Getting a Schengen visa for a trip to Germany may appear overwhelming, but the official VIDEX online application form provided by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany makes the first step easier.
This user-friendly portal lets you input your necessary details electronically, saving you time and potential frustration. If you’re prepared to begin your visa application, this guide will lead you through the process of completing the German VIDEX online form, explaining each section to help you submit a thorough and precise application.
Before you begin filling out the application, make sure you’ve chosen “Short-term stay” from the options at the top-left corner of the page.
The online application form is divided into six sections:
- Personal information
- Contact details
- Documents
- Travel data
- Reference
- Assumption of costs
Throughout the application, you can save your progress using the “Save” button on the lower right corner of the application form.
Important Notes:
• In the reference field – Always use special characters as given in the documents
• Special characters like ä, ü and ö to be entered as “ae”, “ue” and “oe” in Videx
• ß – this alphabet should be entered as “ss” in VIDEX (eg. Schlstraße = Schlstr, Eisebgießer = Eisebgiesser)
• The name of the street in the Reference details should be entered as ‘STR’, instead of STRAßE or ‘STRASSE’ (eg. Schlstraße = Schlstr, Schorbachstrasse = Schorbachstr)
• Always select “Householder” in the Videx reference details for Airbnb / Private accommodation / Guest-House accommodation
Sections 1-3 (Personal Information, Contact Details, Document)
Under Personal data of the applicant you have to fill out the applicant’s name, date of birth, marital status, gender, and nationality. All sections marked with an asterisk (*) are obligatory to be filled out.
* Family Name: Enter the applicant’s surname as stated in the passport’s bio details.
If the passport only lists a Given Name, enter it in both the First Name and Family Name fields in VIDEX. For example, if the Given Name in the passport is “John” and the Surname is blank, enter Surname as “John” and Family Name as “John” in VIDEX.
Birth Name: Leave this field blank.
* First name(s): Enter the applicant’s first name as per the passport’s bio details.
* Date of Birth (Out): Enter the applicant’s Date of Birth as stated in the passport’s bio details.
*Place of birth: Enter the applicant’s Place of Birth as stated in the passport’s bio details. Use spaces instead of commas and periods, and maintain hyphens as they appear.
* Country of birth: This depends on the applicant’s place of birth.
*Gender: Enter the applicant’s sex as stated in the passport’s bio details.
*Marital status: Enter the applicant’s current marital status.
*Current Nationality: Enter the applicant’s current nationality as stated in the passport’s bio details.
Original Nationality: Leave this field blank by default.
* Profession: Select the applicant’s current professional activity from a drop-down list. Also include the applicant’s work address and name, as applicable.
- For Employed, fill in all field details
- For Unemployed, select No Occupation and leave other fields blank
In the Contact details section, you have to write down the applicant’s full residential address, phone number, and email address of the applicant/family member (no travel agency email id’s)
Under Documents, you just need to fill in the applicant’s passport details. Select the type of passport (e.g. ordinary passport), passport number, ID card number (if applicable), as well as the issue and expiry dates of the passport.
* Type of travel Document – Type of passport. “P” Passport is Ordinary passport
* Travel document number – Passport Number
National identity number, if applicable – Do not select anything. This field should be blank by default
* Issue date – Passport issue date as per passport bio details
* Valid until – Passport expiry date as per passport bio details
* Issuing state – Select the country that issued the passport
* Issued by – Please check the issuing authority stamp on passport.
- Please put RPO if the passport issuing authority is Regional Passport Office, MEA for Ministry of External Affairs
- If passport is issued abroad, put complete name of the issuing authority as per passport authority stamp
* Issued In – Passport issued place as per passport authority stamp
Tick ‘Yes’ under Biometric data if you have ever given your biometric information for a visa; a box will appear where you have to enter the date (if you know it). If it is within the last 5 years, you may be exempt from going to the embassy or visa application centre to give your biometric information.
Section 4 (Travel data)
Under Travel data, you must select the reason for your trip from a drop-down menu; if it’s ‘Other’, fill in the text box immediately to the right with the reason for travel. Under ‘Further information about the purpose of your stay’, you can add more context for why you are travelling (e.g., if your purpose is ‘Tourism’, you may be going for sightseeing, visiting museums, attending a concert, etc).
Next, for Member State of first entry, select the Schengen country you will be entering first (we have selected Germany, but this can be different based on your travel itinerary).
Under Main destination(s), you can add more than one country if you are spending an equal amount of time in each. Finally, select whether you want a single, double, or multiple-entry visa, as well as your planned dates of entry and departure.
Sections 5-6 (Reference and Assumption of costs)
You only need to fill out these sections if there is someone inviting you to Germany, such as a person, company, organisation, etc. If the following do not apply to you, select “No reference person”, and you will skip the last two sections.
The questions in this section will change depending on who your “reference person” is. In all cases, make sure you have their full address and contact information. For example, see the questions for “inviting person”. You must know their name, address, and contact information.
Finally, if you have a host or “reference person” in Germany, you have to provide information about who will be covering your travel or living expenses during your stay.
Finish & Download
Once you complete filling in your data, select “Continue” in the lower right corner, and you will be provided with a downloadable PDF file of your application form.
You must download, print, and bring the printed form with you on the day of your appointment, in addition to the rest of the required documents. You must sign it at the end and attach the required visa photo at the designated spot.
One good feature of Videx is that you can always save your data for later use. Simply click the Save button at the end of the page and save the file on your device. If you need to reapply for a German short-stay visa in the future, just go to Import (at the top right of the page) and select your saved file.
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