Visa to Germany for Russians - 2021. How to get it yourself

Step-by-step instructions on how Russians can get a visa to Germany in 2021. What documents are needed, prices and nuances of self-registration. Find out why some tourists are denied visas.

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Attention: at the moment, during the pandemic, tourist visas are issued in exceptional cases. Read more about the conditions on the website of the German representative office.

What kind of visa is issued for a tourist trip

For a tourist trip to Germany, a Schengen visa is required. The easiest way to get a C1 visa, which is valid for 30 days. If you are planning more than one trip to a country or a difficult route across several EU countries, you need to apply for a multivisa for a longer period.

Step 1: Book your tickets

The package of documents for a visa to Germany is attached with tickets or their reservation there and back. The documents must be authentic. Those who are fond of photoshop, sooner or later will be denied a visa and will be blacklisted in the Schengen area.

Before purchasing tickets, carefully study the conditions for their return. As a rule, the cheapest options cannot be returned without losses. If you want to be on the safe side, buy a return ticket, for example, to Skyscanner or Aviasales and cancel it if necessary. So if you are denied a visa, you will lose less money. You can take tickets from airlines that refund money for tickets if a visa is refused, or take out cancellation insurance.

Step 2: Book your accommodation

Booking a hotel or private accommodation confirms the purpose of your trip - tourism, so look for accommodation in advance. If you are not sure if you will get a visa, look for hotels with a "free cancellation" option on Booking or on aggregator sites. Choose pay on check-in accommodation.

To stay in a private apartment or house, make a reservation on Airbnb. When making a reservation, be sure to enter the names and surnames in Latin, as in your passport.

Find out where to stay in Berlin.

Step 3: make copies of passports

To obtain a visa to Germany, you must make a copy of the page with a photo and personal information from your passport. In addition, you need to have copies of all non-blank pages of a civil passport, pages on the issuance of other passports and a copy of page 14, even if it is blank. When copying, place 2 spreads per sheet.

Step 4: buy insurance

Take out health insurance with coverage from 30,000 euros. It is important that the policy is valid throughout the entire Schengen area. It is more convenient and cheaper to take out insurance online on the Cherehapa website. You can also buy a policy at visa centers and offices of insurance companies.

Step 5: Get help from work

The document that confirms your employment is a certificate on letterhead with the seal and signatures of the director and chief accountant. Ask for your job title, date of employment, monthly income, and vacation time.

Individual entrepreneurs attach certificates 2NDFL or 3NDFL, the original and a copy of the certificate of registration of the individual entrepreneur.

Pensioners need the original and a copy of the pension certificate, and students of universities and schools - certificates from the educational institution with the seal and signature of its head.

Step 6: Get a bank statement

To obtain a visa to Germany in 2021, you must attach a bank statement on the movement of your personal account for the last 3 months. The document must be wet-stamped. In favor of financial well-being, the original and a copy of the savings book, as well as certificates of ownership of real estate, speak.

For those who do not work, you need to prepare a letter from a sponsor who is ready to pay for your trip, and a certificate from his place of work. In the Schengen countries, they are more loyal to letters from the applicant's closest relatives - husband, parents and adult children

Step 7: Take a photo

Prepare two fresh 4.5 x 3.5 cm color photos. Your portrait should have a solid white or light background. Corners, frames, ovals and traces of retouching are unacceptable. For official documents, they are photographed with a serious expression on their face, without a headdress and glasses.

Step 8: fill out the form

The form is filled out online on the website of the visa center. Be careful! The Germans are pedants. They require that the information in the questionnaire completely coincide with the information in your documents. A detailed guide on how to fill out the questionnaire is available on the website.

Make your entries in Latin! If you were born in the USSR, indicate the country where your place of birth is now located. When everything is ready, print out the questionnaire and put your signatures in three places.

Ekaterina: "Unexpectedly for myself, I received a Schengen for a year. When I was filling out the form, I simply wrote off a multi, a year, 90 days from the sample. I thought I would get it by the date anyway. As a result, in 4 days I get a passport, and there ... a pleasant surprise." ...