Visa Appointment Procedure

In order to apply for a visa at the German Embassy, you must schedule an appointment.

Visa applicants without appointment will have to wait for a free slot. The Embassy cannot guarantee that your application will be accepted the same day.

To make an appointment to apply for a visa, please call Abtran at 1-800 380-0088 (to pay using your credit card) or 1-900 776 4444 (calls cost $2.49 per minute). Opening hours for this line are 8.30 am to 8.30 pm Monday to Friday except for Christmas Day, December 26th, New Years Day and Good Friday. All appointments are handled by Abtran. This enables the visa section staff to concentrate fully on processing visa applications as quickly as possible.  All Lines will be closed on April 10th and 13th.


Once you have made an appointment, you will receive an e mail with your reference number, date and time. You will also receive information on what supporting documentation to include. It is recommended that you read the information carefully in order to be fully prepared for your application.

All applications must be submitted in person. Please note that appointments will automatically be cancelled if you are more that 30 minutes late.


If you have a complaint regarding this service only, please e-mail details to the following e-mail address which is for complains only: abtran%27%com,GerEmbWashcustomerservices

Please also consult our contact and opening hours page for opening hours and a list of public holidays that the Embassy observes. The Legal and Consular Department of the Embassy will be closed to the public on all of those days and appointments will not be set.

Please note:

Some premium numbers (1-900) are blocked by workplaces and also by some cell phone companies. We suggest that you contact your cell phone company to have the number unblocked. Alternatively, you may call the 1-800 number from most phones and pay via credit card.

At this time, holders of US travel documents issued as refugee travel documents do not require a visa to travel to Germany for tourism, transit or business. Please note that the document must be valid for at least four month upon arrival to Germany, this only encompasses Germany, as other countries of the Schengen agreement may require you to hold a visa. This may be subject to change, therefore check for changes on this website before each trip. As this exception may not be known to some airlines or immigration officers, we suggest you print this information and take it with you. The printout quotes the address of this website and the date, enabling you and others to verify the information and to check if the printout is up to date.

Holders of US travel documents issued as Permit to Reenter need a visa according to their nationality.

Visa Appointments

Washington DC Skyline, (c) iStockphoto.com/Jonathan Larsen