What the Germany visa is
Germany is in the Schengen area, so what you apply for is a Schengen short stay visa, Type C, allowing up to 90 days of stay within any 180 day period. It covers tourism, business, trade fairs, conferences, and visiting family and friends.
The visa you receive is not a Germany only visa. Once issued it lets you travel anywhere in the 29 country Schengen area. What makes it a German application is where your trip is centred, not where you would like the sticker from.
That distinction matters, because the application goes to the country where you will spend the most nights, or where the nights are split evenly, the country you enter first. Nine nights in Munich and three in Prague is a German application. Four nights in Berlin and ten in Rome is an Italian one, even if you fly into Frankfurt. We work this out from your itinerary before anything is booked. See the full Schengen requirements and how the 90/180 rule works.
The visa fee is EUR 90 for adults. You cannot work in Germany on this visa.
Who needs one
- Thai nationals travelling to Germany for any purpose.
- Foreigners living in Thailand whose nationality is not visa exempt for the Schengen area. The exemption follows your passport, not your Thai residence.
- Business travellers attending Germany's very heavy calendar of trade fairs and conferences, where an invitation from the German company carries real weight.
- Anyone visiting relatives in Germany, where a formal invitation and their status documents form part of the file.
- Anyone on a multi country European trip where most of the nights fall in Germany.
Germany is one of the busiest Schengen missions in Thailand, and in high season the appointment supply is the constraint rather than the paperwork. People lose trips not because their documents were weak but because the search for a slot started four weeks before the flight. We check current availability at the outset and work backwards from your travel date, so you know immediately whether your plan is realistic.
Documents required
Germany applies the standard Schengen checklist, and applies it strictly. What matters as much as having each document is that they agree with each other: the flight booking, the hotel booking, the leave letter and the itinerary all have to line up. We check them against each other before anything is submitted.
Everyone
- Passport valid at least three months beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages.
- Biometric photograph to the current specification.
- Completed application form.
- Travel insurance with at least EUR 30,000 of medical and repatriation cover, valid across the Schengen area for the whole trip.
- Bank statements showing you can fund the trip.
- Accommodation booked for every night, or an invitation from your host.
- Flight reservation and a day by day itinerary that matches it.
Proof of occupation
- Employees. Employment certificate and a leave letter approving the exact dates of the trip.
- Business owners. Company registration documents and evidence the business is trading.
- Students. Enrolment certificate and the academic calendar showing the trip falls in a break.
- Retired applicants. Pension slips or statements showing income after retirement.
- No standard certificate available. A written explanation of your occupation and income, usually alongside a financial supporter's documents. We prepare this with you.
Additional
- For a trade fair or business trip: the invitation or registration from the fair or the German company, which makes the purpose immediately clear.
- Where you are visiting family or friends: an invitation letter with a copy of their ID, residence permit or visa.
- For children under 18: birth certificate, parental consent where the child travels alone or with one parent, and copies of both parents' ID.
- For foreign residents of Thailand, your Thai visa and residence documents.
Financial requirements
Germany publishes no minimum balance. What is assessed is whether your statements show funds that comfortably carry the itinerary you have submitted and sit consistently with the income you have declared.
A balance that appeared shortly before the application invites questions unless its source is documented. A large recent deposit is not a problem in itself; we tell you exactly what will evidence where it came from.
If a supporter in Germany or Thailand is funding the trip, their financial documents can be used in place of yours, with the relationship and their status documented. Where a German company is covering a business trip, their letter does part of this work.
What this costs
- Our fee: 4,500 THB. This covers confirming Germany is the correct mission, document preparation, the forms, the insurance, the appointment, submission and follow up through to the decision.
- Visa fee: EUR 90 for adults, EUR 45 for children aged 6 to 11, free for children under 6. Paid separately, along with the visa centre service charge.
- Travel insurance to the EUR 30,000 specification, which we arrange, is charged at cost.
The visa fee is not refundable if you are refused.
How we help
You are not buying information, you are buying execution. We start by confirming that Germany is genuinely where your application belongs, because an otherwise good file lodged at the wrong mission is the most avoidable refusal there is. We check current appointment availability against your flight date and tell you straight away whether the timing works. Then we give you one document list built for your circumstances rather than the full checklist, complete the application, write the cover letter, build the itinerary so it matches your bookings exactly, arrange the EUR 30,000 insurance, and review your bank statements before they go anywhere near the embassy, so an unexplained deposit or a leave letter that stops short of your return date is caught here. Where a German company or a relative is inviting you, we contact them directly with an exact list so it is settled in one exchange. We secure the appointment, handle the submission, brief you on the questions so you are not meeting them cold, prepare any follow up the embassy asks for, and check the visa sticker when your passport comes back so an error is found in Bangkok rather than at the airport.
FAQ
1. Is a German visa different from a Schengen visa?
No. Germany issues a Schengen visa, valid across all 29 member states. It is a German application because Germany is your main destination, not because the visa is limited to Germany.
2. I am flying into Frankfurt but touring Italy. Is that still German?
No, if most of your nights are in Italy. A transit airport does not decide it. Send us the itinerary and we will confirm which mission your application belongs to.
3. How far ahead should I start?
Six to eight weeks is comfortable, and longer in high season. Germany's appointment queue is the usual bottleneck, and it moves independently of how good your file is, so the earlier we check availability the more options you have.
4. How much money should I show?
There is no published figure. The balance needs to be credible for your itinerary, consistent with your declared income, and any large recent deposit should be documented. Send us your statements and we will tell you what else would help.
5. I am attending a trade fair. Does that change anything?
It strengthens the application when it is documented. An invitation or registration from the fair or the German company, alongside your employment evidence, makes the purpose of the trip immediately clear.
6. Do I have to buy flights first?
No. A reservation is what is needed at application stage, and we arrange one. Wait for the visa before buying anything non refundable.
7. Do I need to attend in person?
Yes, to give fingerprints and a photograph, unless your biometrics were taken for a Schengen visa within the last 59 months. We arrange the appointment and tell you exactly what to bring.
8. Can I get a multiple entry visa?
They exist, and are more likely for applicants with a record of previous Schengen visas used correctly. First time applicants usually receive a single entry visa matched to the trip. We will tell you what suits your history.
9. I am a foreigner living in Thailand. Can I apply from here?
Yes, with legal long stay status. Your Thai visa, your work or business here and your local address explain why Thailand is your base, and we build them into the file from the start.
10. What if I was refused before?
Send us the refusal letter. The codes state precisely which requirement was not established. No one can promise an outcome, but we build the new file around evidencing that specific point.
11. Can I work in Germany on this visa?
No. Work is a long stay national visa under a different set of rules. Tell us if that is the goal and we will look at the right route.
Germany rewards an early start more than most Schengen missions. Send us your travel dates and your itinerary and we will tell you straight away what is realistic and what is needed for your case.
