How to Apply for Germany Schengen Visa at New York’s German Consulate

Germany Schengen Visa from New York

In the year 2016 alone, Germany received about 2 million visa applications, making it the most visited country after France. Out of which, more than 3000 applications came only from New York.

Germany Schengen visa applications Statistics

German consulates have a high rejection rate when it comes to approving Schengen visa applications (more than 6%). This makes it difficult to get yourself a German Schengen visa if you’re not properly prepared.

Germany Visa Statistics for NY

But don’t worry. If you’re planning a short trip to Germany, i.e. less than 90 days, then you have landed at the right place. This guide will take you through the entire process of getting a German Schengen visa from New York.

Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price. 

Steps involved in getting yourself a German Schengen visa

  • Find out whether you really need a visa to visit Germany?
  • Can you apply for the visa from the German consulate in New York?
  • If you can, then you will need to schedule an appointment online. ( Get Schengen visa appointment  for $ 10 )
  • Keep all the documents required for visa ready.
  • Initiate the visa approval by attending the interview.

Book Germany Visa Appointment at $10

Find each of these steps explained in detail below.

Will you need a short-stay Schengen visa to visit Germany?

Your nationality is the sole factor that determines whether or not you need a Schengen visa to visit Germany. Many countries make it mandatory to apply for a visa if you are visiting Germany. If your country is listed in all the countries that mandate a Schengen visa, then you will need to apply for one.

Can you apply for it from the German embassy in New York?

You can only apply for a Germany Schengen visa if you are a permanent resident of one of the following states in the US.

  • North Dakota
  • South Dakota
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Iowa
  • Kentucky
  • Michigan
  • Ohio
  • Nebraska
  • Missouri
  • Wisconsin

Will a US Permanent Resident need a Schengen visa to visit Germany?

Unfortunately, yes. If you are a former Green Card holder or a US Permanent Resident, you will mandatorily need a Germany Schengen visa for your travel. Along with this, your permanent residency permit should also be valid for at least 3 months from the date of your return from Germany.

But don’t get worried. The steps further will give you a detailed explanation of what you need to do to get your Germany Schengen visa.

Can you apply for your Germany Schengen visa at the consulate if you are a B1/B2 visa holder?

In this case, you cannot apply for a Germany Schengen visa at the consulate in New York. You will need to get your visa from your own country.

Are you certain that you can get your visa from the German Consulate?

If you are mainly traveling to Germany on your trip, then you can get your Schengen visa approved from the German consulate. However, if most of your travel time is spent in other Schengen countries like France or Italy, you will need to get your Schengen visa from the consulate of that country. The image below will help you understand this better.

where-to-apply-for-Schengen-visa

How to get an appointment with the German consulate for your Germany Schengen visa?

German consulates in the USA don’t allow walk-in. You will need to get an appointment first. This is the only way you can start the application process for your Germany Schengen visa.

You also need to note that you cannot apply for the visa more than 90 days before your journey to Germany. But this doesn’t mean that you delay the application for the visa until the last week before your travel. Plan well and have at least a month in hand so that you are not in a rush to get your visa approved in the last minute.

To book an appointment, you will need to visit the official German consulate website and select “New York” from the list.

Schedule an appointment for Schengen visa

Once you click on it, you will be taken to the official website of the German Consulate in New York. You can not only find the address to the consulate here, but you can also book your appointment for your German Schengen visa.

New York german consulate website

Once you enter this website, scroll down and click on “Appointments for Legal and Consular Matters“. You will be taken to the appointments page. After this, you will need to scroll down and click on “Appointment System“. A new page pops up where you can read and understand the process of booking an appointment with the German consulate in New York.

Scroll down, and this is what you’ll find.

NY visa application procedure 1

Click on “Continue” to start booking your appointment with the German consulate.

NY visa application procedure 2

Click on “Continue” under Schengen Visa on this page.

NY visa application procedure 3

This page is just a confirmation of whether you are on the right track. Click on “Continue” once again.

NY visa application procedure captcha

Enter the characters that you see in the image in the box given. You can even load another picture in case the one given to you is not very clear.(Please note that the image in this article is only an example, you may not receive the same captcha while you book your appointment.)

Once you have entered your captcha, click on “Continue“. You will be taken to a page where you have a list of dates that are available for you to book an appointment on. These dates are visible in the dd.mm.yyyy format.

NY visa application procedure dates

Pick any date suitable for you and click on “Appointments are available” next to that date. After this, you will be taken to another page with a captcha. Enter the text required and click on “Continue“.

NY visa application procedure dates 2

The page should look similar to the image above. Pick the time slot suitable for you and click on the link across it. The page redirects to a form that you will need to fill.

NY visa application procedure form

Fill in this form and enter the captcha code on the page in the box and then click on “Submit“. This completes the process of getting an appointment at the consulate for your German Schengen visa.

After this, you will need to fill in another form, which is the Application form of the German Schengen visa. Fill it preferably on a computer, and print it out.

What are all the documents you need for your German Schengen visa?

Here is a list of all the documents required to be taken to your interview for the Germany Schengen visa. Ensure that you keep them all in place and ready for the interview.

  • Your original passport
  • Your valid and original Alien Registration card, or Green Card, or Residence Permit
  • A photograph (passport-sized)
  • A printed and signed copy of the application form for the visa
  • Cover letter for your travel
  • Travel itinerary and proof of hotel accommodation
  • Travel health insurance
  • Sustenance proof

[media-downloader media_id=”1578″ image_url=”https://travelvisabookings.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/download_ebook.jpg”]

Find a detailed explanation of what you need with each document below.

Passport: You will have to carry your original passport to the consulate on the day of your interview. Ensure that the issue date of your passport is not more than 10 years before the day of your interview. Along with that, the validity of your passport should be at least 3 months from your return date from Germany. Keep 2 pages of the passport empty for the stamps required.

Residence Permit: You will need to carry your original Alien Registration card or your Residence Permit. Ensure that the validity is at least 3 months from the date of your return from Germany.

Photograph: Carry a recent photograph of yourself. It should be passport-sized with a clear front face view and a light background. Ensure that you have pasted this onto your visa application form. Avoid stapling it as it can create holes in the photograph and the form.

Cover Letter: This is one of the most important documents required during your interview for your Germany Schengen visa. It should clearly explain your purpose of visiting Germany and also include your travel itinerary. You can also mention the list of all the documents you are submitting along with the application form in the cover letter.

schengen visa cover letter

Flight Itinerary: This document should have your round trip details to and from Germany.
What is flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate ?

Of course, in fact all the embassies mention the same. We have added links to the official visa pages which you can verify.

France Consulate

Your travel itinerary : you MUST BOOK your airline ticket but do not purchase until the visa has been approved.

Spain consulate

We recommend that you do not purchase travel tickets until your visa has been approved. On the other hand, you may provide us with a reservation, a planned itinerary or an online printout of a roundtrip ticket.

Netherland consulate

Travel reservation to and from schengen area, not a ticket. Note: Make travel reservation which you can cancel

Germany consulate

Flight (roundtrip)/travel reservations and full itinerary (if several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries) with the name of passenger and one copy

Italy consulate

Round trip ticket/reservation, originating in this jurisdiction to Europe (and ultimately to Italy) and back, including internal entry and exit points of travel i.e. EURORAIL tickets, car rental, internal flights. The names on reservations have to reflect the names on passports.

We can provide you with flight itineraries which is accepted by not only for Schengen visa but for all visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa etc.

In fact the European union visa requirements for visa states the same.

As per the official document,

Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state.Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected.

That is why we have 100% visa acceptance rate although some of our customer have been requested to provide “additional documents”,none of their visa has been rejected for providing fake documents.

With 80% of our customers being return customers or companies which process visas for their employees/clients, our approach is the best approach if you want to ensure the safety of your visa.

This is our orders screen for this month. Most of the orders have been placed by repeat customers.

travelvisabooking orders

The best part about our service is along with getting a flight reservation without payment, you can also get confirmed hotel bookings, personal cover letter, leave/no objection letter for your visa consulates.

Hotel Accommodations: You will need to show a documented proof of your hotel reservations as well.

Travel Health Insurance: While you are traveling to Germany, it is necessary that you are covered in case you have a medical emergency. For this, you will need to show a proof of your travel health insurance. This insurance needs to be valid in all of the Schengen countries and not just in Germany. Click on the link below to understand this better.

Get more details on travel health insurance

Sustenance Proof: You can provide this proof by showing your bank statements, credit card statements, and travel cards.

Along with all of these documents, you will need a couple more depending on whether you are employed, a student, or a retired personnel.

Employees: If you have a job in the US, carry your employment contract, an approved leave application, and an Income Tax Returns document.

Self-Employed: If you are self-employed, bring your company bank statements, your business license, and an Income Tax Returns document.

Retired: Pension statement for the previous 6 months.

Student: A letter from your university along with a valid I-20 document.

The interview day at the German Consulate to get your Germany Schengen visa

You will need to reach the consulate on time on the day of your interview. The consulate will not process your Germany Schengen visa application if you are late for more than 10 minutes.

At the consulate, your appointment letter will first be verified and you will receive a token. After this, you will be asked to submit your application form. Keep all of your documents in place and ensure that you have signed your application form.

All of the details related to your visa application will be entered into an online system of the consulate and a printed version of the same will be given to you. Take a look at it to verify if all the information entered is correct. After this, you will need to make the payment for your visa. You will get a receipt for the payment. Keep this handy as you will need to show this when collecting your visa.

The consulate will then collect your biometrics. This will not take more than 10 minutes. After this, you are done with your visa application procedure.

Should you really fook your flight and hotel accommodations before you apply for your visa?

Ideally, no. Although you have to show these details to the consulate to process your visa, it is better to avoid making these bookings before your visa gets approved. With Germany’s high rejection rates on visa applications, there are chances that the consulate can reject your visa application, in the case of which, you might lose a lot of money.

But you can alternatively opt for temporary flight and hotel bookings. You can get these temporary bookings from Travel visa bookings. This is sure to increase your chances of getting your visa approved. And you can even make these your permanent travel itinerary and hotel accommodations for your travel later.

Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa appointment?

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Why take temporary travel bookings from Travel Visa Bookings?

Travel Visa Bookings has processed more than 100000 orders in just a span of 5 years. Along with this, the services offered are extremely affordable. Not only do you get temporary travel bookings, but you can also get your cover letter written and also increase the changes of getting your application for a Germany Schengen visa approved.

What are the prices you will need to pay for your Germany Schengen visa?

Schengen Visa Types and Costs

The image above gives you the total cost you will incur depending on the type of your stay. However, if you are traveling for less than 90 days, i.e. you need a visa for a short-stay, then the image below will give you a proper picture. It also includes the costs of getting temporary travel bookings and travel health insurance for your trip.

Cost of Schengen Short Stay visa

Can you get your Germany Schengen visa from New York via Post?

No. You will need to personally visit the German consulate in New York, for which you will need to make your online appointment.

Can you carry a copy of your Passport or Residence Permit to the interview?

The consulate will not accept anything other than the original and valid copies of your Passport and the Residence Permit. The details of their validity have been mentioned in the Documents Required section above in the same article.

What if you are a 17-year old minor traveling to Germany?

If you are a minor, you will need to carry a consent letter signed by both your parents. Along with this, you will also need to present a copy of both your parents’ passport data pages.

But in case you are traveling with your parents, your parents will only need to carry your birth certificate. In case you are a single parent, also carry a family court order permitting the travel.

What if you don’t have an agreeable bank balance and your relative is sponsoring the trip for you?

Make sure that you carry a signed official affidavit of support to the interview to get you Germany Schengen visa approved. Your relative can find this document in any of the alien offices in their city of residence in Germany.

How long will the approval of your Germany Schengen visa take?

The processing of your visa application will take up to 15 days.

What is the validity of your visa?

Your Germany Schengen visa will only be valid for the dates mention in your travel itinerary. Which is why it is necessary that you have at least 5 to 10 days of buffer. This will allow you to visit all the places you want and you will not be in a rush to leave the country.

Germany Consulate in New York City

Telephone:

+1-212-610-97-00

Fax:

+1-212-940-04-02

Postal Address:

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany

871 United Nations Plaza

New York, NY 10017, USA.

Related articles on Germany Schengen Visa

Germany Schengen visa in 7 days

Schengen visa for US Residents

Personal cover letter/travel itinerary

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