Germany · Visa guide
Germany · Visa guideGermany Business Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for business meetings, negotiations and trade fairs in Germany.
- ProcessingSchengen short-stay visas are processed within about 15 calendar days of submission at VFS
- Visa categoryBusiness Visa
- Your guideOne consultant
A business visitor visa is refused when the purpose looks like work. Call us with the invitation and your company details. We tell you if the purpose reads right.
Monday–Saturday, 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM IST
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Germany Business Visa — overview
A German business visa is a short-stay Schengen visa (Type C) for meetings, negotiations, trade fairs and similar commercial visits — up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The form is completed online on Germany's VIDEX system and the file is submitted through VFS to the German mission responsible for where you live.
Germany's checklist asks a question most countries never put in writing: what exactly is the relationship between the company sending you and the company inviting you? Answer that precisely and the rest of the file follows. It also draws a firm line — staff exchanges and contracts for work and services need prior approval from the Federal Employment Agency, because they are not business visits at all.
Earliest slot we saw
Checked by hand · 26 September
- Chandigarh
- 28 Sept
- New Delhi
- 28 Sept
- Mumbai
- 12 Oct
Tourist / short-stay appointments only. A snapshot from the portal on the date above, not a live feed. Slots move hour to hour and we never hold or sell them. All centres & jurisdictions
The question Germany asks that other countries do not
Every Schengen business checklist wants an invitation letter. Germany's tells the host what to put in it:
- What activities are planned?
- What is the business relationship between the inviting and the sending company? Are they in the same group? Is one a supplier to the other? And what exactly do they trade — machines, equipment, merchandise?
This is the centre of a German business file. An invitation that says "we invite Mr Singh for business discussions" answers neither question. One that says "our company buys CNC components from the applicant's firm; he is visiting to inspect the new line and agree next year's volumes" answers both in a sentence. We help the German side write the second kind — in German or English, both are accepted.
For consultancy services, the checklist asks for a confirmation letter from the German client.
Your own company's letter — original, and with papers behind it
"In all cases", the checklist says, an original signed covering letter on your Indian company's letterhead, naming the traveller, the passport number, the purpose and duration, and the itinerary in brief. And in all cases, behind it: the Certificate of Incorporation, GST registration and proof of company registration. Germany wants to see that the sending company is real before it reads what that company says.
When a business trip is not a business trip
Two lines on the checklist separate visiting from working:
- For international staff exchange or contracts for work and services, approval of the Federal Employment Agency is required.
- For stays over 30 days, a detailed schedule of business meetings.
If you are going to install, commission, repair or deliver a service at the client's site, you are likely in the first category, and a business visa application is the wrong document. We check this with you before the file is built, because it cannot be fixed at the counter.
VIDEX, barcodes and copies
The form is completed online on VIDEX and printed — all pages, including the barcode pages. Two signed declarations go with it: True and Complete Information, and travel with valid medical insurance. One rule saves trouble later: the Visa Section does not return originals unless you also hand in a copy, so every original in the file travels with its photocopy.
Sponsored does not mean exempt
Whoever pays, your own payslips, employment contract and leave sanction letter are still required — the checklist says so in brackets. If your Indian employer sponsors the trip, add the company's income-tax return acknowledgements for three years, latest first. Bank statements must be stamped by the bank and passbook copies are not accepted.
Source: German Missions in India — Checklist for a Schengen visa for Business (edition dated February 2023), as held in our knowledge base. Check the current edition on the mission's website before you submit.
14 items
Documents you need
VIDEX application form
Completed online on the VIDEX website, then printed in full — every page, including the barcode pages — and signed.
Two signed declarations
The Declaration of True and Complete Information, and the declaration of travel with valid medical insurance.
Passport
Issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after your scheduled return, with at least two empty pages. Passports with observations on the front data page are not accepted. Add an A4 copy of the biometric and address pages.
Biometric photograph
At least one, 35 × 45 mm, white background, face covering 70–80% of the frame, not older than six months.
Personal covering letter and itinerary
Your own letter, with proof of intended transport and the itinerary.
Covering letter from your company in India — original, signed
On company letterhead, naming the traveller, the passport number, the purpose and duration of the trip, and the itinerary in brief. Required in all cases.
Your company's registration documents
Certificate of Incorporation, GST registration and proof of company registration — required in all cases, alongside the covering letter.
Invitation from the German business partner
In German or English, stating what activities are planned and what the business relationship is between the two companies — same group, supplier or customer, and what is actually traded. For consultancy services, a confirmation letter from the German client.
Meeting schedule — for stays over 30 days
A detailed schedule of business meetings, required only when the stay exceeds 30 days.
Proof of accommodation
Hotel or rental reservations for each Schengen state visited. If the inviting company arranges and confirms accommodation in its invitation letter, this item can be left out.
Proof of your economic status — even if sponsored
Employed: payslips for the last three months, employment contract and the employer's leave sanction letter. The checklist states this is necessary even when the trip is sponsored.
If your Indian company is sponsoring the trip
In addition to the covering letter and registration documents: acknowledgements of the company's income-tax returns for the last three years, latest first.
If a person is sponsoring you
A sponsor letter with their passport copy and three months of bank statements stamped by the bank — passbook copies are not accepted. Add a marriage certificate if the sponsor is your spouse, or a birth certificate if a parent. A sponsor in Germany adds their residence permit and, if provided, a Verpflichtungserklärung (formal obligation letter).
Staff exchange or contracts for work and services
Approval of the Federal Employment Agency is required first — these are not ordinary business visits.
5 steps
How the process works
Typical processing: Schengen short-stay visas are processed within about 15 calendar days of submission at VFS.
Step 1
Free eligibility review
We confirm the business-visa route and build a checklist for you and the inviting German company.
Step 2
Complete VIDEX & build the file
The VIDEX application, invitation, employer letter and financial documents are prepared and cross-checked.
Step 3
Book the VFS Global appointment
We schedule your submission and biometrics slot at VFS Global.
Step 4
Submit & give biometrics
You attend the VFS centre to submit the file and provide biometrics.
Step 5
Decision & passport return
The German mission decides the application and your passport is returned through VFS.
Transparent
Costs & fees
Item
Amount
Schengen visa fee (adult)
Payable in INR.
EUR 90
VFS Global service fee
Plus optional add-ons such as courier.
INR 2,022
Government and third-party fees change often — we confirm the exact current amounts for your case before you pay anything.
6 answers
Frequently asked questions
Germany's checklist is specific: what activities are planned, and what the business relationship is between the inviting and the sending company — whether they are in the same group, which one is the supplier, and what they actually trade with each other. It may be written in German or English.
Online, on Germany's VIDEX website. Print every page of the completed form, including the pages with barcodes, and sign it. A form with the barcode pages missing is incomplete.
Yes. The checklist says proof of the applicant's economic status is necessary even if the trip is sponsored — payslips for the last three months, your employment contract and a leave sanction letter. When the Indian company sponsors, its income-tax return acknowledgements for the last three years are added too.
Not if they confirm it. The checklist says that where the inviting company arranges accommodation and states so in its invitation letter, the separate proof of accommodation can be left out.
Usually not. For international staff exchange or contracts for work and services, Germany's checklist requires approval from the Federal Employment Agency. A business visa covers meetings and negotiations; carrying out the work itself is a different permission.
Only if you supply copies. The checklist states that the Visa Section does not return original documents unless a copy is provided, so submit a copy with every original.
Why it matters
Going it alone vs filing with us
On your own
- Guessing the document list — one missing or wrongly formatted paper triggers a refusal.
- Generic cover letters copied from the internet that officers recognise and flag.
- No read on peak rejection windows or what this visa post is strict about.
- Government and VFS fees are non-refundable — money lost if you are refused.
- A refusal stamp follows you and weakens every future visa application.
With Lifeset Overseas
- An honest case assessment before you spend a rupee on government fees.
- A file built to the embassy's exact checklist and in the exact order.
- Weak finances, ties or purpose identified and fixed before submission.
- Previously refused? We can rescue and rebuild the file.
- Every case handled by one consultant, end to end.
Refused before?
A refusal isn't the end
A refusal is not a permanent bar — but it only improves if the actual reason is found and answered, and nobody can tell you a second application will succeed. If a Germany visa has been refused, we:
- Read the actual refusal letter and pinpoint the real gaps.
- Advise whether to pull the officer's notes (CAIPS / GCMS) for the true reason.
- Identify which part was weak — funds, employment, purpose or ties.
- Tell you honestly whether to reapply now or strengthen the file first.
- Refused? Your fee back, or a rebuilt application free — your choice.
Guides
Germany guides worth reading first
- The German Blocked Account (Sperrkonto), Explained
- The "Schengen Study Visa" Doesn't Exist — Here's What You Actually Apply For
- Study in Europe vs Canada: What a First Year Really Costs
- France Visa After a Germany (or Any Schengen) Refusal: Can You Switch Countries?
- How Much Bank Balance Do You Need for a Schengen Visa from India? (2026)
- Study Abroad From Zero: The Full Student Journey — and the DIY Mistakes That End It
Other Germany visas
Germany Tourist Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for tourism and holidays in Germany — up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
Germany Family & Friends Visit Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa to visit family or friends living in Germany — up to 90 days.
Germany Guest Scientist & Research Visa
A short-stay Schengen visa for guest scientists and researchers invited by a German research institution.
Dependent & Family Visa
German family reunion runs on three pillars — a qualifying main resident, adequate accommodation and income, and (for most spouses) basic German at A1 level before arrival.
Start here · One message away
Germany business visa: make the purpose clear before you file.
- Honest assessment
- Fixed all-in fees
- No handovers between staff
- Licensed in Patiala
Let’s discuss your case
Message us the invitation and your company details. We tell you what supporting papers make the trip believable.