Germany Visit Visa Guides

Trade fairs, university visits and relatives in German cities bring many Pakistani travellers to Germany. A Schengen short-stay visa from a German mission is required before travel, and Germany's system in Pakistan is unlike any other. Instead of an open calendar on a commercial website, both German missions run a waiting list through the Federal Foreign Office's RK-Termin system, and the mission, not you, chooses your appointment date.

Residence decides which mission you use. The Embassy in Islamabad handles residents of Islamabad Capital Territory, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. The Consulate General in Karachi handles Sindh and Balochistan. Register only with the mission covering your residence: entries made at both missions, or bought from agents selling priority places, can be cancelled. The missions stress that registration is free and ask people to report anyone who charges for it to the police.

After you register, an email confirms your waiting-list number. When capacity allows, the mission allocates a final appointment. Karachi asks for travel-purpose details at registration so it can allocate fairly, so fill in every field. If your fingerprints were taken for a Schengen visa within the reuse period, you can tick the biometrics-reuse box, but give the date of those earlier fingerprints, which is not always the date on your last visa.

Germany's Consular Services Portal accepts many long-stay national visas online, but the Federal Foreign Office states that Schengen applications cannot yet be filed there. For a short visit, complete the Videx online form, print it with its barcode page and bring it to your appointment. VFS Global runs German visa centres in Pakistan for biometrics and file submission, but only after the mission has allocated your appointment; VFS itself cannot book one. Bring the papers in the order shown on the mission's checklist for your purpose, whether tourism, business or a family visit. Depending on the mission, extras such as a motivation letter may be requested.

Avoid copying older third-party fee tables that show an outdated visa amount, and check any VFS service charge on the live VFS page. Waiting-list time is separate from the decision and can be long when demand is high, so register as soon as your plans are firm.

Guides on this site: our Germany visit visa guide for Pakistani passport holders at /germany/pakistan explains the jurisdictions, how the waiting list works, Videx, VFS lodging and the published fee and timelines. For the insurance part of your file, see our guide to Schengen travel insurance for Pakistani applicants at /guides/schengen-travel-insurance-pakistan, which covers the German missions' list of Pakistani insurers.

Can I choose my own German visa appointment date? No. You join the RK-Termin waiting list of the Islamabad embassy or Karachi consulate, and the mission allocates a date when capacity allows.

Is registering on the German waiting list free? Yes. The missions say registration is free and ask people to report anyone who charges for it.

Can I book a German appointment directly with VFS? No. VFS takes biometrics and files only after the mission has allocated your appointment through its own system.

Can I apply for a German Schengen visa on the Consular Services Portal? Not yet. The Federal Foreign Office says Schengen applications cannot be accepted there, so use Videx and the waiting-list process.