The Schengen visa entitles the holder to stays of a maximum of 90 days per 180 days in the Schengen area.

Where to apply

If you are ordinarily resident in Ethiopia or Sudan and intend

• to travel only to Germany or
• to travel to Germany and other Schengen countries for different purposes, but the purpose of your stay in Germany is more important than the purpose of stay in the other Schengen countries or
• to travel to Germany and other Schengen countries for the same purpose, but you will spend more days in Germany than in each of the other Schengen countries or
• to travel to Germany and other Schengen countries for the same purpose and you will spend the same number of days in each country, but will first enter the Schengen Area in Germany,

you may submit your Schengen visa application to the German Embassy in Addis Ababa. If the above-mentioned conditions are not fulfilled, your visa application will not be accepted.

If you are ordinarily resident in Djibouti, you may submit your visa application to the French Embassy in Djibouti (Boulevard du Maréchal Lyautey, P.B. 75, Tel.: +253 352503, www.ambafrance-dj.org).

Prepare application

Visa applications can be submitted at the earliest 6 months before the start of the journey.

Schengen visa applications must be submitted at least 45 days before travel. Since this is a standardized procedure, the Embassy has no influence on the length of the processing time.

Prepare your application documents as follows:

• Please complete the application form electronically and bring a printout of the form with you to your appointment. You can find the form for applying for a Schengen visa here: VIDEX short-term
• Please note that passport photos that do not comply with the specifications in the sample photo chart cannot be used: sample chart for passport photos
• Please compile the supporting documents for your application. Missing documents or proofs may lead to rejection of the application. We have compiled the appropriate checklist for you in German and English, depending on the purpose of your trip. Please find the checklists at the end of this page.

Submitting an application

In order to submit your application, you must appear in person at the Embassy. At your appointment, you will hand in the complete application documents and pay the fee. Your fingerprints will also be taken.

During processing

The Embassy will check whether your application meets the legal requirements and will decide on your application. According to the regulations of the European Visa Codex, processing takes 45 consecutive days. Please note that questions regarding the processing status cannot be answered during this time.

Return of the passport

As soon as a decision has been made on your application, you can collect your passport.
If your visa application has been rejected, this may be due to various reasons. We will state these reasons in a rejection letter. You can submit a new application at any time with complete, meaningful and verifiable documents.

Have a good journey! Advice for visa holders

If all the information on your visa label is correct, nothing stands in the way of your journey. Please check this as soon as you have your passport back in your hands. Please inform us immediately of any errors so that we can issue a new visa.

Your visa will show your full name, passport number and photograph. The period of validity of the visa is indicated. This is the period of time during which your trip can take place. You will also see the number of days you can stay. This is the maximum number of days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area during the validity period. We want to allow you some flexibility in your travel.

The granting of a Schengen visa does not constitute a right to enter the country. The final decision is made by the border police at the time of entry control into the Schengen area. It is possible that, in addition to your passport with the valid visa, the border police will also ask you to submit documents upon entry that provide information about your financial resources, the duration and purpose of your stay and health insurance cover. You should therefore take your visa application documents (including invitation from Germany, hotel reservation, travel health insurance) with you on your trip.

Complaints about the Schengen visa procedure

Schengen visa applicants can submit complaints about the behaviour of consular staff or the visa application process via the contact form. To do so, please select the recipient “Complaint about the Schengen visa procedure” in the contact form. Please note that complaints can only be submitted in German or English; we cannot investigate complaints in languages other than German or English. Please enter one of the following two variants in the “Subject” field of the contact form:

1. Complaint about behaviour of consulate staff
2. Complaint about the visa application process

Legal remedy

You can ask the visa officer to reconsider your visa application. This procedure is called remonstration and is free of charge. At the same time, you have the possibility to appeal against the rejection of your application and thus have it reviewed by the Administrative Court of Berlin. Remonstration and appeal are independent of each other. If you decide to remonstrate against the refusal first and the Embassy upholds the refusal, you will receive a remonstration decision. After that, you can also appeal against the remonstration decision.

For questions beyond the detailed information provided on the website, please contact the visa section via the contact form.