As a rule, all foreigners require visas for stays of more than three months or stays leading to gainful employment. Exemptions apply to EU and EEA (European Economic Area) citizens and Swiss nationals.

Furthermore, citizens of Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America may obtain any residence permit that may be required after entering Germany. Citizens of all other countries planning a longer stay in Germany must apply for visas at the competent mission before arriving in the country. Such visa applications must be approved by the relevant foreigners authority in Germany, i.e. the foreigners authority in the place where the applicant intends to take up residence. If the approval of the foreigners authority is necessary before a visa can be issued, the procedure can take up to three months, in some cases longer, since the foreigners authority will often consult other authorities (e.g. the Federal Employment Agency). Missions may only issue visas once they have obtained the approval of the foreigners authority.

Visas entitling holders to take up gainful employment often do not require the approval of the foreigners authority, which speeds up the application process.

Preparing the application

You should start to prepare your application as soon as you are planning to stay for a longer period in Germany. Applications for visas entitling the holder to a longer stay or to take up gainful employment may take several months to process.

Please prepare your application as follows::

• Please fill out the online application form (in German or English with Latin letters), print it out, sign it and submit it along with the other documents. Please ensure that the barcode is printed in high quality.
  Alternatively, you can print out the application form below and fill it out by hand. Any false statements can lead to the application being rejected or to the annulment of a visa already granted. Visa application forms can be obtained from the relevant mission free of charge. They can also be downloaded .

• Necessary documents
  Please collect all necessary documents. Uncomplete documentation can be a reason for the application to be rejected.
  All applicants must provide the originals of all documents required, along with 1 copy. If necessary, documents have to be legalized and translated into German.
  Please find below a checklist for each type of visa.

Visa for family reunification

Visa for family reunification, joining your spouse who lives in Germany and is a German citizen

• Passport
  Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages, have been issued within the previous 10 years and the validity has to extend the duration of the visa you are applying for by at least 3 months
• Residence Permit
• A valid Bulgarian residence permit (lichna karta or long-term visa)
• Passport Photo
  One recent passport sized photograph with biometric criteria:
  3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, good contrast, light background (single-colored white or light grey), height of the face must be 32 mm - 36 mm from chin to hairline
  (photograhs can be purchased e.g. at the photo shop in Elemag Street right behind the Embassy)
• Application Form
  One fully completed visa application form for a long-term visa (in German or English)
• Marriage certificate (on a multilingual form according to the CIEC-agreement or depending on the country an apostille, legalization and certified translation into German might be necessary)
• Proof of valid health insurance in Germany
• Proof of place of residency of the partner in Germany, e.g. certificate of registration not older than 6 months
• Proof of A1 German language certificate (Goethe Institute)
• Informal written confirmation of the partner who lives in Germany, confirming the intention of a marital relationship

Visa for family reunification, joining your spouse who lives in Germany and who enjoys the Right of Free Movement

• Passport
  Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages, have been issued within the previous 10 years and the validity has to extend the duration of the visa you are applying for by at least 3 months
• Residence Permit
• A valid Bulgarian residence permit (lichna karta or long-term visa)
• Passport Photo
  One recent passport sized photograph with biometric criteria:
  3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, good contrast, light background (single-colored white or light grey), height of the face must be 32 mm - 36 mm from chin to hairline
  (photograhs can be purchased e.g. at the photo shop in Elemag Street right behind the Embassy)
• Application Form
  One fully completed visa application form for a long-term visa (in German or English)
• Marriage certificate (on a multilingual form according to the CIEC-agreement or depending on the country an apostille, legalization and certified translation into German might be necessary)
• Proof of valid health insurance in Germany
• Proof of place of residency of the partner in Germany, e.g. certificate of registration not older than 6 months

Visa for family reunification, joinng your spouse who lives in Germany and is a non-EU citizen

• Passport
  Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages, have been issued within the previous 10 years and the validity has to extend the duration of the visa you are applying for by at least 3 months
• Residence Permit
• A valid Bulgarian residence permit (lichna karta or long-term visa)
• Passport Photo
  One recent passport sized photograph with biometric criteria:
  3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, good contrast, light background (single-colored white or light grey), height of the face must be 32 mm - 36 mm from chin to hairline
  (photograhs can be purchased e.g. at the photo shop in Elemag Street right behind the Embassy)
• Application Form
  One fully completed visa application form for a long-term visa (in German or English)
• Marriage certificate (on a multilingual form according to the CIEC-agreement or depending on the country an apostille, legalization and certified translation into German might be necessary)

• Proof of valid health insurance in Germany

• Proof of place of residency of the partner in Germany, e.g. certificate of registration not older than 6 months

• Copy of the residence permit of the spouse living in Germany

• Proof of A1 German language certificate (Goethe Institute)

• Informal written confirmation of the partner who lives in Germany, confirming the intention of a marital relationship

• Contract of employment, business registration or trade register excerpt of the spouse living in Germany

• Proof of stable source of income, e.g. wage statement/payslip, tax assessment, proof of other sources of income

• Copy of rental Agreement
  

Visa for Students, University Applicants and Language Course Participants

All applicants must provide the originals of all documents required, along with one copy. Depending on the country where the document has been issued, legalization or an apostille might be needed. Foreign-language documents must include a German Translation.

• Passport
  Your passport must have at least 2 blank pages, have been issued within the previous 10 years and the validity has to extend the duration of the visa you are applying for by at least 3 months
• Residence Permit
  A valid Bulgarian residence permit (lichna karta or long-term visa)
• Passport Photo
  One recent passport sized photograph with biometric criteria:
  3,5 cm x 4,5 cm, good contrast, light background (single-colored white or light grey), height of the face must be 32 mm - 36 mm from chin to hairline
  (photographs can be purchased e.g. at the photo shop in Elemag Street right behind the Embassy)
• Application Form
  One fully completed visa application form for a long-term visa (in German or English)
• certificate of admission or confirmation of application *
• educational certificates qualifying applicate for admission to university
• proof of educational background, that qualifies to commence academic studies (e.g. school graduation diploma, university diploma or if applicable study certificates)
• proof of German language skills (where applicable registration certificate for intensive language course in Germany) **
• proof of sufficient financial means for the first year (the monthly minimum is the standard rate laid down by the BAföG, as of 1^st September 2024 992.00 Euro per month)

* University Applicants

- If you haven't yet applied to a university in Germany, but would like to inform yourself about possible local study options, you should apply for a visa for university applicants sufficiently in advance to your planned departure date. Alternately to the confirmation of application, please indicate your preferred place of study in the visa application form.

- After the enrollment has taken place, the visa can be renewed or converted into a residence permit by the locally competent foreigners' registration office (Ausländerbehörde) during your stay in Germany.

- If the admission to study is denied, you are obligated to leave the country upon expiration of your visa.

** Language Course Participants

- If you solely intend to attend a long-term intensive language course (more than three months, not less than 18 class hours per week), you need to submit a registration certificate from the language course institute, proof of health insurance cover for the period of your stay and a letter of motivation. (The documents listed at the top of this page are not required).

- If you intend to study in Germany immediately subsequent to your language course, please indicate this in your visa application. If all the requirements are met, a visa for university applicants and students can be granted which entitles participation in a language course as well for study purposes.

- Visas for language course participants will initially be issued for a period of three months and can be renewed or converted to a residence permit by the locally competent foreigners' registration office (Ausländerbehörde) during your stay in Germany. You are obligated to leave the country upon expiration of your visa.

Choice of Proof of Sufficient Financial Means:

• Deposit of a security on a blocked account in Germany, from which only 1/12 of the deposited amount can be paid out every month (minimum coverage: 11,904.00 €).

  You can find more information about opening a blocked bank account here.

• Proof of an adequate scholarship sponsored by German public funds or a scholarship provided by an organisation that awards financial support to individuals, which is well-recognized in Germany. Also possible is a scholarship sponsored by public funds of the country of residence, providing the Deutsche Akademische Austauschdienst (DAAD) or another German organisation that awards financial support to individuals was responsible for the mediation of the German university.
• Declaration of commitment by a third person before a German foreigners registration office (Ausländerbehörde) according to §§ 66-68 AufenthG (including a credit check) covering the entire duration of the stay.
• Presentation of the income and assets of the parents, for example a notarially certified confirmation of cost coverage in the amount of at least 992.00 € per month for the entire duration of the stay and a bank reference showing a credite of at least 11,904.00 € or a corresponding amount in another currency (in this case, the counter-value in Euros must be stated in your bank attestation).

Working in Germany – Entry visa

Non-EU-citizens could apply for an entry visa to work in Germany in a profession they are qualified for. The residence permit is issued by the competent authority for foreigners (so-called Ausländerbehörde or Ausländeramt) in Germany, but you have to apply for the entry visa with the Embassy beforehand.

General information regarding work as a foreigner in Germany you will find under www.make-it-in-germany.com.

The following documents are required to apply for the entry visa:

• binding offer for a work contract or a valid work contract with a company in Germany for at least one year
• filled-in form according to Anlage 2 AH or Anlage 6 AH
• C.V. (in German or English)
• German professional diploma or university degree or acknowledged* foreign diploma/degree (with German translation and - if applicable - legalized or with apostille)
• proof of sufficient knowledge of the German language (min. A2 or B1 according to the European Reference Framework and dependent on the profession to be executed)
• if applicable (only necessary for certain regulated professions), an authorization to execute a certain profession (so-called “Berufsausübungserlaubnis”)
• in case that you are 45 years or older when starting work in Germany: proof of adequate pensions  (either a minimum gross salary of 4,015.-- € monthly or 48,180.-- € per year or other proof)

*Provide a decision of the competent authority for the acknowledgment of foreign diplomas/degrees (so-called “Bescheid der zuständigen Anerkennungsstelle”). For advice, please consult www.anerkennung-in-deutschland.de in the internet, call the hotline „Arbeiten und Leben in Deutschland“ under +49-30-1815-1111 or contact the “Zentrale Servicestelle Berufsanerkennung” (briefly ZSBA). Should the profession you plan to execute in Germany be a so-called regulated profession requiring a university degree, you may consult the database ANABIN (http://anabin.kmk.org) to find out whether your foreign degree is acknowledged or not. In this case, you do not need to present a decision of the competent authority for the acknowledgment of foreign diplomas/degrees.

After the positive decision of your visa application, you have to prove sufficient health insurance coverage for the time between entering Germany and starting to work. The health insurance should be valid for all Schengen countries and have a minimum coverage of 30,000 €. 

• All other visa applicants are required to make an appointment!
  Visa appointments for the Embassy in Sofia can only be booked online with the German Foreign Office. To make an appointment online please visit their website: BOOK AN APPOINTMENT
  Please note that the appointments offered on this system are the earliest and the only appointments available. Due to a high demand there can be a waiting period for appointments. Therefore we are unable to offer you a short term appointment. We ask you to make an appointment as early as possible (and not earlier than three months before your travel date).
  Before booking an appointment, please read carefully all information. Uncomplete applications must be rejected, and a new appointment is required.
  It is not possible to book an appointment just for information without application.

Appointment for application

As a rule, applicants must submit visa applications, together with all necessary documents, in person at the German mission responsible for their place of residence. In order to avoid time‑consuming requests for additional information or documentation, applicants should consult the website of the respective mission well in advance of their departure date to find out about the visa procedure and about the documentation which has to be submitted.

Please be on time to avoid any delays. You will submit your application, answer questions about your travel plans, leave your finger prints and pay the fee (75 €, to be paid in bulgarian Leva). More information about the fees you can find here.

Process of the visa application

Applications for visas entitling the holder to a longer stay or to take up gainful employment may take several months to process. When applying each application is given a registry number. With this number, the applicant, his/her legal guard or a Person duely entitled by him can inquire for information about the procedure.

Passport pick-up

Once the decision has been made you can come and pick up your passport during the opening hours for that purpose.

Should a visa application be rejected, the applicant will be informed of the main reasons for the rejection. Every applicant is entitled to take legal recourse against the mission’s decision.

It is also always possible to submit a new application with complete documents.

Enjoy your trip! Some information for visa holders

Please check upon picking up your passport, if all data on your visa sticker are correct. You will find your complete name, your passport number and your photo. The visa also contains the period of validity (this is the time within which you should have got your national residence permit). Therefore, please do not forget to contact the foreigner's autority upon your arrival in Germany. With the national visa you can travel within the Schengen Area.

The National Visa does not automatically entitle to enter the Schengen Space, though. The decision about your entry is made at the border by the Border Police. Possibly you will be asked to present next to your valid visa more documents proving the purpose and length of your stay as well as how you are going to finance it. You should also always have some proof of health insurance with you.

More Information you can find here (FAQ)

Please note: Although the information on this website has been prepared with utmost care, we cannot accept any responsiblity for inaccuracies contained herein. Please be advised that in order to give specific advice on any visa application it is necessary to view all documents relevant to each case. Additional documentation may be requried in individual cases.