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Frequently asked questions on visas (FAQ)
Your question may already be answered here, so we kindly ask you to read these questions and answers carefully before contacting the German Embassy Tel Aviv. Thank you very much.
FAQ
What is a short term visa?
A short term visa is the right visa for you if your stay in Germany is less than 90 days within 6 months. All short term visas issued by the German Embassy in Tel Aviv are so-called Schengen visas, i.e. they they allow you to stay not only in Germany, but also in other countries of the Schengen area. In most cases, you are not allowed to work if you enter Germany on a Schengen visa.
The Schengen area covers 26 countries (“Schengen States”) without border controls between them. These countries are: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. These countries apply the common visa policy for short stay visas.
Not all member states of the European Union are part of the Schengen area (e.g. the United Kingdom). These countries have their own short-term visas.
Four countries of the European Union (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania) are not yet members of the Schengen area. However, they might allow you to enter on your existing Schengen visa. Please check the websites of the embassies of these four countries for details.
A long term visa allows you to stay in Germany for more than 90 days within 6 months. You need a long-term visa if you want to work or study in Germany. The application process for long-term visas is more complex than for short-term visas. For tourism and business trips, you do not need a long-term visa, a short-term visa (also called Schengen visa) will do. Long-term visas are also called “national visas” as their focus is not on the Schengen area, but on the country that issues the long-term visa. However, also long-term visas allow you to travel other Schengen member states than Germany for a maximum of 90 days within each 6 months.
The following countries are member of the Schengen area:
Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
The following states are members of the European Union, but not yet members of the Schengen area: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania. These four countries might allow entry on the basis of a valid Schengen visa., please refer to their embassies in Tel Aviv.
The following two countries are members of the European Union, but not members of the Schengen area and have their own visa application procedures: Ireland and the United Kingdom.
An airport transit visa authorizes you to pass through the international transit zone at an airport located on the territory of the Schengen State and to await a connecting flight to a non-Schengen country. Nationals of the following countries need airport transit visas: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, D.R. Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan (exemptions apply), Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Nigeria (exemptions apply), Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Turkey (exemptions apply).
The airport transit visa does not allow you to enter the Schengen territory. In other words, you cannot leave the international transit area of the airport, e.g. to stay at a hotel near the airport or to take an onwards flight to another Schengen member state. As soon as you leave the international transit area (i.e. as soon as you pass the passport control), you need to hold a short-term Schengen visa.
Please check with your airline before booking your flight ticket if you can reach your second flight by using the international transit area. All onward flights to airports in the Schengen area are considered to be “domestic” intra-Schengen flights and embark outside of the international transit area.
In Germany, the airports of Frankfurt and Munich have 24h international transit areas. The airports of Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Cologne and Berlin-Tegel have international transit areas only for some hours during the day. All other airports in Germany do not have international transit areas. Please check with your airline before booking your flight ticket if the international transit area will be open during your layover.
Routing 1: Tel Aviv-Frankfurt-Beijing + your nationality needs an airport transit visa > You need to apply for an airport transit visa.
Routing 2: Tel Aviv-Frankfurt-Copenhagen + your nationality needs an airport transit visa > As your onward flight is to an airport inside the Schengen area, you need to leave the international transit zone > You need to apply for a short-term Schengen visa.
Routing 3: Tel Aviv-Cologne-Moscow + your nationality needs an airport transit visa > The international transit zone in Cologne is not open 24h. Please check with the airline(s) if the international transit zone is open during your layover and if your onward flight leaves from the international transit zone. Depending on the result, you need to apply either for an airport transit visa or for a short-term Schengen visa.
Please contact the visa section of the German embassy by e-mail to rk-visa-100@tela.diplo.de or rk-visa-101@tela.diplo.de if you need to apply for an airport transit visa.
As a rule, Schengen visas cannot be extended. Overstaying your Schengen visa will incur a fine, might lead to you being repatriated to your home country and might exclude future trips to the Schengen area. Exemptions from this rule only apply in cases of force majeure or serious personal issues. If you need to apply for an extension of your Schengen visa while staying in Germany, you need to turn to the local Aliens' Authority. You will have to prove that due to force majeure or serious personal reasons, you cannot leave the Schengen area before the end of the validity period of your Schengen visa.
Please check the list of countries published on the website of the European Commission by clicking here. If your country figures in section A of this list, you need to apply for a Schengen visa in order to visit the Schengen area. If your country figures in section B of this list, you do not need a Schengen visa. For some countries in section B, visa-free travel to the Schengen area is only possible with biometric passports (please see footnotes in the list).
You apply for a short-term visa (=Schengen visa) at the visa application Center of VFS Global.
You apply for a long-term visa (=national visa) at the visa section of the German Embassy in Tel Aviv. Please find information on the address and the opening hours by clicking here.
If Germany is not the main destination of you trip to the Schengen area, you need to apply with the embassy of the country which is the main destination of your trip. A country is your main destination if you spend the majority of days there. If you spend an equal number of days in several Schengen countries, you need to apply with the embassy of the country of first entry.
If you visa application has been refused, you will be handed out a form that includes the reason for the refusal and the procedures and deadlines to appeal against the refusal. The appeal has to be sent to the German Embassy Tel Aviv in writing.
As an alternative, you can also re-submit your visa application. However, it is recommended to take note of the reason for the refusal and only then re-submit your visa application.
The visa fee will not be returned to you in case of a refusal, as it covers the processing of your visa application and not the visa sticker.
Besides your passport with the visa sticker, we recommend to have copies of all documents with you that you submitted when applying for the visa (e.g. flight booking, hotel booking, medical insurance policy). The border police officer might ask for additional documents, depending on your case. Please note that a valid Schengen visa does not guarantee entry into the Schengen area, as the final decision will be taken by the border police.
No. A valid long-term residence permit for Germany (e.g. “Niederlassungserlaubnis”) authorizes you to travel to other Schengen member states for 90 days within any period of 6 months. Please note, however, that some residence permits will be cancelled automatically if you spend more than 6 months outside of Germany.
If your visa has been issued for multiple entries (word “MULT” on your visa sticker), you can enter the Schengen area more than once during the validity period of your visa. After entering, you cannot stay for more than 90 days within any period of 180 days.
Please read our webpage to learn which supporting documents you need. We have prepared memos for each visa type.
Yes. Valid Schengen visas can be used for making trips to all Schengen member states. However, you need to apply for the Schengen visa with the country which is your main destination. The majority of days spent in the Schengen area should thus be spent in the country that has issued the Schengen visa.
When applying for a Schengen visa, your passport needs to be valid until 3 months after your return from the Schengen area.
You can apply for a Schengen visa three months before your trip at the earliest.
You may apply for a new Schengen visa even though your current Schengen visa is still valid.
We recommend to apply for a Schengen visa no later than two weeks before your trip. The processing time usually takes 3 days. Please check the opening hours of the visa section and holidays during which the German Embassy Tel Aviv is closed.
Applying for a short-term visa (= Schengen visa) costs the equivalent of 80 EUR in ILS according to the current exchange rate. You can pay cash or by credit card (only Visa and MasterCard). The fee will not be refunded in case your visa application is refused.
The external service provider VFS Global charges the equivalent of 20 Euro for its services.
The Schengen members states have concluded visa facilitation agreements with a number of countries (e.g. Armenia, Ukraine). The visa fee for citizens of these countries in the equivalent of 35 EUR in ILS according to the current exchange rate. The fee will not be refunded in case your visa application is refused.
Certain applicants are exempted from the visa fee: children under the age of 6; school pupils, students, postgraduate students and accompanying teachers, who undertake stays for the purpose of study or educational training; representatives of non-profit organizations under the age of 25 participating in seminars, conferences, sports, cultural or educational events organized by non-profit organizations; family members of EU or EEA citizens falling under directive 2004/38.
Family members of EU citizens who have exercised their right of free movement (meaning that the EU citizen resides in or travels to a Member State other than his or her country of origin) benefit from certain procedural facilitations. The basic criteria to be fulfilled are the following:
• the EU citizen has exercised his or her right of free movement
• the family member (applicant) belongs to one of the categories covered by directive 2004/38/EC
• the family member (applicant) accompanies the EU citizen or joins him or her in the Schengen State of destination.
If you hold a Schengen visa with a long validity period (e.g. for 2 years), this visa allows you to enter the Schengen area during 90 days within each 180 days. This rule means that during any given period of 180 days, you can only spend 90 days inside Schengen. When checking if you can be inside the Schengen area on a specific date, look at the 179 days prior this date and check if you have spent more than 90 days inside the Schengen area during these 179 days. You may also use the Schengen calculator of the European Commission (please click to open).