How to file a work visa (D-Visa) application?

If an employee from a non-EU State wants to work in Germany, he has to file a visa application with the relevant German Consulate in his home country.The below artcicle gives an overview on the booking procedure and the required documents.

When it comes to a visa application with the Consulate, the first step which must be made is the booking of a visa appointment with the German Consulate in the jurisdiction of the applicant's living address.

Depending on the relevant Consulate, the appointment booking is either do be done directly through the Consulate or through a Consulate service provider (which, in many countries, is the VFS).

With some Consulates, the question, if a direct booking through the Consulate or a booking through the provider is required, depends on further circumstances, such as if a Blue Card or a normal work permit application is to being filed, or if the employee is in the possession of a pre-approval from the German employment authorities or not. 

Therefore, the correct way of booking an appointment must be checked carefully on an case by case basis.

By way of example:

In India, only the Consulates in Bangalore and Chennai offer a direct booking, while all other German Consulates require the booking through the VFS:

Please always check out the Consulate's website, if this is still relevant. When checking, please note that the visa type to be looked for in case of intended work activity is a German national Visa (D-visa), not a Schengen visa.  

As general overview on the visa processing can be found here.

To prepare and to process the visa application with the Consulate, the documents to be handed in can be identified by going through the checklists which are provided on the Consulates' websites. Different checklists are available for different types of visas.

In the case of India, the following checklists are available:

• Blue Card visa
• visa for other types of employment
• visa for scientists

In addition to the documents listed in the checklists, please also hand in the Dwyer Legal side letter which is provided by us to our clients as a standard document before the visa filing. This letter will help the Consulate to understand the specific circumstances and will ensure a fast processing of the visa application.

Please confirm to us once the visa application has been filed, so that we can follow up with the authorities and further push the processing. Once the visa has been issued, a copy of it shall be shared with Dwyer Legal for a compliance check.