Germany visa for Zimbabwean citizens

For the tourist visa, Germany’s official sources give a standard fee of €90, and applications are made on videx.diplo.de. Processing time, as Germany states it: 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. Longest stay on the tourist visa: Up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

Germany has 1 mission in Zimbabwe, with its embassy in Harare.

In 2025, Germany’s embassy and consulates in Zimbabwe (Harare) received 1,324 applications for short-stay Schengen visas and issued 1,049. 20.6% of applications were refused. In 2024 it had been 17.1%: the rate rose by 3.5 points. Applications fell by 7% compared with 2024 (1,426).

For comparison, all Schengen states together refused 15.4% of the applications lodged in Zimbabwe that year, from 1.9% at the consulates of Italy to 42.7% at those of the Netherlands. Germany’s consulates worldwide refused 13.1%. Germany was the 5th most applied-for Schengen state in Zimbabwe.

You apply to the Schengen state that is your main destination (the longest stay or the main purpose; the state of first entry only when there is none), so a lower rate elsewhere is no reason to apply there. The figures cover applications lodged in Zimbabwe, by any nationality: mostly citizens, but also residents from other countries.

For a trip from Zimbabwe to Germany, the published travel advice reads as follows: the US State Department rates Germany at Level 2, exercise increased caution (updated 12 May 2025) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office does not advise against travel to Germany (updated 11 August 2026). Each ministry writes for its own citizens.

How long Zimbabwean citizens can stay in Germany

How long Zimbabwean citizens may stay in Germany is set by the visa issued, and the visa type must match the purpose of the trip.

How Zimbabwean citizens apply

In Zimbabwe, applications go to the German embassy in Harare, or to a visa centre acting for Germany; fees, documents and processing times are published by Germany.

Germany and the Schengen area

A Schengen visa issued by Germany lets Zimbabwean citizens travel in all Schengen states; apply to Germany when it is the main destination of the trip.

Germany’s neighbours for Zimbabwean citizens

Switzerland, Poland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, France and Austria require Zimbabwean citizens to obtain a visa in advance.

German citizens travelling to Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe issues German citizens a visa on arrival for stays of up to 90 days, so nothing has to be arranged in advance.