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Germany visa from India: the complete file

Germany’s embassy and consulates in India received 153,179 short-stay visa applications in 2025. Here is where to apply, how much money to show and which documents to prepare, with a cover letter already written as an example.

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What the 2025 figures say

In 2025, the German Embassy in New Delhi and the German consulates in Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and Kolkata received 153,179 applications for short-stay Schengen visas. 136,674 visas were issued, 99.6% of them multiple-entry. 16,126 applications were refused, 10.5% of decisions, against an average of 14.6% for all Schengen consulates worldwide. Most files are decided in Mumbai: the German missions send every Schengen application lodged in India to the Consulate General there. Indian nationals living in India who have lawfully used two Schengen visas in the past three years can be issued a two-year visa, then a five-year one (German Missions in India).

The refusal form set by the EU Visa Code lists the possible reasons: purpose of the stay not justified, insufficient means, doubts about your intention to leave, no valid travel insurance. Each one matches a document in your file, and that is where it is prepared. Our guide to Schengen visa refusals explains each reason.

89.5% of decisions granted a visa
German missions in India, 2025 · Source: European Commission
Applications153,179
Multiple-entry visas136,063
Other visas issued681
Refusals16,126
Mumbai · 130,562 applications89.2% granted
New Delhi · 11,936 applications90.0% granted
Chennai · 4,477 applications89.5% granted
Bengaluru · 3,632 applications98.5% granted
Kolkata · 2,572 applications86.0% granted
Average of Schengen consulates85.4% granted

Where and how to apply

The German missions in India entrust applications to VFS Global, in 16 centres; the Consulate General in Mumbai decides.

Ahmedabad · Bengaluru · Chandigarh · Chennai · Cochin · Coimbatore · Goa · Gurugram · Hyderabad · Jaipur · Jalandhar · Kolkata · Mumbai · New Delhi · Puducherry · Pune

What you pay

Visa, adult€90 (INR 9,900)
Visa, child aged 6–12€45 (INR 5,000)
VFS service chargeINR 2,096, GST included

Payment: cash, card or UPI. Processing: ≈ 15 days on average.

  1. 01 Fill in the online form on VIDEX
  2. 02 Book your appointment on the VFS Global site
  3. 03 On the day, go to the centre where you booked
The process in full

The German missions in India work with VFS Global, their official service provider. VFS runs Germany’s visa application centres in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Coimbatore, Goa, Gurugram, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Puducherry and Pune (list of centres). For a Schengen visa you can book and apply at any of them, whatever your place of residence (German Missions in India). Your file then goes to the Consulate General in Mumbai, which decides.

  1. Fill in the online form on VIDEX. Print every page, barcodes included, and sign it. Add the signed declarations listed on the tourism checklist.
  2. Book your appointment on the VFS Global site and pay the VFS service charge as you book. Every applicant needs an appointment. Demand is high, so check regularly for new slots; if your nearest centre is full, look at another large city.
  3. On the day, go to the centre where you booked, with your documents in the order of the checklist. Your fingerprints are taken there, and you pay the visa fee at the end of the appointment.

The fees. The visa costs €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to 12, charged as INR 9,900 and INR 5,000 at the consulate’s current rate; it is free under 6. VFS adds its service charge of INR 2,096, GST included. VFS accepts cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express and RuPay cards, UPI, and for the visa fee a demand draft in favour of VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. Optional VFS services, such as courier delivery or the premium lounge, do not change the decision or the processing time.

The timing. Once your file reaches Mumbai, the decision takes about 15 days on average; transport from another city can add up to six working days. You can apply up to six months before your trip, and the German missions recommend at least three weeks ahead. A file for travel within 15 calendar days of reaching the visa section is returned unprocessed, with the fees refunded.

Appointments are booked only on the VFS Global site: there is no need to go through an agent.

How much money to show

Germany sets no fixed daily rate: the money you need depends on the type and length of your stay (Federal Foreign Office). The reference Germany has given the EU for border checks is €45 per day, for a traveller who cannot otherwise show how the stay is covered (European Commission).

Show your funds with your bank statements for the last three months, stamped by the bank, with your name and address on them; passbook copies are not accepted. Add your income tax return acknowledgements for the last two assessment years, or Form 16. If someone pays for you, add their sponsor letter, a copy of their passport and their stamped bank statements for the last three months; a sponsor living in Germany can also provide a formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung).

The rupee amount uses the European Central Bank reference rate of 10 November 2026 (€1 = INR 105.33); it is a guide.

Work out your amount

Per person (EU border reference)€45 / day
days
€450 about ₹47,000 to show on your statements

Documents asked of applicants in India

On top of the basics for every Schengen visa (form, passport, photo, insurance, flight reservation), the European Commission sets a list of documents for applicants in India, which every Schengen consulate there applies. It dates from 2015 and was revised in July 2025. Here is what it asks, with the additions from the German missions’ tourism checklist, by situation.

Documents must be in German or English. Anything in another language, such as Hindi, needs a proper German or English translation; otherwise the document counts as missing (German Missions in India). For other purposes, such as visiting family, business or a trade fair, the German missions publish a separate checklist, linked from their application page.

And for everyone: the VIDEX form, passport, photo and travel insurance.

Your letter, already written in English

With the Safeonward file, your cover letter is written for you, with your dates, your job and your itinerary, then checked against the rest of your documents. The EU list for India asks every applicant for one. Here is the letter written for Aditya, a senior accountant in Pune, for twelve days of tourism in Frankfurt, Berlin and Munich, with his itinerary and checklist.

Have my letter written Included in the full file, €29

Aditya Kulkarni
Kothrud, Pune 411038
Maharashtra, India
Email: [email protected]

Pune, 15 March 2027

Consulate General of Germany, Mumbai – Visa Section

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (tourism) – Aditya Kulkarni

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a short-stay Schengen visa for tourism, for a stay of 12 days in Germany from 13 to 24 May 2027.

1. Purpose of the trip
I will spend three nights in Frankfurt (13 to 16 May), four nights in Berlin (16 to 20 May) and four nights in Munich (20 to 24 May), travelling between the cities by train. The enclosed itinerary sets out each day. Germany issued me a Schengen visa in 2025 and I returned to India on the planned date, as the stamps in my passport show.

Sample created with Safeonward for a fictional traveller

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a Germany visa in India?

At any VFS Global visa application centre in India: for a Schengen visa, your place of residence does not matter. You lodge your file at the centre where you booked, and the Consulate General in Mumbai decides.

How much money do I need to show for a Germany visa?

Germany sets no fixed daily amount; it depends on the type and length of your stay. Its reference for border checks is €45 per day, so €540 for twelve days, shown with your bank statements for the last three months, stamped by the bank.

How much is the Germany visa fee in India?

€90 for an adult, charged as INR 9,900, and €45 for a child aged 6 to 12, charged as INR 5,000; it is free under 6. VFS Global adds a service charge of INR 2,096, GST included, paid when you book the appointment.

How long does a Germany visa take from India?

About 15 days on average once your file reaches the Consulate General in Mumbai, plus up to six working days of transport from other cities. Appointments are in high demand, so check the VFS site regularly and apply at least three weeks before you travel.

Do my documents need to be translated for a Germany visa?

Documents must be in German or English. Anything in another language needs a proper German or English translation, according to the German missions in India.

Which travel insurance is accepted for a Germany visa from India?

A policy with at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid in all Schengen countries for the whole trip. An Indian policy must come from an insurer on the list approved by the Schengen consulates in India, published by the German missions.

What is the Germany visa refusal rate in India?

In 2025, 10.5% of decisions by the German missions in India were refusals, according to the European Commission: 136,674 visas issued for 153,179 applications. The average for all Schengen consulates worldwide is 14.6%.

Primary sources

Other visa pages

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