INFOYER I German Visa and Laws - Business Visa

Applicants having a permanent residence in one of the following states must apply to the respective embassies.

  1. North India (Area of Jurisdiction under German Embassy in New Delhi)
    • Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Union Territories, Chandigarh, Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Minicoy and Amini.
  2. West India (Area of jurisdiction under German Embassy in Mumbai)
    • Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Daman and Diu.
  3. East India (Area of jurisdiction under German Embassy in Kolkata)
    • West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura
  4. South India (Area of jurisdiction under German Embassies in Chennai and Bangalore) 
    • Chennai - Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Pondicherry
    • Bangalore - Karnataka and Kerala

Business Visa: Scheduling an Appointment

All the applicants applying for a business visa in New Delhi must schedule an appointment through VFS (Visa Application Centre of German Embassy), either by calling on their helpline numbers:
022 – 67866013 (for all national callers) or 0091 - 22 – 67866013 (if calling from outside India)
Or by writing an email to: info.germanin@vfshelpline.com

VFS Contact Details


Delhi Office: 
No. 1-26, Block E, 2nd Floor
International Trade Tower
Nehru Place
New Delhi – 1100 19

Punjab Office:
SCO 165-166
Sector 8 C
Madhya Marg
Chandigarh – 160018
Punjab

Website: Link

If an applicant prefers to submit his visa application directly to the German Embassy, the visa section needs to be contacted either on phone (0 11 44199143 for all national callers and 0091 11 44199143 if calling from outside India) between
1.30 pm - 4.30 pm from Mondays to Thursdays or by sending an enquiry e-mail using the following link: Link Contact

German Embassy in Mumbai
All the applicants applying for a business visa in Mumbai must schedule an appointment through the following link:
Link Appointment System of the Foreign Office

German Embassy in Bangalore
All the applicants applying for a business visa in Bangalore must schedule an appointment through the following link:
Link Appointment System of the Foreign Office

German Embassy in Chennai
All the applicants applying for a business visa in Chennai must report to the VFS (Visa Application Centre of German Embassy) and get their application documents checked to ensure that the application is complete and can be processed without any delay. Once checked, VFS will schedule an appointment for visa interview. The interview will be held at the German Consulate General in Chennai. VFS charged Rs.607 per application for their services and this fee has to be paid extra.

Business Visa: VFS Contact Details

Chennai Office
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd
New No:3 Old No:2
Sadasivam Street
Gopalapuram
Chennai-600086
Website: VFS Germany - Chennai

Hyderabad Office
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd
1-8-313
2nd floor,Opp Old HUDA Office
Chiran fort club lane
Begumpet, Hyderabad - 500 016

Puducherry Office
VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd
No: 32, Eswaran Kovil Street
Puducherry – 605001

German Embassy in Kolkata
All the applicants applying for a business visa in Mumbai must schedule an appointment through the following link:
Appointment system of the Foreign Office

Personal appearance at the Embassy is mandatory for all the applicants. An exception to the rule of personal appearance at the German Embassy does only apply to those applicants who either
  • have been furnished with at least two Schengen visa within the last 24 months prior to the date of application and have travelled on the visa and returned to India on or before the date of expiry of the visa
or
  • have been furnished with a visa with a validity of one, two or five years and have travelled on this visa within the last 24 months according to the Schengen regulations (max. stay in the Schengen area of 90 days per 6 months) prior to the date of application
However, if deemed necessary the personal appearance of the above mentioned persons may also be asked for.

Business Visa: Important Documents

To apply for business visa the following documents have to be submitted as originals, if a document is not written in English or German, it has to be submitted together with a notary attested English translation, together with one well legible set of photocopy (size A4). The set should be arranged according to the below mentioned order:

  1. One Schengen visa application form, fully completed and signed.
  2. Signed declaration on true and complete information
  3. Two passport size photos 
    • The photograph must be 35 mm x 45 mm in size with the face covering about three quarters of the area of the photograph. The background of the photograph should be light in colour.
  4. Visa fee 
    • The visa fee is to be paid through demand draft made out to the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in respective cities.
    • Applicant also need to fill out a demand draft form which can be downloaded from the following link:
    • Delhi and Bangalore Embassies: Not required
    • Chennai Embassy: Only accepts demand drafts issued by ABN AMRO Bank, Deutsche Bank, Canara Bank and Indian Bank. There is no need a demand draft form here.
    • Kolkata Embassy: www.india.diplo.de/contentblob/3174922/Daten/1717583/download_datei_demand_draft_form.pdf
    • Mumbai Embassy: www.india.diplo.de/contentblob/3254418/Daten/3053665/Visa_DD_Form_downld.pdf
  5. Valid passport 
    • The passport should have been issued (and not extended) in the last 10 years.
    • The passport should contain at least 2 blank pages.
    • The passport should have a minimum validity of 12 months beyond the date of return from the Schengen territory.
    • Passports containing illegible data will not be accepted.
  6. Photocopy of all the printed pages of the passport.
  7. Declaration on travel health insurance
  8. Covering letter (letter headed mentioning complete personal address, phone/fax, email, etc.) addressed to the respective consulate stating the exact purpose and duration of the stay in Germany
  9. Letter of your employer confirming your employment, salary, exact purpose of business travel including an itinerary within the Schengen States as well as coverage of your travel costs (original, no copy) 
    • if self-employed: official documents about your own business (A4 sized copy)
  10. Evidence of your employment, e.g. work contract, salary slips of last 6 months
  11. Proof of funds of the company, e.g. bank statements of the previous 3 months, if applicable
  12. Company’s registration certificate (A4 sized copy), if applicable
  13. Original invitation letter from the German business partner(s) in German or English language . Please note that the invitation letter must be an original (no fax, scan or e-mail attachment) and must be submitted together with your application documents, if applicable.
  14. Proof of financial means to cover the costs of living for the entire trip and all travel related expenses (e.g. bank statements, pay slips, tax income returns, „Verpflichtungserklärung“) (plus a photocopy). This can be done either by your employer or by the inviting business partner.
  15. Flight Reservations 
    • Applicants applying to Kolkata Consulate needs a not transferable, not negotiable confirmed return ticket (photocopy)
  16. Proof of accommodation (eg. Hotel Reservation, etc.)

In addition, visitors to a trade fair in Germany will also have to submit the following documents:

  1. Entry ticket to the trade fair
  2. Invitation from the fair organisers/German company/exhibiting company along with the stand confirmation documents
  3. Stand confirmation documents along with the proof of payment made and the original exhibitor pass, in case the applicant's company is an exhibitor at the fair

The German Embassy reserves the right to ask for additional documents! The processing of a visa application will take at least three working days from the day of application at the German Embassy.