Germany’s Foreign Office has announced that foreign citizens hoping to move to Germany can now submit their visa application documents online.

German visa applications now possible via online portal

Foreign nationals from countries without visa or freedom of movement agreements with Germany can now submit their German visa applications through an online portal.

According to the Federal Foreign Office, applications for 28 different German visas can be submitted via the new “Consular Services Portal”. Whether they are applying for a family reunification visa, student visa, Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) or EU Blue Card, applicants will follow a three-step process. 

First, candidates can upload their relevant documents and officials will check if the application is complete. Candidates with incomplete applications will be asked to submit further documents and those with complete applications will be invited to an in-person interview at their nearest foreigners’ office or one of Germany’s 167 embassies and consulates across the world.

At the in-person meeting, officials will confirm the candidate's identity, check original copies of the submitted documents and gather the biometric information needed for a residence permit, such as height and fingerprints. During the three-step process, candidates will be able to check the development of their application via the Consular Services Portal.

Government hopes online visas will soften worker shortage blow

Until now, anyone submitting a visa application from outside Germany had to post their forms and documents to the nearest German embassy or consulate. This meant lots of paperwork, potentially high postage costs and longer waiting times.

The outgoing German government hopes that the simplified system will bring more people to Germany who can help cushion the blow of the country’s record-high worker shortage. According to the Foreign Office, Germany needs to welcome 40.000 new skilled workers annually to keep its economy afloat.

“At times like these, as one of the biggest economies and as a modern country of immigration, we need a national visa process that is state-of-the-art – modern, digital and secure,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) wrote in a statement launching the Consular Services Portal. Baerbock called the new service a “real administrative revolution”. 

For more information head to the Consular Services Portal website.

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