The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Dakar processes all visa applications of foreigners living in Senegal or the Gambia (proof required).

Schengen visa procedure

1. Book your appointment: Please book an appointment for visa application through the Embassy's online appointment system.
2. Personal visit: All applicants must appear in person at the Embassy.
3. Processing of the application: The embassy will process your application. This usually takes 15 calendar days.
4. Collection

Please do not send any documents to the Embassy in advance. The applicant must bring all documents complete when applying.

Important: Documents can only be submitted in person at the day of your application. It is not possible to submit documents before or after the application by e-mail or mail.

Information for applicants with Gambian citizenship

With the Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1781 of 07^th October 2021, the Council of the European Union has decided to temporarily suspend the application of certain provisions of the Visa Code with regard to The Gambia in accordance with Article 25a (5) (a), (b) of the Visa Code. This means for the application and processing of visas:

• Application documents must be submitted in full by all applicants (see list of required documents).
• holders of diplomatic and service passports must also pay the visa fee
• the decision on visa applications is made only 45 days after the submission of the complete application documents
  Please take into account when planning your trip (esp. flight reservation) that the processing time and the shipping time from Dakar to Banjul have to be added to the 45 days. The passport can only be expected to be returned 60 days after the application has been submitted.
• Visas are issued exclusively with single entry, the period of validity of the visas corresponds to the duration of the intended stay

Exceptions to the above provisions apply to the following groups of persons:

• Family members of EU citizens, EEA nationals or Swiss nationals entitled to freedom of movement
• Family members of nationals of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland who have already made use of their right to freedom of movement under EU law by the end of the transitional period (December 31, 2020) (cf. Section 16 FreizügG/EU) and who are covered by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community
• Persons applying for visas to attend meetings or conferences of international intergovernmental organizations in Germany

Required documents

All the documents listed below must be submitted in the original and with a good quality photocopy.
We can only accept and process complete applications!

• A fully completed application form signed by the applicant (application forms are free of charge).

  • You can complete the application form online in VIDEX and print it out or download it here, print it out and complete it by hand. Only one signed original application form must be submitted (no copies).

  • Note: Applications from minors under the age of 16 must be signed by all persons with parental custody.
    

• Underage travellers:

  • Minors travelling alone or with only one person with custody require written consent from the other person with custody.

  • Underage Gambian nationals travelling alone or with only one person with custody require a “Travel Clearance”. This is issued by the Gambian police.
    You will need: a copy of the family register or birth certificate and copies of both parents' ID cards
    

• Recent biometric passport photo with a white background (do not attach to the application form)
  

• Birth certificate of the applicant (note: no legalisation or document verification is required to apply for a Schengen visa)

• Valid passport (valid for at least 3 months after expiry of the visa) as well as a copy of the photo page and a copy of all visas in this passport
  

• Copy of old passports with (already expired) Schengen visas and copy of entry and exit stamps, if applicable

• only for applicants without Gambian or Senegalese citizenship residing in Senegal or The Gambia: A valid residence permit for Senegal or The Gambia, which must be valid for at least three months after the expiry of the requested visa validity.
  

• Flight reservation: Confirmation of the round-trip flight reservation (no paid ticket booking is required!)

• Proof of accommodation: Confirmation of reservation or confirmation of private accommodation, proof of rent or proof of property ownership

• Proof of sufficient funds for the trip:
  

  • Bank statements from your own account for the last three months and the corresponding bank card or savings book.

  • Pupils, students or persons without a regular income can submit proof of financial support from a third party. For this purpose, written confirmation of regular support from this person, proof of family relationship if applicable, proof of the financial capacity of the person providing support and a copy of the identity card must be submitted. In addition, proof of payment (e.g. receipts from money transfer services) of regular support for the last three months must be submitted.
    

  • Pensioners can submit proof of pension payments.
    

• ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Proof of the applicant's family and economic roots in Senegal / The Gambia

  • Letter from the employer, university or school confirming the applicant's leave of absence/leave of absence during the intended stay and

  • If applicable, marriage certificate or birth certificates of the children and

  • Proof of employment: employment contract and salary certificates for the last three months or

  • Proof of financial situation for freelancers: company registration, bank statements of the company account for the last three months, proof of regular business activity over the last three months (receipts, invoices, etc.), other business documents if applicable
    

• Travel health insurance: The travel health insurance must fulfil the following criteria.

  • The travel health insurance must be valid for the entire Schengen area and for the entire duration of the stay in the Schengen area.

  • The insurance must cover the costs of emergency medical assistance and emergency hospitalisation, as well as repatriation in the event of illness or death.

  • The minimum cover in the event of a claim must be EUR 30,000.

Note: The embassy reserves the right to request additional documents.

Duration of the visa process

It is strongly advised to submit applications at least 4 weeks before the intended departure.
The processing time after submission of all documents is at least 15 calendar days.

Fees

The processing fee is FCFA 60,000 for adults and FCFA 30,000 for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Applications for children under the age of six are free of charge.

Applications from spouses or children of German or other EU nationals are free of charge.

The fee will not be refunded if the visa is refused or the application is withdrawn.

Further information

Information on the visa procedure can only be provided by embassy staff, not by security personnel or third parties.
The Embassy does not work with agents, travel agencies or intermediaries. Persons who claim to do so are usually acting fraudulently. Information from third parties is often incorrect. Stick to the official information on the embassy website.

Languages spoken at the Counter

At the counter, we speak German, French, English, and Wolof. If the applicant does not speak any of these four languages, it is advisable to bring a third person for interpretation.

Verification of roots in the home country

In addition to the purpose and financing of the trip, the embassy also checks the economic and family roots in the home country and uses this information to make a prognosis on the applicant's willingness to return.

Retention of certain documents

Original documents will be returned after processing has been completed if you submitted a copy when you submitted your application. Application forms and passport photos remain with the embassy.

Application does not guarantee a visa

A visa appointment and complete application documents do not guarantee that a visa will be issued.

Refusal / “Remonstration”

If a visa is refused, you or a third party authorised by you in writing have the option of requesting a reconsideration of the application (“Remonstration”) in writing within 4 weeks, stating the reference number and a postal address suitable for delivery. Please enclose further documents. The processing time for remonstrations is at least 4 weeks.

Collection

Check your visa sticker!

When you collect your passport, check the visa sticker for correctness and completeness. Any errors must be reported immediately!

Your visa contains your full name, passport number and photo. The period of validity of the visa is stated, i.e. the period of time during which your journey can take place. You will also see the number of days you can stay. This is the maximum number of days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area during the period of validity. We want to give you flexibility when travelling: So that you can change your travel dates at short notice if necessary, the validity of your visa is usually 15 days longer than the number of days of stay.

Entry

Please carry all original documents submitted in the visa procedure in your hand luggage when travelling. The border authorities may ask for these documents to be resubmitted at immigration control.
The border authorities may also refuse entry to visa holders even if they are in possession of a valid Schengen visa (Art. 30 Visa Code).

Data protection in the Schengen visa procedure

Your personal data is processed and stored during the visa procedure. You can find information on this on our page on data protection in the visa procedure.