Germany business visa from India: the official document checklist, decoded

The checklist, as published

Condensed from the official document linked above; wording is the mission's, shortened. Where the mission names an official form it is listed under "Forms". Always download the current version from the source link on the day you apply.

1. Completed, signed Schengen visa application form filled on VIDEX; print and submit all pages including barcodes
2. Signed declaration of True and Complete Information
3. Signed declaration of travel with valid medical insurance
4. Valid passport issued within 10 years, 3 months' validity after return, two empty pages; no front-page observations
5. Copy of the biometric and address page of the passport (DIN A4)
6. Min. 1 biometric passport picture, 35x45mm, white background, 70-80% face coverage, not older than six months
7. Personal covering letter / proof of intended means of transport and itinerary
8. For international staff exchange or contracts for work and services: approval of the Federal Employment Agency
9. In all cases: original signed covering letter from Indian company on letterhead: traveller name, passport number, purpose, duration, brief itinerary
10. In all cases: Indian company's Certificate of Incorporation, GST Registration and proof of company registration
11. Invitation letter from the business partner (German or English): planned activities and the business relationship between the companies
12. For consultancy services: confirmation letter from the German client; inviting company may confirm accommodation in its invitation
13. Detailed schedule of your business meetings (ONLY for stays over 30 days)
14. Further Schengen appointments: signed invitation from that Schengen business partner on letterhead with purpose, itinerary, personal data
15. Proof of accommodation: hotel/holiday home/campus reservation, or host's confirmation with signature, address proof, passport/ID copy; each Member State
16. Sponsor documentation if third-party sponsored: sponsor letter, passport copy, 3 months stamped bank statements, relationship proof; Verpflichtungserklaerung if provided
17. Economic status proof (also if sponsored); employed: 3 pay slips, contract, leave sanction letter, 3 months bank statements, ITR/Form 16
18. Self-employed/company owner: company registration with GST number, 2 years ITR acknowledgment or Form 16, 3 months stamped bank statements
19. Retired: pension statements; student: enrolment certificate and NOC; unemployed: 3 months stamped bank statements
20. Proof of civil status if applicable: marriage certificate, divorce/custody decree, children's birth certificates, spouse's death certificate
21. Flight reservation
22. Overseas travel medical insurance valid for all Schengen countries and the entire trip, minimum EUR 30,000; approved Indian insurers only

Forms named by the mission

• VIDEX online Schengen visa application form
• Declaration of True and Complete Information (signed)
• Declaration of travel with valid medical insurance (signed)
• (Pre-)approval of the Federal Employment Agency when working in Germany on the Schengen visa, obtained by the host company
• Verpflichtungserklaerung (formal obligation letter) of a German/EU sponsor, if provided
• Signed authorization letter for travel agent/representative plus their passport copy, if not submitted in person

Notes the mission attaches

• Special remark: 'If you are planning on working in Germany on your Schengen Visa, kindly check with the inviting company whether you need a (Pre-)approval of the Federal Employment Agency' and a missing approval 'justifies grounds for rejection!'
• If the inviting company arranges accommodation, it should confirm this in its invitation letter, and the accommodation item may then be left out.
• Same photo, bank-statement (3 months, bank-stamped, no passbook), insurance and language rules as the tourism checklist.
• General remarks: processed within 15 working days from arrival at the visa section, plus up to two working days for VFS transport; a booked flight gives no priority.

What each item is for

Every Schengen checklist is Article 14(1) of the Visa Code made specific: (a) purpose of the journey, (b) accommodation, (c) means of subsistence for the stay and the return, (d) information enabling an assessment of your intention to leave before the visa expires. Read the list above with those four heads in mind: bookings and invitations answer (a) and (b); bank statements, salary slips and tax returns answer (c); employment, business, family and property papers answer (d). Our documents guide explains each head, and the cover-letter guide shows how to make them agree.

For business the counterpart's letter is the anchor: who is inviting, why, for how long, and who pays. Consulates verify it by phone; a counterpart who cannot be reached is the classic route to ground 12 on the refusal form.

Processing time, as stated by the mission

"Applications shall be decided on within 15 calendar days of the date of the lodging of an application. The 15 days start the moment the application reaches the visa section, not the moment you hand in your documents at VFS! This period may be extended up to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases. The FAQ recommends applying at least three weeks before the intended travel dates." (source) The Visa Code sets 15 calendar days from an admissible application, extendable to 45 (Article 23).

Fee, as stated by the mission

"Current visa fees for Schengen Visa: adults 90 EUR / 9,800 INR; minors 6 to 12 years 45 EUR / 4,900 INR; minors under 6 free; subject to change without prior notice; paid at the end of the visa appointment; not refundable even if the visa is rejected (page dated 02.07.2026)." (source) The euro amounts are fixed by Article 16: EUR 90 adults, EUR 45 children six to eleven, free under six.

Germany's record for applications lodged in India

In 2025 Germany decided 153,179 applications lodged in India and refused 10.5% (all-India average 15.7%); 99.6% of visas issued were multiple-entry. Its consulates: Bengaluru (1.5%), Chennai (10.5%), Kolkata (14.0%), Mumbai (10.8%), New Delhi (10.0%). Which one handles you depends on your state of residence: see the Germany country page.