List of Countries (not) Requiring a Visa to Enter Germany

Generally, foreigners need a visa, i.e. a permission, to enter Germany. For correct understanding, understand as "visa" the permission to enter the country – for a short period. Residence permit is the permission to enter and live in a country – for an indefinite period. Please keep this in your mind because this is essential legalese! Well knowing, that many countries do not distinguish between both in their legalese but here it is vitally important.

Citizens of member states of the European Economic Area (marked with the EU flag) do not need residence permits but need to obtain a formal “residency stamp” in their passports. All they have to do is visit the foreigners office in their vicinity and report that they have just entered and the police registration slip.

Third countries generally must have a visa to enter. But some do not. This differentiation is related with paragraph 5 of the preamble to the Council Regulation ( EC) No EC 539/2001 of 15 March 2001 "listing the third countries whose nationals must be in possession of visas when crossing the external borders and those whose nationals are exempt from that requirement". The determination of those third countries needing a visa to enter Germany a mix of criteria to

• willingness to return – based on objective criteria (and never by blinking blue eyes of a blonde),
• illegal immigration,
• public policy and security,
• and to the European Union's external relations with third countries,
• consideration also being given to the implications of regional coherence, and
• reciprocity.

However, “Buddy” country citizens (marked with “”) may apply for a residence and/or work permit after entry – unless stated differently.

Citizens of countries marked with “***” may apply for a residence permit for any reason except for employment or business after entry. Citizens of any other country requiring a visa have to apply before entering – for what ever reason.

! = Citizens of so marked countries are only then eligible for visa free entry, when they have a biometric passport.

N.B.: The following ranking of the countries with § - §§§§ has nothing to do with the general credibility of the country or a certain national. It is only to point out how well prepared a certain national should be when applying for a permit or a visa. What does “well prepared” mean? For example, you are from a country with “§§§§” and want to come in on a tourist visa, you will have to really persuade the German authorities that you are really willing to return at the expiration of your visa. Explain proactively more complicated situtations. Make sure that your story / person is "real" and provable!

So, you need to apply for a visa. Click here to be forwarded to online application form of Germany's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. N.B. Filling out the application form online does not mean that you do not have to personally visit the consulate! When you visit the competent consulate, you are present all the papers supporting your application. Filling out the application online does not guarantee any kind of decision. It will only speed the proceddings. Please be aware that an application cannot be processed until these papers have been submitted.

As a special service from LG2G, learn your country's name in German when you hold the mouse over your country's flag!

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Country	Visa required?	Rating
A		top
Afghanistan	Yes	§§§
Albania	!	§
Algeria	Yes	§§§
Andorra, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
Angola	Yes	§§§§
Antigua and Barbuda		§
Argentina		§
Armenia	Yes	§§§§
Australia (with Cocos Islands, Norfolk Island, Christmas Island)		§
Austria		§
Azerbaijan	Yes	§§§§
B		top
Bahamas		§
Bahrain	Yes	§§§§
Bangladesh	Yes	§§§§
Barbados		§
Belarus	Yes	§§§
Belgium		§
Belize	Yes	§§§
Benin	Yes	§§§
Bermuda	No	§
Bhutan	Yes	§§§
Bolivia	No	§§
Bosnia-Herzegovina	!	§
Botswana	Yes	§§§§
Brazil, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
British Virgin Islands	Yes	§§
Brunei Darussalam	No	§
Bulgaria		§
Burkina Faso	Yes	§§
Burundi	Yes	§§§
C		top
Cambodia	Yes	§§§
Cameroon	Yes	§§§
Canada		§
Cap Verde	Yes	§§§
Cayman-Islands	Yes	§§
Central African Republic	Yes	§§§§
Chad	Yes	§§§§
Chechynia	Yes	§§§§
Chile		§§§§
China (VR)	Yes	§§
Columbia	Yes	§§
Comoros	Yes	§§§
Congo, Democratic Republic	Yes	§§§§
Congo; Republic of	Yes	§§§§
Costa Rica		§
Croatia		§
Cuba	Yes	§§
Cyprus		§
Czech Republic		§
D		top
Denmark		§
Djibouti	Yes	§§§§
Dominica	Yes	§§§§
Dominican Republic	Yes	§§§
E		top
Ecuador	Yes	§§§
Egypt	Yes	§§§
El Salvador, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
Equatorial Guinea	Yes	§§§
Eritrea	Yes	§§§
Estonia		§
Ethiopia	Yes	§§§§
F		top
Falkland Islands	Yes	§§
Fiji	Yes	§§
Finland		§
France (including French-Guyana, French-Polynesia, Guadeloupe, Martinique, New Caledonia, Réunion, St. Pierre and Miquelon)		§
G		top
Gabon	Yes	§§
Gambia	Yes	§§§
Georgia	Yes	§§
Ghana	Yes	§§§§
Greece		§
Grenada	Yes	§
Guatemala	No	§
Guinea	Yes	§§§§
Guinea-Bissau	Yes	§§§
Guyana	Yes	§§§
H		top
Haiti	Yes	§§
Honduras, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
Hong Kong (holders of SAR-passports)	Yes No	§ §§§
Hungary		§
I		top
India	Yes	§§
Indonesia	Yes	§§§
Iran	Yes	§§§§
Iraq	Yes	§§§§
Ireland		§
Iceland		§
Israel		§
Italy		§
Ivory Coast	Yes	§§§
J		top
Jamaica	Yes	§§§
Japan		§
Jordan	Yes	§§§§
K		top
Kazakhstan	Yes	§§§§
Kenya	Yes	§§§
Kiribati	Yes	§§§§
Korea Democratic People’s Republic of, (North Korea)	Yes	§§
Korea, Republic of (South Korea)		§
Kuwait	Yes	§§§§
Kyrgyzstan	Yes	§§§§
L		top
Laos	Yes	§§§
Latvia		§
Lebanon	Yes	§§§§
Lesotho	Yes	§§§§
Liberia	Yes	§§§§
Liechtenstein		§
Lithuania		§
Luxemburg		§
M		top
Macao	No	§
Macedonia	!	§§
Madagascar	Yes	§§§
Malawi	Yes	§§§
Malaysia	No	§
Maldives	Yes	§§
Mali	Yes	§§§
Malta		§
Marshall-Islands	Yes	§§§
Mauritania	Yes	§§§§
Mauritius		§
Mexico	No	§
Micronesia	Yes	§§§§
Moldova	Yes	§§§
Monaco, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
Mongolia	Yes	§§§
Montenegro	!	§
Montserrat	Yes	§§§§
Morocco	Yes	§
Mozambique	Yes	§§§
Myanmar (Burma)	Yes	§§§§
N		top
Namibia	Yes	§§
Nauru	Yes	§§§§
Nepal	Yes	§§§§
Netherlands		§
New Zeeland (including Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau)		§
Nicaragua	No	§
Niger	Yes	§§§§
Nigeria	Yes	§§§§
North Mariana Islands (Federated States of Micronesia, Mariana Islands, Caroline, including Palau-Islands)	Yes	§§§§
Norway		§
O		top
Oman	Yes	§§§§
P		top
Pakistan	Yes	§§§§
Panama	No	§
Palestine Areas	Yes	§§§§
Papua-New Guinea	Yes	§§§§
Paraguay	No	§
Peru	Yes	§§
Philippines	Yes	§§§§
Pitcairn Islands	Yes	§§§§
Poland		§
Portugal		§
Q		top
Qatar	Yes	§§§§
R		top
Romania		§
Russia	Yes	§§
Rwanda	Yes	§§§§
S		top
Salomon Islands	Yes	§§§§
Samoa	Yes	§§§§
San Marino, only when pickup an employment, else visa required		§
Sao Tomé und Principerincipe	Yes	§§§§
Saudi-Arabia	Yes	§§§
Senegal	Yes	§§§§
Serbia	Yes	§§§
Seychelles		§
Sierra Leone	Yes	§§§§
Singapore	No	§
Slovak Republic		§
Slovenia		§
Somalia	Yes	§§§§
South Africa	Yes	§§
Spain (including Spanish territories in North Africa with Ceuta and Melilla)		§
Sudan	Yes	§§§§
Surinam	Yes	§§§§
Swaziland	Yes	§§§§
Sweden		§
Switzerland		§
Syria	Yes	§§§§
T		top
Taiwan		§
Tajikistan	Yes	§§§§
Tanzania	Yes	§§§§
Thailand	Yes	§§
Togo	Yes	§§§§
Tonga	Yes	§§§§
Trinidad and Tobago	Yes	§§§
Tunisia	Yes	§§
Turkey	Yes	§§
Turkmenistan	Yes	§§§§
Tuvalu	Yes	§§§§
U		top
Uganda	Yes	§§§§
Ukraine	Yes	§§
United Arab Emirates	Yes	§§§
United Kingdom of Great Britain and North Ireland (including Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Bermuda)		§
United States of America (including American Virgin Islands, American-Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico)		§
Uruguay	No	§
Uzbekistan	Yes	§§§§
V		top
Vanuatu	Yes	§§§§
Vatican City	No	§
Venezuela	No	§
Vietnam	Yes	§§§
W		top
Western Samoa	Yes	§§§§
Y		top
Yemen	Yes	§§§§
Z		top
Zambia	Yes	§§§§
Zimbabwe	Yes	§§§§