How to travel to Germany, today is trying to find out more and more of our compatriots. This country attracts with its unique history and culture, in addition, over the past decades there have been many Russians who have moved to permanent residence. So often the purpose of a trip to Germany is to meet relatives or friends. In this article we will tell you what documents are needed to go to this European country, as well as give tips on how to organize a trip.
Visa application
When deciding how to go to Germany, the majority is faced with the need to apply for a Schengen visa. Visas, which can be issued at the consulates of this country, are divided into several categories, as well as visas from other Schengen countries.
Category A and B include transit visas that are not in demand among our compatriots. A classic Schengen visa is a category C visa, which is used for tourism, business or other trips. You can issue it for a period of one to five years, but you can stay in it in the country for no more than three months in six months. There is also a category D visa. It is required for a long stay in the country. Most often for the purpose of work, study or for reunion with the family. This visa is the hardest to issue.
Purpose of the trip
The first thing to do before you go to Germany is to decide on the purpose of your trip. A business type of visa is required for meetings or negotiations, for example, when you go on a business trip on the instructions of your employer or as an independent entrepreneur. Pilots of international flights, drivers or drivers can apply for the same visa. Scientists and journalists who are invited to Germany can also get this visa, but usually for a period of not more than three months. For its design, it is necessary to have an extract from the German trade register or an invitation from the organization.
One of the most common visas among our compatriots is a tourist visa. It is suitable for those who go on a visit to friends or acquaintances, and also wants to visit the country directly for the purpose of tourism.
A transit visa can be obtained by travelers who are sent from one country that is not part of the Schengen zone to another, also not belonging to the Schengen. Citizens of Russia almost never get such visas.
Visas are also issued to attend various events. They can be scientific, creative or cultural. It is issued to representatives of twin cities, participants in exchange programs for schoolchildren or students, participants in sports or art festivals.
You can apply for a treatment visa, which is granted not only to the patient, but also to his accompanying. This necessarily requires an invitation from the German side, which indicates the clinic, the cost of treatment and confirmation of payment.
Through whom to get a visa
When deciding how to travel to Germany on your own from Russia, it is important to decide how you will apply for a visa. You can do this yourself through the German consulate in Russia. For example, the German Visa Application Center in Moscow at 31 Shabolovka, Building 5, is open on weekdays from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visa centers are also open in Kazan, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara and Saratov. In the German visa center in Moscow on Shabolovka, both standard and express examination are possible.
You can also contact a specialized company or travel company. If you resolve all issues through the consulate, you will not pay for the processing and collection of documents. In this case, all the paper will have to be obtained independently, which increases the likelihood of error. In addition, there is a risk of being in a long line for submitting documents.
It will be easier to apply for a visa through the passport and visa center. An employee will fill in all the documents for you, give the necessary advice. The probability of failure in this case is lower, but you will have to wait for a solution no less than with self-execution. Also, the visa center, in addition to the cost of the visa itself, will charge you a mandatory service fee.
It is believed that the easiest way - paperwork through a travel company or a special company. The main disadvantage is that for this you will definitely have to purchase a ticket, which is not always at your fingertips. In a specialized company, a visa will be issued without a paid tour, in addition, the chance to get a refusal is minimal. This is the fastest way to get Schengen, as employees work through established contacts with the consulate, some even promise to get a visa in just one day. In addition, experts will be engaged in the collection of documents, they will help even if you have previously been refused a Schengen visa.
Filling out an application
If you decide to independently apply for a visa to Germany, then one of the main stages is the meticulous filling in of the application form. The form can be found on the website of any consulate.
The main thing is to remember a few recommendations. Surname, name and patronymic should be filled out only in Latin letters in the same way as indicated in the passport. You need to fill in all the columns without exception. Accurately and clearly you need to specify the purpose of the trip - tourism, business trip, treatment.
It is important to monitor the accuracy of the information you provide. If false data is identified that could be the result of an error, a refusal will follow. The statement must be signed three times, the absence of even one signature is a very common mistake.
If you have any doubts about the correctness of the paperwork, it is best to turn to specialists for help. So you save your time and energy.
Required documents
Going from Moscow to Berlin or on another route to Germany, it is important for you to prove that you are going there for a specific purpose. Good reasons should be given for an indispensable return to Russia, to have sufficient financial resources and the necessary insurance. All this must be confirmed by documents for a visa to Germany.
Thus, the required paper can be divided into several parts. You need to confirm the identity and procedure for applying for a visa - for this you need an application, two photos, a passport and confirmation of payment of a visa fee.
The consulate also requires guarantees that the state will not have to spend money on you - a bank statement, confirmation of sponsorship, insurance. Confirmation of your return to your homeland can serve as documents for real estate, land, cars, a work book, a certificate of employment, documents from an educational institution, a certificate of a child. Everything that consular staff can consider to be good reasons for your return to Russia.
Documents confirming the purpose of your trip should also be submitted. In this case, it all depends on the type of visa you are applying for. If you are going on a business trip, then this may be an invitation to a conference, even business correspondence. Here's how to go to Germany to work. If you are going to a cultural or sports event, then an invitation from the organizers, if you study in Germany, then a certificate from the future place of study about the price and duration of the course.
When you decide how to go to Germany for treatment, you will need confirmation of your stay in the clinic, an agreement with a medical organization, and your hotel reservation.
For a tourist trip you will need a booked hotel for the entire stay and round-trip tickets.
Separately, it is worth staying on visas for minors. Among other documents, they will need the notarized consent of the parents to leave, translated into German, in the case when mom and dad themselves do not travel with a minor.
If the applicant is not a citizen of Russia, he will also have to prove the legality of his presence on the territory of the Russian Federation. For example, provide a copy of a residence permit or migration registration. Here's what you need to go to Germany.
Application
The crucial step is to apply to the German consulate. The application itself is submitted directly to the consulate with a full package of documents. There he is thoroughly checked and a verdict is issued. Please note that it is necessary to apply for a Schengen visa at the consulate that applies to the country of your main stay during the trip.
In most major Russian cities, service and visa centers at consulates are open today. They can be submitted by phone or even online, without being present in person.
In a travel company, specialists will help you fill out an application, or the agency staff will take over the whole thing. The easiest way is to apply through a specialized company. Its employees fill out all the paperwork themselves and collect the necessary documents. You just come for your passport, which already has a visa.
Payment
Service fees and visas must be paid. The consular fee for obtaining a Schengen visa to Germany is 35 euros (for the most common category C), that is, about 2500 rubles. In case of urgent consideration, the cost increases to 70 euros - about 5,000 rubles. Children under 6 years old are exempted from consular fees.
The service fee in the visa center, as a rule, is about 20 euros - almost 1,500 rubles. This includes filing an application and a full package of documents. Services for filling out a questionnaire, making photos, delivering a passport (if necessary) will need to be paid separately.
Please note that both fees in the event of a visa denial are not refundable.
Getting a visa
The timing of a visa can vary greatly. For example, through a specialized company or agency, you can receive documents in one day. When applying to the visa center, the period is increased to 5 business days if there is no long queue.
The consulate can last up to two weeks (especially in the tourist season). It is not recommended to submit documents before long weekends or holidays (for example, on Christmas Eve). In this case, you will receive a visa only after the end of all holidays.
When approving a visa, you will need to come for it yourself. If you draw up documents through a specialized center, it is possible to deliver your passport to a place convenient for you by courier. Other methods are possible - by mail or transport company.
If you have been denied a visa, do not despair right away. First you need to find out why it happened. Sometimes this happens due to the lack of a document or a single signature in a statement. Then it will be easy to fix. But if you were denied due to non-compliance with the visa regime, then it will be much more difficult to convince consulate employees of their reliability.
To correct the situation, you can make another attempt yourself or contact experienced specialists. In the second case, they will help you determine the reason for the refusal, make the necessary changes, and if necessary, help to complete the package of documents with everything necessary. Now you know how to travel to Germany on your own.
Invitation design
Obtaining permission to travel to relatives has its own characteristics. We will separately consider how to go to Germany by invitation. This is the so-called guest visa, which allows you to minimize the package of necessary documents.
An application for a guest visa at the consulate must be submitted in person. To do this, you must first make an appointment for an interview and appointment. Please note that if the consulate staff is overloaded, such a meeting may take place in a few months.
When visiting the consulate, you should have a full package of documents in your hands. This is an invitation to Germany (original and copy). In this document, a German citizen agrees to assume all obligations regarding the stay of a foreigner in the country. Such a document is considered valid for six months. It is necessary to indicate the data of the foreigner, the duration of his stay in the country, the exact address of his place of residence.
You will also need an application form on five pages, a passport with a copy of the first page. Please note that this document must have a validity period of more than three months and also have clean pages for stamps and seals. You will need a civil passport with information about the applicant, a certificate of your current place of employment (here you indicate the position, length of service, salary, vacation dates), two color photographs, a medical insurance policy, financial security guarantees (that is, a bank statement), guarantees of return to Russia , reserved return tickets, documents confirming payment of a visa fee.
Here is a list of the main papers that you will need. How to go to Germany on a visit is described in detail in this article. In some cases, consular staff may ask you to provide additional documents and certificates.
The cost of a guest visa is 35 euros. One way to get a guest visa is to go to Germany with friends you met online. In this case, everything is made out as an acquaintance with the future “bride” or “groom”. To do this, you need confirmation of friendships - to provide the consulate with Internet correspondence, letters, and checks for telephone calls.
What to see in Germany
Having figured out how to go to Germany as a tourist, you need to decide what you want to see there first. This country provides good event tourism options. For example, the world famous Oktoberfest beer festival, which all fans of this foamy drink dream of visiting at least once.
It will probably be easiest to get from Moscow to Berlin. In the capital of Germany you can see the local town hall, the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Cathedral, the Botanical Garden, the East Side Gallery, the Charlottenburg Palace, the Reichstag.
If you decide where to go in Germany for the first time, then choose between the main cultural centers of the country. For those who want to plunge into the culture of an unfamiliar country, there are many directions. About two thousand various museums are open here. The most famous and interesting of them are the Pinakothek in Munich, the Dresden Picture Gallery, and the museum-palaces (Sanssouci in Potsdam, Zwinger in Dresden).
You should definitely go on excursions to Bavarian castles. They can be visited on their own or as part of an excursion group. For example, you must definitely see the famous Neuschwanstein Castle, which was built on a tall rock by King Ludwig. It offers a magnificent view of the amazing lake, which became the prototype of Swan Lake in Tchaikovsky's ballet. The image of this castle was taken as a basis by Disney when creating its logo.
If you decide where to go in Germany in the summer, you should always remember that here you can not only relax, but also heal. There are balneological resorts on the territory of Baden-Württemberg. These are healing thermal springs that strike directly from the ground. Ever since the days of Ancient Rome they have been used for recreational purposes. Immediately you can immerse yourself in an amazing atmosphere of comfort and tranquility, walking through the well-groomed parks and gardens, go to a luxury casino or make a bet at the hippodrome. In the clinics in which the best European doctors work, they will offer you advanced methods of healing and rejuvenation.
In winter, you should visit the German ski resorts. For example, the legendary Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which was the capital of the Winter Olympic Games, regularly hosts world and European championships in figure skating and skiing. On the slopes it will be comfortable for both beginners and professionals. In addition to rapid descents, here are some of the most popular centers for entertaining young people.