Visa & Work Permit
Who needs a visa?
Nationals of EU and EFTA member states
Nationals of EU countries do not need a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. As an EU citizen, you have the freedom to travel to Germany and live here without a visa or residence permit. A valid passport or identity card is all you need to enter the country. You can work in Germany, and this also applies to your family. This also applies to citizens of Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland, which are members of EFTA.
Please note that you are required to register with the immigration office in your city or district. This is important in order to secure your right to freedom of movement. This instance can issue you with a certificate of registration free of charge. Family members of EU and EFTA citizens receive an EU residence permit.
Thrid country nationals (non-EU / non-EFTA states)
Third country nationals generally require a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. This does not apply to nationals of EU countries or other countries for which the European Community has lifted the visa requirement for short-term stays of up to 90 days over a period of 180 days.
You can check whether you need a visa here: Overview of visa requirements and exemptions for entry into the Federal Republic of Germany
Third country nationals generally require a visa to enter the Federal Republic of Germany. This does not apply to nationals of EU countries or other countries for which the European Community has lifted the visa requirement for short-term stays of up to 90 days over a period of 180 days.
You can check whether you need a visa here: Overview of visa requirements and exemptions for entry into the Federal Republic of Germany
How can you get a visa for Germany?
Do you require a visa to enter Germany? Our video explains, using the example of the Blue Card, the most important steps and gives you tips from the application process to your arrival in Germany.
Information on the required documents and on the procedure is available on the website of the relevant embassy: websites of the German diplomatic missions
How do I extent my work visa?
The following video explains how you can extend your work visa after your arrival in Germany:
VIDEO
Foreigners authorities in the Northern Black Forest
The visa is issued by the foreign missions of the Federal Foreign Office. All other residence permits are issued by the local responsible foreigners authorities (Ausländerbehörde). The foreigners authorities are therefore the first contact for all questions regarding a specific individual case:
| Foreigners authority | Local jurisdiction | Address |
Urban district Pforzheim and Enzkreis District |
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| Pforzheim city | Pforzheim city and Pforzheim urban district | Östliche Karl-Friedrich-Straße 2 75175 Pforzheim |
| Enzkreis district administration | All municipalities in Enzkreis except Mühlacker and Ötisheim | Zähringerallee 3 75177 Pforzheim |
| Mühlacker city | Mühlacker city and Ötisheim | Kelterplatz 7 75417 Mühlacker |
Calw District |
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| City hall Calw | Only Calw city | Marktplatz 9 75365 Calw |
| City hall Nagold | Nagold city, Haiterbach city, municipality Ebhausen, municipality Rohrdorf | Marktstr. 27-29 72202 Nagold |
| Calw district administration | all other municipalities of the Calw district | Vogteistraße 42-46 75365 Calw |
Freudenstadt District |
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| Freudenstadt town council | Seewald, Bad Rippoldsau-Schapbach, town center Freudenstadt with town districts: Christophstal, Zwieselberg, Wittlensweiler, Lauterbad, Dietersweiler, Grüntal, Frutenhof, Musbach, Kniebis, Igelsberg | Wittlensweilerstraße 3 72250 Freudenstadt |
| Freudenstadt district administation | Alpirsbach, Baiersbronn, Dornstetten, Glatten, Grömbach, Loßburg, Pfalzgrafenweiler, Schopfloch, Waldachtal, Wörnersberg | Herrenfelder Str. 14 72250 Freudenstadt |
| Town hall Horb | Municipality Empfingen with Wiesenstetten und Dommelsberg, Municipality Eutingen with Göttelfingen, Rohrdorf, Weitingen, Ahldorf, Altheim, Betra, Bildechingen, Bittelbronn, Dettensee, Dettingen, Dettlingen, Dießen, Grünmettstetten, Ihlingen, Isenburg, Mühlen, Mühringen, Nordstetten, Rexingen, Talheim | Marktplatz 12 72160 Horb am Neckar |
More Information
You can find detailed information on the issue of the visa, requirements, fees, application procedure and duration for the visa pplication on these websites:
- Federal Foreign Office – General information from the Federal Foreign Office on the issue of visas in the following languages: German, English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Chinese
- Make it in Germany – The Federal Government's portal for internationals professionals
- Welcome to Germany - Information from the Federal Office for Migration ans Refugees in German, English, Turkish, French, Arabic and Russian