Germany’s visa fee itself is modest — one of the cheapest headline fees among major destination countries. What catches applicants off guard isn’t the visa fee, it’s everything around it: the residence permit card you pay for after arrival, and the blocked account you need to open before you apply at all. Here’s the full 2026 picture, sourced from the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) and the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF).
Germany visa fees at a glance (2026)
| Visa type | Fee |
|---|---|
| Schengen (short-stay, Type C) visa | €90 |
| Schengen visa — children aged 6–11 | €45 |
| Schengen visa — reduced-fee nationals (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine) | €35 |
| Schengen visa — Cabo Verde nationals | €67.50 |
| Schengen visa — children under 6 | Free |
| National (long-stay, Type D) visa | €75 |
| National visa — minors | €37.50 |
| Residence permit (eAT card) issuance, after arrival | €100 |
Source: Federal Foreign Office visa fees.
Who pays nothing: children under 6, students and pupils on organised educational trips, researchers covered by an EU hosting agreement, family members of German or EU/EEA citizens exercising free-movement rights, diplomats and official visitors, and nationals of certain countries with an EU visa-facilitation agreement. If you think you qualify for a waiver, confirm it directly with the German mission processing your application before you pay — exemptions are assessed case by case.
The two-step cost: visa fee, then residence permit fee
Germany splits the cost of a long-stay stay into two separate payments at two separate points:
- The national visa fee (€75) — paid when you apply at a German consulate or embassy abroad. This gets you into the country.
- The residence permit (eAT — electronic residence title) fee (€100) — paid after you arrive in Germany and register your address, when your national visa is converted into a physical residence permit card at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde). This is what actually authorises your ongoing stay, work, or study.
Budget for both. A national visa applicant who only accounts for the €75 consulate fee is under-budgeting by €100 before they’ve even left home.
EU Blue Card: the fee plus the salary threshold that gates it
The EU Blue Card follows the same two-step fee structure — €75 national visa fee, then €100 for the Blue Card residence title itself once you’re in Germany, for a combined ~€175 in government fees. But the real gatekeeper isn’t the fee, it’s the salary threshold: for 2026, the EU Blue Card requires a minimum gross annual salary of €50,700 for most professions, or €45,934.20 for shortage occupations (STEM, healthcare, and other in-demand fields listed by BAMF). Source: BAMF EU Blue Card. For the full eligibility and application walkthrough, see our EU Blue Card guide.
Student visa costs: the fee is the easy part
A Germany student national visa costs the standard €75, plus the €100 eAT card fee after arrival — but the number that actually determines whether your application succeeds is the blocked account (Sperrkonto). For 2026, German missions require proof of:
- €992/month → €11,904/year for a standard student or general national visa applicant
- €1,091/month → €13,092/year for the Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card) or Job Seeker visa route
This money isn’t a fee you lose — it’s your own funds, locked in a designated blocked account provider and released to you in monthly instalments once you’re in Germany, as proof you can support yourself without working illegally or claiming public funds. It is, however, the single largest cash requirement in the entire process, dwarfing the visa fee itself, and it needs to be arranged with a blocked-account provider (Fintiba, Expatrio, or a partner bank) before your visa appointment — leaving it too late is one of the most common causes of a delayed application.
Job Seeker and Chancenkarte visa fees
The Job Seeker visa and its newer Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card) counterpart both charge the standard €75 national visa fee. The Chancenkarte’s blocked-account requirement (€1,091/month, per above) is higher than the standard student rate, reflecting that Chancenkarte holders aren’t earning a salary yet and need a larger cushion while job-hunting in Germany.
Costs the fee schedule doesn’t show
Beyond the government fees, budget for:
- VFS Global or embassy service charges where your national country routes applications through a third-party visa centre rather than the embassy directly — these vary by country of application and are separate from Germany’s own fee, so check your specific application centre’s schedule rather than assuming a flat add-on.
- Health insurance, required proof for most national visa categories, running from roughly €50–120/month depending on provider and coverage level (public vs. private, student-rate policies).
- Document translation and certification, if your civil or academic documents aren’t already in German or English.
FAQ
Is the Germany visa fee refundable if I’m refused? No. Like most Schengen and national visa fees, the application fee is non-refundable even if your visa is denied — it covers the processing, not the outcome.
Do I pay the €100 residence permit fee if I only have a short-stay Schengen visa? No — the eAT residence card and its €100 fee only apply to long-stay (Type D, national) visa holders who are registering a German address and staying beyond 90 days. Short-stay Schengen visitors never need one.
Can I use the blocked account money for anything before I arrive? No. Blocked account funds are locked until you arrive in Germany, register, and open a local account (or activate release with your provider) — they exist specifically to prove funds are available, not to fund pre-departure costs.
This guide is general preparation information, not legal or financial advice — always confirm current fees and blocked-account thresholds directly with the Federal Foreign Office or your local German mission before applying, as figures are reviewed periodically. If you want help getting your documents and financial evidence right the first time, join the VisaMet waitlist for AI-assisted document screening ahead of your application.