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Visa FAQs
Here you can find answers to frequently asked questions regarding the visa process, that we cannot respond to individually.
We hope you understand that we cannot respond individually to questions featured in this catalogue.
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One of our help desk staff will answer your inquiry as quickly as possible.
FAQ
Which visa do I need for Germany?
I want to travel to Germany as a tourist, on business, for my studies, to work, or to join family members who live there.
Which visa should I apply for?
Schengen visa (short-term):
* Adult (12 years and above): EUR 90,-
* Minor (6-11 years): EUR 45,-
* Child (0-5 years): exempted
National visa (long-term):
* Adult (18 years and above): EUR 75,-
* Minor: EUR 37,50
Exemption of fees (free visa):
- Spouses of German/E.U. nationals
- Minor children of German/E.U. nationals
- Parents of German/E.U. minor children
No. Unfortunately, the German Embassy Kampala will only accept cash payments in Uganda Shilling. The German Embassy’s exchange rate of the day will be used for the conversion.
No. Unfortunately, the visa fee is non-refundable.
You should book your visa appointment online as soon as you get to know about your travel date to Germany.
Short-term visa applicants can only schedule their appointment at the earliest 3 months before the date of intended travel. These applicants can book their appointment as soon as they know about their trip to Germany, as long as the chosen appointment date is within 3 months to the intended travel date. Long-term visa applicants may schedule their appointment at the earliest 6 months before the date of intended travel.
Please note that visa appointments can only be obtained online
Click Online appointment to go to the online appointment booking portal.
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 have all acceded to the Schengen Agreement and are thus Schengen states.
The Schengen area thus includes all member states except the UK, Ireland and Cyprus; at present the members Bulgaria, Romania and Croatia only apply some of the Schengen provisions. Until these three countries apply what is known as the Schengen acquis in full, as is their aim, passport controls will remain in place at internal borders. In addition to the countries already mentioned, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein are also Schengen states.
Holders of Schengen visas (text on the visa reads “valid for Schengen states” in the language of the issuing country) may spend up to 90 days in a given 180 days period in the Schengen area, provided their visa is valid at the time. The same applies to holders of most national residence permits and national category D visas issued by individual Schengen states for long‑term visits of more than three months. A separate visa may well be needed for travel to other states which are not Schengen states.
Visa applicants residing in Uganda are entitled to apply at the German Embassy Kampala for a Schengen visa to the Federal Republic of Germany as well as to the Republic of Estonia, as the Embassy represents Estonia here in Uganda. The German Embassy Kampala also represents the Federal Republic of Austria and the Swiss Confederation for the issuance of Schengen visas, however, this only applies for Ugandan diplomatic and official passport holders.
If you are a legal resident of South Sudan you have to apply at the German Embassy in Kampala for a visa to Germany. Please note that the German Embassy is not the competent authority for South Sudan residents who would like to apply for a visa to Austria, Estonia or Switzerland.
If you are a foreigner who does not have a residence permit for Uganda but a tourist visa only, you may not be entitled to apply for a visa to Germany in Uganda unless you can sufficiently prove that you were not able and you will not be able to apply for a visa at your country/region of residence. We do recommend you to contact the visa section in advance for clarification.
In case your trip is fully sponsored by a third party in Germany (friend, relative or organization), the host will need to send you a formal letter of obligation (“Verpflichtungserklärung”). This is an official document issued by an Aliens Department (“Ausländerbehörde”) in Germany, stating that the host in Germany will cover all costs incurred by your visit. Alien Departments are the German public authority responsible for foreigners. They are usually located in every administrative district (“Landkreis”), mostly in the town hall of the district town (“Kreisstadt”).
This will vary from case to case and depend on different factors such as the purpose of the visit, the financing of the trip (self or sponsored by third party), the duration of the stay or the activities and itinerary in Germany. If you are fully paying yourself, you will need to prove that you have enough means to cover all travel and accommodation costs and be able to sustain yourself during your stay in Germany. If your trip is sponsored by a third party in Germany (friend, relative or organization), you will need to provide a formal letter of obligation by the inviting Party.
You will get a letter stating the main reason for refusal and informing you about your legal options to contest the decision. If you want to challenge the decision, you will need to do so within 4 weeks after the refusal, by way of a remonstrance letter.
If you decide to remonstrate against the refusal of issuing you with a visa, you should provide new information that was not included in your original application.
Please note, it can take up to 3 months for a decision regarding your remonstrance as your case will need to be re-examined. Unfortunately, your travel date can not be taken into account.
Alternatively, you always have the chance to reapply for a visa. However, a new appointment, visa fees and full documentation would be needed.
As health expenses are very high in Germany, your Schengen health insurance will take care of any unforeseen medical incidents or accidents that might occur to you during your stay. Your health insurance must feature on the list of Schengen approved insurance companies and policies. A travel health insurance bought in Germany by the host or organisation is also acceptable as long as it fulfills the Schengen requirements.
If you apply for a multiple entry visa valid for a year or longer, a health insurance policy does need to be presented for the first trip only. However, you are obligated to have adequate coverage for any subsequent trip to the territory of the Schengen member states.
The best way is to respect the procedures and to provide accurate information and genuine documents. A complete application with all necessary documents in good order will ensure a smooth and fast application process. Applications with unclear information and documents of doubtful origin will delay the process as further background checks might then be necessary. Please note that incomplete applications will lead to immediate rejection.
If you overstay and do not contact an Aliens Department in Germany before the expiration date of your visa, you will automatically be denied your next Schengen visa. If contacted in time, the Aliens Department will examine the reason (e.g. illness, cancelled flights) and decide on a possible extension based on the extenuating circumstances.
If staying in Germany with a short term visa, you will need to exit Germany when your visa expires and re-apply for a long term visa at the German Embassy Kampala.
If you travel to the Schengen states on a regular basis, you should ask for a multiple entry visa that is valid for a year or longer. Neither are you required to present special documents for this nor are there any additional costs. The visa process does not take any longer. However, your passport(s) must show that you are a frequent traveller who travelled to the Schengen states in recent years.
In case you intend to apply for such a multiple entry visa with longer validity, please check the information about the travel health insurance.
The visa allows you to travel to all Schengen member states.
Yes. Please book a slot for every single family member (including babies and minors).
Due to limited capacities at the visa counters, we would need to refuse taking applications from applicants without appoinments. This inconvenience can be avoided easily.
No. As mentioned on the list of requirements, a non-binding flight reservation needs to be presented only. In order to avoid high costs in case of a visa rejection, we do highly recommend you not to purchase fixed flight tickets before your visa was granted.
If you have obtained your visa already and you would like to change the travel dates, you must reapply via TLScontact, which means that the visa and service fees need to be paid again. If a mistake has been made by the Embassy, send us an email.
For Schengen visas (short-term stays up to a maximum duration of 90 days, category C):
Please see the instructions you have received in your appointment confirmation email by TLScontact or get directly in touch with TLScontact.
For national visas for long-term stays (family reunification, study visas, au pair, employment, etc.; category D):
If you have booked a visa appointment and you would like to rebook, the previous booking needs to be cancelled first. In this case, please follow the cancellation link in your confirmation email or contact the visa section of the German Embassy Kampala by sending an email to visa@kamp.diplo.de
In order to allow other applicants to book your slot, we kindly ask you to inform us in advance if you cannot come to the Embassy on your appointment's day.
Yes. If you have a personal bank account, please submit your bank statements even if you do not pay for any of the travel costs. Your bank statements can prove a regular income as well as financial ties to your home country.
Complaints about the Schengen visa application process
Schengen visa applicants may submit complaints about the conduct of the consulate staff/TLScontact staff or the visa application process via the contact form. In the contact form, please select the option “Complaints concerning the Schengen visa process”. Please note that complaints may only be submitted in German or English. We are unable to follow up on complaints in languages other than German or English. Please enter one of the following two options in the “Subject” field of the contact form:
Complaint about the conduct of consulate staff/TLScontact staff
Complaint about the visa application process
We will follow up on your complaint once it has been received.
Important information: No legal remedies against decisions to refuse, annul or revoke a visa – in particular no remonstrations – may be submitted via the complaints contact form.