Germany tourist 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
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. Travel agency certificate confirming an organized trip booking, OR other document showing travel plans (detailed itinerary)
9. Proof of accommodation: hotel/holiday home/campus reservation, or host's confirmation with signature, address proof, passport/ID copy; each Member State
10. Sponsor documentation if third-party sponsored: sponsor letter, passport copy, 3 months stamped bank statements, relationship proof; Verpflichtungserklaerung if provided
11. Indian company sponsor: acknowledgement of company's ITR returns for last three years; German company: sponsor letter, passport, permit
12. Economic status proof (also if sponsored); employed: 3 pay slips, contract, leave sanction letter, 3 months bank statements, ITR/Form 16
13. Self-employed/company owner: company registration with GST number, 2 years ITR acknowledgment or Form 16, 3 months stamped bank statements
14. Retired: 3 months pension statements and/or proof of property/business income, 3 months stamped bank statements
15. Student: enrolment certificate, NOC from school/university; university students also 3 months stamped bank statements
16. Unemployed: applicant's bank statements for the last 3 months stamped by the bank
17. Proof of civil status if applicable: marriage certificate, divorce/custody decree, children's birth certificates, spouse's death certificate
18. Flight reservation
19. 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 (videx.diplo.de)
• Declaration of True and Complete Information (signed)
• Declaration of travel with valid medical insurance (signed)
• Verpflichtungserklaerung (formal obligation letter) of a German/EU sponsor, if provided
• Leave sanction letter (employer's statement on approval for holidays)
• Signed authorization letter for travel agent/representative plus their passport copy, if not submitted in person

Notes the mission attaches

• Bank statements wording: 'bank statements for the last 3 months stamped by the bank (If the pages are in continuation, kindly separate the pages; passbook copies are not accepted.)'
• Photo: 'Min. 1 biometric passport picture (35x45mm white background, 70%-80% face coverage), not older than six months'.
• Insurance: 'German Missions accept Indian Travel Medical Insurances only from approved Indian Travel Insurance companies'.
• Minors: application form and both declarations signed by both parents; birth certificate; passport copies of both parents; single custody proof or notarised authorization of the non-present parent; minor travelling alone: notarised consent of both parents/guardians.
• General remarks: applications not earlier than six months before and not later than 15 working days before travel; processed within 15 working days from arrival at the visa section, plus up to two working days for VFS transport.
• All documents must be in German or English or come with a proper translation; incomplete documentation may lead to rejection without a request for the missing items.
• Biometrics: fingerprints are taken at in-person submission even if collected within the last 59 months.

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 tourism the itinerary is the anchor: coherent dates, cities and bookings that stay live through the decision. Cancelled-looking reservations are the classic route to ground 10 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.