Germany Consulate General in Boston – Ultimate Visa Guide for US Residents

Introduction

If you’re a permanent citizen of the USA, then you don’t need to either apply for or acquire a short-term visa for purpose of entry in Germany. Contrary to that, if you want to extend your stay for more than 90 days, then you will apply for German Residence Permit in Germany Consulate General Boston.

Likewise, if you’re not a permanent resident of the USA, then you have to apply for a short-term visa or long-term visa depending on your number of days of stay in the country.

Germany at a glance

Germany—European economic engine—is located in Western Europe and possesses over 2 millennia of history. Berlin, its capital, is home to art and nightlife scenes, the Brandenburg Gate and many sites relating to WWII.

Germany’s passport is third strongest in the world whereas over 35.6 million tourists thronged the country in 2018 only.

Schengen Area

Schengen Area covers 26 European states. The adherents to the Schengen Agreement have dissolved their national borders in favor of a uniform border allowing their citizen to travel visa-free throughout the Schengen territory.

What is Schengen Visa?

It is up to 90-day short-stay visa which allows its holder to circulate in the Schengen Area. The Schengen Visa is valid in 26 countries of Europe. These countries are:

Austria, the Czech Republic, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Estonia, France, Greece, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Sweden, Spain, and Switzerland.

Who can apply for a Germany Visa from within the US?

If you reside in the USA and don’t enjoy permanent residency, then you would apply for German visa in German Consulate General Boston whether you intend to stay for up to 90 days or more.

If you enjoy the luxury of the permanent citizenship in the United States of America, then you are not required to apply for the visa if the intention of staying in the Schengen territory is for up to 90 days. But if your stay exceeds 90-day limit, then you are required to apply for German Residency Permit in German Consulate General Boston.

The itinerant has to renew the passport in case of expiry.

When to apply for a German Schengen Visa?

The itinerant will apply for Germany Visa in the following cases:

• The itinerant wants to visit Germany only
• The itinerant wants to stay more in Germany (main destination)
• The itinerant aims to enter Germany first

When to apply for the Germany Residency Permit?

As stated on a number of occasions above, you will apply for German Residence Permit if he/she aims to stay for an over 90-day period in the Western European country.

Jurisdiction of Germany Consulate General Boston

The Germany Consulate General Boston covers the following states:

Connecticut (except Fairfield County), Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Step One: Make an Online Appointment

In the beginning, the applicant will forward an electronic mail at the digital address of Germany Consulate General Boston. Pen down email in a thoroughly professional manner along with the following information:

• Full name of the itinerant,
• Name of the country which issued your passport,
• Passport number and expiration date,
• Type of visa/permit you are applying for (long-term visa, residence permit, employee card, etc.),
• Purpose of your stay (study, scientific research, employment, business, family reunification, etc.),
• Intended date of arrival to Germany,
• Preferred date for the appointment at the Embassy.

Step Two: Prepare Documents

Soon after securing the appointment, the itinerant should start preparing supporting documents for the visa application. This process is nothing less than a nightmare for most of the beginner but you can support some verifiable documents from us.

Application form: The application form for Germany’s short-stay and long-stay visas can be downloaded from the internet without any cost. The itinerant should fill the visa application form without committing any blunder.

The aspirant of Germany Visa has to attach two passport size pictures with the visa application form.

The validity of a passport: The itinerant’s passport must have a validity of at least 90 days beyond the validity of the requested visa date.

It is also pertinent here to mention that the applicant’s passport must have been issued within the last 10 years and it must have a minimum of 2 blank visa pages in order to affix the visa.

Roundtrip Flight Itinerary for visa application: This document shows the flight booked by itinerant for a journey to the host nation (s). The flight itinerary for visa application contains passenger details, airline name, flight reservation codes and details. This ensures that the tourist must exit the Schengen area before their time on visa lapses.

Travel Visa Health Insurance: Travel Insurance awards financial security to the itinerant and provides satisfaction to the visa officers that the itinerant is now able to bear the cost of medical expenditures (if any) under a banner of the travel insurance.

The minimum limit of the insurance is 30,000 EUR or 50,000 USD.

Hotel Booking Reservation/Proof of accommodation: This document explains to the visa officers that visa aspirant has sorted the issue of the accommodation in Germany via a hotel booking or proof of accommodation.

A verifiable hotel booking document indicates that the itinerant has booked a hotel for accommodation purpose in the host nation whereas proof of accommodation shows that either applicant’s friend or relative is ready to arrange accommodation facility in Germany.

It includes:

• A hotel/hostel booking; and
• A rental agreement; and
• A letter of invitation from a host at whose house you will be staying.

Bank statement/Proof of financially means: The document shows that itinerant is in possession of adequate financial resources to easily cover expenditures of Germany’s trip.

Cover Letter: The itinerant summarizes his basic aim of visiting Germany in the cover letter for visa application.

The itinerant details the following points in his Cover Letter:

The purpose of visiting the Schengen Area.

• Proof of civil status (marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card if applicable).
• Explaining relation with a sponsor (if any) and the reasons for sponsorship. An overview of the applicant’s flight itinerary.
• In case the applicant fails to produce a document, then he tells the reasons and explains the alternative documents (that he/she might have submitted).

Affidavit of Support: The friend of the itinerant produces an affidavit of support in case former does not possess a valid bank account or is deprived of sufficient financial means to support himself during the course of his/her stay in Germany.

Means of subsistence: All Schengen states have set a limit for a minimum financial amount that the applicant should possess whilst his/her stay in Germany.

As per rules set by the European Commission, the candidate is required to attest to the German Embassy or Consulate that s/he possesses daily liquid money equivalent to 45 EUR.

Proof of paid visa fee: €60 for adults and €35 for children from 6 to 12 years old. These fees are not reimbursable in case visa application gets rejected.

If employed:

Employment contract; and

Current bank statement of the latest 6 months; and

Leave permission from the employer; and

Income Tax Return (ITR) form or Certificate of Income Tax deducted at the source of salary.

If self-employed:

A copy of your business license; and

Company bank statement of the latest 6 months; and

Income Tax Return (ITR).

For foreign students on F1 visas:

Valid I-20

Reference letter from the educational institution (school/college/university) stating that you are in good standing, your major and the expected date of graduation.

No-objection certificate from school or university.

If retired:

Pension statement of the latest 6 months.

If applicable:

Regular income generated by property proof of the latest 6 months.

*Note: The signed application form must be accompanied the rest of the above-mentioned mandatory documents and handed personally at the appropriate embassy/consulate or its representative in your home country.

Apart from the general documentation required, accompanying should be other additional documents depending on the nature of your visa application.

Recent nationwide criminal history check.

US work permit

Confirmation of participation in any type of event or activity

Self-addressed, pre-paid US express mail envelope (if applicable)

Documents proving the legal status in the US – original Alien Registration Card (Green Card), a Green card Stamp in your passport, an Advance Parole, or a valid US Visa must be provided along with a valid I-94 departure record. Students should also submit the original validated I-20, DS-2019 or IAP-66.

The US residence permit or visa should be valid at least 3 months beyond the intended departure from the Schengen member state territory.

Letter of continued employment including income statement. If you are self-employed a business license and tax return forms are required.

Step Three: Submit File

Once the itinerant has accomplished the first two steps, he would now move to third step i-e submission of a complete visa file.

But before submitting the file, the applicant must ensure that the visa application is fully completed and not even a single supporting document is missing (otherwise, the visa officer will reject visa application straightaway). Second, he must make sure that all the information provided by the applicant in visa application and supporting documents is true, accurate and complete.

German Consulate General Boston will take approximately 15 days to either approve or reject visa application. However, any ambiguity might nudge the visa officer to consume additional days for arriving on a decision.

German Consulate General Boston has made it mandatory for all aspirants to appear in person for the provision of compulsory biometric data—a digital picture and ten fingerprints—could be garnered. Itinerant’s biometric data remains intact for a duration of 59 months and could be extracted if need be. This means that future applications during that period of time may be filed through correspondence, provided your data are of good quality and can be retrieved from the VIS.

San Francisco, Atlanta, and Washington: visaonweb.diplomatie.be (printed application form and documentation must be sent by postal mail or courier service

San Francisco: by postal mail or courier service only

Exemptions for the fingerprinting requirements are granted to:

• Children under the age of twelve;
• Persons for whom the collection of fingerprints is physically impossible;
• Heads of State and members of National Governments and their accompanying spouses, as well as the members of their official delegation when invited by Member States’ governments or by international organizations for an official purpose.

Step Four: Appear for Interview

This step isn’t tricky at all. The staffers of the Germany Consulate General Boston will call the aspirant for the interview if they feel that information submitted by the applicant is true to the fullest possible extent.

Below are some useful tips for making a positive impact on the visa officer while answering his/her questions:

• Arrive at the Germany Consulate General Boston on time.
• Dress suitably.
• You must reply to all answers with full confidence, ease, and calm. Don’t panic if the visa officer tenders some additional questions.

Step Five: Receive Your Visa

Germany Consulate General Boston will update the itinerant as soon as his visa application is approved.

The applicant has the option to collect his passport and visa (in case the application is approved) via UPS or USPS in the envelope that the applicant has provided.

Possible Reasons for Visa Rejections

Our team wishes you all the best for your visa application but there are certain reasons upon which your visa application may get rejected by the Germany Consulate General Boston:

These reasons include (but are not limited to):

• The applicant forget to sign the application
• Invalid passport
• Damaged passport
• Invitation Letter is missing
• Sponsorship Letter is missing
• NOC is missing
• Germany Consulate General Boston fails in establishing a clear reason for your travel

Address

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany

Three Copley Place, Suite 500,

Boston, MA 02116, USA.

Phone. +1 617 369 49 00

Fax. +1 617 369 49 40