GermanyVisits and short stays

Germany visa for visiting family and friends

Schengen visa (type C) for visiting family or friends

In short

To stay with relatives or friends in Germany for up to 90 days you apply for a Schengen visa in the visit category. Your host can either send a simple invitation letter or sign a formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) that replaces your own proof of funds and accommodation.

Apply on VIDEX – Schengen visa application form checked 25 October 2026

Key facts

Maximum stay
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period
Validity
As decided by the mission; single or multiple entry.
Fee
€90Adults EUR 90; children aged 6 to under 12 EUR 45; under 6 free. If an external service provider receives the application, it adds its own service fee.
Funds required
€45 per dayGermany sets no fixed legal amount and assesses each case. Where you cannot otherwise show your means, EUR 45 per day is the reference, plus a secured return journey; a formal obligation letter from a host can replace your own proof.
Processing time
Usually 15 days after the mission receives the file, up to 45 days in individual cases; any waiting time for an appointment comes on top.
Work
No.
Where to apply
The German embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence, or its external service provider, in the visit category.

When the visit category applies

Choose this category when the main reason for the trip is to see relatives, a partner or friends who live in Germany, whether or not you stay in their home. Spouses, registered partners and minor unmarried children of German citizens, and parents of minor German citizens, are exempt from the visa fee under German law.

Invitation or formal obligation letter

There are two ways to document the visit. A formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) is signed by your host at the foreigners authority where they live, after it checks their income; it must be the original and not older than six months on the day you apply. It replaces your own proof of means and accommodation.

Without it, you prove your own funds as a tourist would and add a simple signed invitation letter from your host stating the length of stay, your relationship, the host's passport or ID number and, for non-Germans, their residence permit.

Required documents

Identity

  • VIDEX application form, printed and signed, with the signed declaration under Section 54 of the Residence Act
  • Passport issued within the last 10 years (extended passports are not accepted), with two blank pages and valid at least three months beyond the planned departure; copies of Schengen, UK, US and Canada visas held in the last 10 years
  • One biometric photo, 35 × 45 mm, not older than six months
  • Civil status extract showing your family details, where the mission's checklist asks for it

Money

  • Without an obligation letter: your own bank statements and payslips for the last three months

Work

  • Employees: original employer letter addressed to the mission (position, start date, approved leave, signatory) plus proof of social insurance or employment; business owners: proof of company and tax registration; students: student certificate

Family

  • Without an obligation letter: signed invitation letter with length of stay, relationship, host's ID or passport number and residence permit

Insurance

  • Travel medical insurance with at least EUR 30,000 cover for the whole Schengen area, paying providers directly, valid from one day before departure to one day after return

Supporting documents (where they apply)

Money

  • Original formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) from your host, not older than six months; replaces your own bank and payslip documents

Family

  • Minors: notarised travel consent of both parents or proof of sole custody
  • Proof of the family relationship if it does not appear in the civil registry extract

Fees

The visa fee is EUR 90 for adults; fee exemptions apply to close family members of German citizens. Your host pays EUR 29 at the foreigners authority for the formal obligation letter, as set out in the AufenthV residence regulations.

Appointments and processing

Visit appointments can have long waiting lists at some missions. You need the obligation letter only at the appointment, not when booking, but remember its six-month validity when your host signs it. Once the file is with the mission, a decision normally follows within 15 days.

How to apply, step by step

  1. Find the German embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence and book an appointment in the "Visit" category as it instructs, either with the mission itself or with its external service provider. Choosing the wrong category can mean the file is rejected and any service fee is lost.
  2. Before the appointment, fill in the VIDEX application form online, print it and sign it together with the declaration under Section 54 of the Residence Act.
  3. Collect the documents on the official checklist for your purpose; bring originals and one set of copies.
  4. Attend in person (everyone aged 18 or over), give fingerprints and pay the EUR 90 visa fee plus any service fee, in the way the mission sets.
  5. The mission decides, usually within 15 days of receiving the file and in some cases up to 45 days. Your passport stays with the mission meanwhile.
  6. Collect the passport as the mission or its service provider instructs and check the dates, number of entries and permitted days on the visa sticker before you travel.

Frequently asked questions

Is the formal obligation letter mandatory?

No. It is optional; without it you show your own means and a simple invitation letter.

Can my host send the obligation letter as a scan?

No. The missions require the original document, and it must not be older than six months when you apply.

Do parents of a German child pay the visa fee?

No. Parents of minor German citizens, and spouses and minor children of Germans, are exempt from the fee.

Can I stay longer than 90 days with my family?

Not on a Schengen visa. A longer stay, for example to live with a spouse, requires a national family reunification visa applied for before travelling.

Official sources

Summarised from the official sources above. Rules, fees and processing times change: confirm with the embassy or the official portal before you apply.

Other visa types for Germany

Visits and short stays

Business and self-employment

Study and training

  • Student visa Validity: The visa is usually issued for several months; the residence permit in Germany is normally granted for two years at a time, at least one year, and renewed while studies progress.
  • Language course visa Validity: For the length of the course.
  • Researcher visa Validity: At least one year, or the length of the research project if shorter.
  • Internship and trainee visa Maximum stay: Up to six months for the EU internship permit
  • Au pair visa Maximum stay: Six to twelve months

Work

  • Work visa Processing time: Appointment waiting times depend on the mission; after submission the Federal Employment Agency approval adds a few weeks. The accelerated skilled-worker procedure shortens this.
  • Skilled worker visa Validity: Up to four years, or the length of the employment contract plus three months if shorter.
  • EU Blue Card Validity: Up to four years, or the length of the contract plus three months.
  • Job seeker visa Maximum stay: Up to one year; a follow-up Opportunity Card of up to two years is possible for a qualified job that does not yet meet another permit.
  • Intra-company transfer visa Validity: Length of the transfer, at most three years (one year for trainees).
  • Working holiday visa Maximum stay: Up to 12 months, once

Family

  • Family reunification visa Validity: Visa for entry; the residence permit is then issued in line with the sponsor's permit.
  • Spouse and partner visa Processing time: Same appointment system and waiting times as other family reunification visas at the mission responsible for you.

Residence

Faster processing

  • Fast-track and priority visa services Processing time: Recognition authority: decision within two months; Federal Employment Agency: one week; mission: appointment within three weeks and decision usually within three weeks of a complete application.

Protection

  • Asylum and international protection Processing time: Regular procedure: six months from the application; accelerated procedure: at most three months; border procedure: at most twelve weeks.

Germany visa guide