist visa, then he has the right to stay in Germany for 90 days within six months.
But the visa itself is valid for a year. This means that the traveler can use the visa at any time.
A
This is a transit, or rather an airport document for visiting the airport area within 24 hours. It is necessary if you need to change planes in Germany. It is easier to obtain than the others, but you cannot visit Germany with such a document, it is just a pass to the airport.
Category B
This is a transit document with permission to move around the country for 5 days. It is issued if you need to leave the airport area to transfer to another type of transport. To receive it, the applicant must provide tickets for another type of transport and confirmation of a hotel reservation. The last condition is necessary if the traveler plans to stay in Germany for more than a day.
Category C
This is a tourist visa, but can be obtained for a variety of purposes, including meeting relatives, business travel, study and work.
There are several types of national visas
There are several types of visa C depending on the length of stay in the country:
- C1 – no more than a month;
- C2 - no more than 90 days, and the visa is valid for six months;
- C3 – stay for 90 days, and is valid for a year;
- C4 has the same duration of stay, valid for 5 years.
In any case, you will not be able to live in Germany for more than 90 months on such a visa.
Category D
This is a national visa and is issued if you need to stay in Germany for a long time: study, work. The period of stay in the country according to such a document is up to 5 years.
How to get it: design features
To obtain a national visa, you need to collect certain documents, visit the consulate and undergo an interview.
Required documents
Basic documents that a citizen must provide:
- international passport;
- internal passport;
- application form;
- autobiography;
- medical insurance;
- certificate of proficiency in German;
- 3 passport size photographs (45x35mm).
Additional documents are presented depending on the intended purpose of stay. Thus, students are required to :
- birth certificate;
- parental consent to leave their country;
- an invitation from the university and a guarantee of a scholarship;
- bank statement confirming account opening;
- school certificate.
Workers must present:
- invitation from a German organization;
- diploma of education;
- work book;
- summary;
- constituent documents and extract from the register (for entrepreneurs).
Volunteers must provide an appropriate agreement with the volunteer service, and spouses or relatives must provide marriage certificates and other documents confirming relationship.
Important! All Russian-language documents must be translated into German with the help of a translator who has the right to engage in such activities. Original documents from the civil registry office are sealed with an apostille.
Rules for filling out the form
The application form can be downloaded from the official website of the German Representation . It is filled out in 2 copies in German (the citizen must pass the appropriate exam and obtain a minimum level of A1). No discrepancies between the document data and the information in the application form are allowed.
There are several notes:
- if a person was born in the USSR, he should indicate Russia (or another country from among the former Soviet republics) as his place of birth;
- the national identification number should be the internal passport number;
- in the “home address” field indicate the actual place of residence, not the registered address;
- in the “specialty” column indicate the profession obtained in an educational institution.
Unlike Schengen, the application form for a category D visa is not translated into Russian.
We do not recommend completing the documents yourself. Save time - contact our lawyers by phone:
8 (800) 350-29-87
Medical insurance
To obtain a visa, you must take out medical insurance for at least 90 days . The field must contain the policyholder's data, specific validity period and coverage area (Schengen countries). The amount of coverage for a national visa, which implies long-term residence in another country, ranges from 50 to 100 thousand euros.
Making an appointment at the consulate
To make an appointment at the consulate, you can use the appropriate online service on the official website of the German Representation:
- Select the consulate that matches your geographic location.
- Select the “National Visa” section.
- Please indicate your intended purpose for staying in the country.
- Sign up for a free day.
Important! If you are planning to move as a family, each person should make an appointment separately.
Submitting papers and passing an interview
On the appointed day, the citizen must visit the consulate, provide all the necessary documents and undergo a short interview. As a rule, the visa service officer is interested in the purpose of stay, availability of finances and housing in Germany. You may also be asked where and how you studied German.
Some recommendations:
- give brief answers to the essence of the question asked;
- be polite and friendly, do not react too emotionally to unexpected questions;
- do not give false information.
The officer needs to make sure of your trustworthiness and also check your level of language proficiency. As a rule, the interview does not cause any particular difficulties .
Make sure that there are no banknotes in the folder with documents - this may be regarded as a bribe.
Biometric data
After passing the interview, you will be invited to dactyloscopy (fingerprint scanning). Biometric information is collected if you have an old-style international passport. Children under 12 years of age and persons from whom it is physically impossible to take fingerprints are exempt from the procedure.
The reply is in process
After successfully submitting the application and documents, and passing the interview, the German authorities will make a decision on issuing a visa. This period can range from 2 weeks to six months, but most often the decision is made within 1-1.5 months.
To find out about the readiness of documents, you can use another online service on the official website of the German Representation. You need to know the barcode (assigned after submitting documents) and your last name, and then look at the list of ready-made visas .
Repeat visit to the department
If your application is successful, you must visit the consulate again to finalize your visa. As a rule, the applicant needs to contact the department, after which they will be given an appointment date.
Reference! If your passport was not previously left at the consulate, you must have it with you in order to receive a visa stamp.
Providing additional papers
If necessary, the office in Germany may request additional documents along with their translation into German . You may also be invited to a second interview to clarify some questions. In such cases, employees will notify you at the telephone number or email address specified in the application.
Autobiography and motivation letter
An autobiography is a mandatory document that is required to successfully obtain a visa. It should be written clearly and precisely, without ambiguous places or gaps between events. It must contain brief information about birth and family, education and work experience.
It is better if the information is compiled in the form of a table.
We do not recommend completing the documents yourself. Save time - contact our lawyers by phone:
8 (800) 350-29-87
A motivation letter is another document that is drawn up in free form . It must justify your decision to study, work or live in Germany.
You should not use general phrases or vague constructions; the consulate needs to know exactly your personal reasons.
We do not recommend completing the documents yourself. Save time - contact our lawyers by phone:
8 (800) 350-29-87
Agreeing on the date for the visa stamp
When you find that a positive decision has been made on your application, you should send a letter to the consulate’s email address with the expected date of entry into Germany (accordingly, the first day of the visa validity period). Department employees will review your application and make a final decision on the date of entry , after which you will be invited to receive a visa.
Obtaining a passport
After clarifying all the issues and agreeing on the date of entry, you will receive a passport with a visa. It indicates your full name, passport number and photograph, as well as the approved validity period.
All data must be checked immediately , and if there are errors, immediately inform the visa service officer. If no errors are found, then you have the full right to enter Germany in accordance with the purpose of your stay.
Rules and instructions for filling out
The application form for a national visa to Germany requires careful completion, since any inaccuracies will lead to refusal of issue. To submit documents, you must contact the German consulate or embassy. You should be prepared for the fact that obtaining a national document is a very long and troublesome process. And filling out the questionnaire is one of the important steps that must be taken carefully.
Important! The form must be filled out in German.
Personal Information
From the first to the fourth points of the questionnaire there are personal data. These include:
- FULL NAME;
- Date of Birth;
- the place where the applicant was born.
This information is filled out strictly as in the international passport. Here you must indicate your citizenship. If the applicant is a resident of several countries, then it is necessary to indicate all available citizenships.
The application form for a national visa to Germany requires careful completion.
Spouse details
Points 6 and 7 - indication of marital status. If there was a change of surname during marriage, this should also be indicated.
Children's data
If there are no children, then write keine in the line. If you have children, provide information about them.
Parent data
Points 9 and 10. If the mother changed her last name upon marriage, then it is important to indicate both last names with a hyphen.
Previous stays in Germany
You need to select the line yes or no. If you have been to Germany before, you need to indicate the date and city of stay.
Planned place of stay
This is item 15 of the questionnaire and it has two options for filling out. You can write the address where the visa applicant will live, or you can indicate a contact person who will help with finding housing upon arrival. When specifying a contact person, be sure to include his address in Germany.
Housing outside Germany
It is necessary to confirm in this line that the person has housing outside Germany, and it remains for the duration of his stay in Germany. Be sure to indicate your registration address in the Russian Federation.
One of the important steps is filling out the form
Family members planning to enter with the applicant
Whether the traveler is traveling alone or traveling with family members, the inappropriate answer must be crossed out here.
Purpose of stay
If the purpose of stay is work, then it is further necessary to clarify what profession the applicant studied, whether there is a work permit, as well as the address of the employer.
Estimated length of stay
This should be a period no longer than that which will be allowed on the visa. This is 6 months.
Livelihood
This could be a bank account number, guarantees from relatives, passive income. All sources must be cited.
Having a criminal record
Just cross out the option you don't need.
Previous failures
If an applicant has ever applied for a visa and was refused, then this must be indicated in this paragraph.
A very long and troublesome process - obtaining a visa
Presence of diseases
In this paragraph, the applicant indicates the presence of chronic diseases, if any. Also indicate the availability of insurance, which will be valid throughout the territory of Germany during the applicant’s stay.
Then put the date of completion and signature.
Photo and printing
The photo in the application form must be biometric. To the right of the photo, you should cross out everything that is unnecessary, except “I am requesting a visa for 6 months.”
Sample and example of filling out the questionnaire
A sample application form for a national visa to Germany is as follows:
Fill out the application form for a visa to Germany
It should be understood that all information provided in the application form for a visa to Germany 2021 will be further checked by consulate employees and employees of the Visametric Germany visa center. If there are any discrepancies regarding the real picture of the world, it will be considered inappropriate. When filling out the form, you can only use black or blue ink.
In some cases, some cells are not required to be filled out. For example, item 18 does not need to be completed, but item 28 is needed for travelers visiting several countries.
The applicant's photo must meet certain standards. If you have any questions, you can address them to the visa center staff, who will be happy to answer them.
Common Mistakes
The Germans are very meticulous in terms of documents. Therefore, when filling out you need to be as careful as possible. If you do not have proper knowledge of the German language, you can turn to specialists. There are various agencies that will explain how to fill out an application for a national visa to Germany. Experts will help you avoid the most common mistakes.
The first thing to avoid is providing false data. Embassy employees will still check and if any discrepancies are found, the visa will be denied. However, the reason for the refusal is not officially reported.
You cannot submit all documents through intermediaries; you must appear in person at the embassy.
Filling out online
If you decide to fill out the form online, you will initially need to select a language. The questionnaire is written in German, but when you select Russian, it is automatically translated. The form must be filled out strictly in German. That is, when filling out the fields, they will be highlighted with the text you have chosen for ease of perception of the information.
The form is filled out in Latin letters. In fields where you need to enter an email address, you are allowed to insert the “@” symbol.
