National visas are issued for long-term stays for a particular purpose. They are usually issued for 90 days. After entering Germany, visa holders must apply for a residence permit as a general rule.

The visa section of the Consulate General in Hongkong is responsible for your application if your habitual residence is in Hongkong or Macao.
Applicants from other places (e.g. Shenzhen) need to apply at their competent visa section https://china.diplo.de/cn-zh.
They cannot apply in Hongkong.

Preparing your application

You should start preparing your application as soon as you have plans to stay long-term in Germany. The entire visa application process can take several months.
Please prepare your application as follows*:

• Fill out the application form online on VIDEX.
  In any case, please print it, sign it and submit it along with the other documents. You can find the information on how to fill out the form online here.

Please compile the documents you need to submit with your application. If documents or supporting documents are missing, your application may be rejected. Photos must not have been altered by image editing programs.

We have prepared an information sheet for each type of visa:

1. Employment visa

2. Opportunity Card

*NEW: Apply for specific employment visa online:

You can also apply for your Blue Card EU visa, a opportunity card or a visa for qualified professionals (recognised academic or recognised qualified vocational training or with work experience or for conducting a qualification analysis) online via the Consular Services Portal.
After you have registered, filled in the application form and uploaded all required documents, your information and documents are going to be pre-checked.
An appointment at the German mission is still required for online applications. During the appointment, your identity will be checked, your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) will be recorded and the application fee will be collected.

APPLY NOW!

Please be informed that this registration requires a two-factor authentication to ensure more effective security for devices and data. The security code can only be sent to an email address, which is different from your login email address, and not to a mobile phone.

3. Student visa
(Opening a blocked bank account in Germany for students)

4. Exchange Student visa

5. Language course for preparation to study

6. Marriage visa

7. Family reunion visa

8. Language course visa

9. Research visa

10. Working Holiday visa

11. Self-employed freelancers visa

12. School attendance visa

• Please make an appointment to submit your application.
  
  Online appointment booking System
• Important Information for visa applicants on data protection.

Important information

Please do not send the Visa Section any documents unless requested to do so, particularly not before you have applied for a visa. We are not able to store such documents and will not know to which application they belong. Please always bring the complete documentation with you to your appointment.

Submitting your application

In order to submit your application, please attend your appointment at the Consulate General in person. Please hand in your complete documentation and pay the fee. The Consulate General will ask you questions about your planned trip and take your photograph and fingerprints.

What happens during processing?

The Consulate General will review your application and make a decision on whether or not to grant you a visa. To this end, it will check whether your application meets the legal requirements. Depending on the purpose of your trip, it can take up to three months to check your application. The Consulate General will contact you as soon as it has made a decision on your application. We hope you will understand that we are not able to answer any questions on the status of your application during this processing period. After that, enquiries are only answered if they are made by the applicant, his/her legal representative or another person authorised in writing by the applicant.

Return of your passport

As soon as the Consulate General has decided on your application, you can collect your passport on Mondays or Fridays between 8.30 AM and 9.00 AM, Wednesday: 03:00 – 03:30 pm. You should collect your passport in person.
There are various reasons why your visa application may be rejected. The reasons will be stated in the letter notifying you that your application has been rejected. These reasons are explained in the FAQ.
You are welcome to submit a new application at any time with complete, informative and verifiable documentation.

Have a good trip! Information for visa holders

If all the information on your visa label is correct, you are free to travel. Please check the information on the label as soon as your passport is returned to you. You should let us know immediately if there are any mistakes so that we can issue you a new visa.
Your visa will state your full name and passport number and include your photo. It will also state the number of days you can stay and the period of validity, that is, the time by which you must have received your residence permit for Germany.
Therefore, please do not forget to register at the residents registration office shortly after you arrive in Germany and to make an appointment with the foreigners authority. Your entry visa will allow you to travel within the Schengen area.