Germany Visa from UK 2026: Schengen Requirements, TLScontact Appointments, Jurisdiction and Processing Time

Germany Schengen Visa from the UK - 2026 Quick Answer

The German Embassy in London confirms that British citizens need no visa for Germany for up to 90 days in any 180, if they pursue no economic activity.

UK residence is another matter. The German missions say a British residence permit, ILR included, does not exempt anyone from the visa requirement. Germany's list dated 3 June 2026 marks India, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines as visa-required, so UK residents with those passports apply for a short-stay Schengen (type C) visa.

In short, as of October 2026:

• Who: UK residents, including UK short-term study visa holders.
• Where: TLScontact in London, Manchester or Edinburgh, depending on where you live.
• Booking: a waiting list in London and Manchester since 1 June 2026.
• Cost: EUR 90 for adults plus a TLScontact service fee.
• Time: about 15 working days, plus 2-3 for the passport's return.
• Earliest application: six months before the trip.

In 2025, according to European Commission data, the Embassy in London did not issue a visa in 3.3% of its 30,927 applications, and Edinburgh in 1.2% of 1,798. That compares with 10.5% for all Schengen consulates in the UK and 13.1% for Germany worldwide. In London, 75.1% of visas issued were multiple-entry. The figures cover all nationalities and are no forecast for a single file.

Jurisdiction - London, Edinburgh and Where You Live

Where you live decides which German mission handles the file. The districts changed on 1 February 2025:

• Scotland: Consulate General in Edinburgh, via TLScontact Edinburgh.
• England, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, Gibraltar and the Falklands: Embassy in London, via TLScontact London or Manchester.

Residents of Cumbria, Durham, Northumberland, North Yorkshire and Tyne and Wear used to belong to Edinburgh. They now apply through the Embassy, at Manchester or London. There is no German visa centre in Birmingham, since TLScontact runs only the London, Manchester and Edinburgh centres.

The missions accept applications from UK residents, including people on a UK short-term study visa. Visitors are expected to apply in their country of residence. Non-residents are accepted only in very exceptional cases, at a visa officer's discretion, and are likely to be asked why they could not apply at home.

Appointments at TLScontact Centres and Waiting Lists

All Schengen C visas and airport transit A visas go through TLScontact and are booked on its website.

The waiting list

Since 1 June 2026 London and Manchester have run separate waiting lists for tourism and planned medical treatment, business, family or friends visits, and organised school trips. Places go first come, first served and are allocated automatically.

The Embassy advises registering once the purpose and approximate dates are known. It publishes no waiting times and does not answer emails about them, so plan with a wide margin.

How Edinburgh releases slots is not described on the missions' pages as of October 2026. We recommend Scottish residents check TLScontact's Edinburgh page.

Three ways to lose a slot

• Not paying the TLScontact service fee within 24 hours of allocation. The appointment is cancelled and you re-join the list.
• Registration details that differ from the passport or other documents. You register again from the beginning.
• The wrong category. TLScontact sends the applicant away. Trade fairs and church events count as tourism, not business.

Every applicant attends in person for biometrics, with possible exceptions for those issued a Schengen visa in the last five years. A family of four books four appointments, and children attend. Children under 12 give no fingerprints.

Germany states that no agency is needed and there are no booking fees. If you use one, Visarun included, the value lies in checking the file and picking the right category, not in buying a slot.

Documents Checklist for UK Residents

This list follows the Embassy's C visa checklist as of October 2026. The mission may ask for more, and a complete file does not guarantee a visa.

Core documents

• VIDEX online form, printed with the barcodes and signed, one per applicant and per child.
• Passport signed by the holder, issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months after the trip, with 2 consecutive blank pages, plus a copy of the bio page.
• Biometric photo, 35 x 45 mm, under three months old and not digitally altered. Machines at the Embassy and the TLScontact centre print four for GBP 10.
• Share-code printout from the UKVI Prove your immigration status service (or your UK visa), plus a photocopy.
• Proof of UK address, such as a council tax bill, utility bill, bank statement or pension certificate.
• Travel health insurance of at least EUR 30,000, valid for all Schengen states.
• A reserved return ticket. Tourists add confirmed hotel bookings for the stay, or a tour booking.

UK permission needs to run at least one month after the trip ends. Germany's page on reading a visa also ties residence to the visa's own validity, so a short remaining permission may in practice cap a multiple-entry visa. A passport close to expiry works the same way. We recommend applying with both comfortably beyond the trip.

A BRP card no longer proves status. A share code lasts 90 days, so generate it close to the appointment.

Money and work

• Three months of UK bank statements in your name, showing movements, ideally salary, and the current balance.
• Credit card statements with your name, address and monthly limit.
• A letter confirming employment, studies, unemployment or pension. Employees add three payslips.
• Self-employed: a recent letter from an accountant, banker or solicitor stating the UK registration number and annual remuneration.
• Non-working spouse: marriage certificate, the partner's three-month statements and a signed letter of support.

Extra papers by purpose

• Family or friends: a recent informal invitation and a copy of the host's passport bio page (plus German residence permit if relevant). Funds can be your own statements or a formal obligation letter (Verpflichtungserklärung) from the host's local immigration office.
• Business: a recent signed invitation from the German partner stating the purpose, duration and who pays, plus an employer's letter.
• Children: a form signed by both parents (or proof of sole custody), both parents' passports with copies, and the birth certificate with a copy.

Documents not in German, English, Spanish or French need a translation into German or English. Germany advises against firm travel commitments before approval, so a fully refundable ticket may suit the file.

Fees and Service Charges

As of October 2026, Germany's fee page and the EU Visa Code set the visa fee at:

• Adults: EUR 90
• Children aged 6 to 11: EUR 45
• Children under 6: free

The fee is paid on submission and is not refunded after a refusal or withdrawal. It may be charged in pounds at an amount based on the European Central Bank reference rate, possibly rounded up. We have not verified the current sterling figure, so check it with TLScontact.

TLScontact adds its own service fee, which is also non-refundable. Under Article 17(4) of the Visa Code it cannot exceed half the EUR 90 visa fee, so EUR 45 at most, even when the visa fee is waived. The current amount and payment options are on TLScontact's Germany UK fee page.

Processing Time and Passport Return

Germany's UK missions quote approximately 15 working days from the date the Embassy or Consulate General receives the application, plus 2-3 working days for the passport's return. As a rough guide, that is about three weeks plus return time, if no public holidays fall in between.

Incomplete files take longer. So may C visas involving economic activity, which can need approval from the Federal Employment Agency, and applications from people who previously lived in Germany.

The legal clock is separate. It starts once the application is filed, biometrics are taken and the fee is paid. The Visa Code then sets a decision within 15 calendar days, extendable to 45 in individual cases.

Status and passport return

The missions offer no status tracking, only a file number, and status questions go unanswered. The missions write to the email given in the application, and they advise whitelisting auswaertiges-amt.de so messages stay out of spam.

The passport stays with TLScontact during processing and comes back by post. TLScontact sets the return options. The missions accept no liability in transit.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in late September 2026, an Indian couple living in the UK attended TLScontact London on 16 September and had their passports back on 30 September with six-month multiple-entry visas. That is one case, not a typical timeline. Another report on Reddit in October 2026 describes a business trip cancelled because the visa was to be processed after the travel dates.

On receipt, check the name, passport number, dates and entries, and report errors at once. A visa does not guarantee entry, so carry copies of your documents.

Christmas Markets and Multi-Country Trips

Nuremberg's Christkindlesmarkt runs from 27 November to 24 December 2026 on the Hauptmarkt, according to the City of Nuremberg, daily from 10:00 to 21:00 and until 14:00 on Christmas Eve. The city gives no guarantee it runs as announced. Other cities publish their own dates.

When to apply for a December trip

By our own count, using the missions' 15 working days plus up to 3 for return, these are the latest lodging dates. It is not an official deadline, assumes the file reaches the mission the same day and leaves out waiting-list time.

• Departure Friday 4 December: lodge by Tuesday 10 November
• Departure Friday 11 December: lodge by Tuesday 17 November
• Departure Friday 18 December: lodge by Tuesday 24 November

The Visa Code's usual minimum of 15 calendar days would point to 19 November, 26 November and 3 December, which is too late on Germany's own timeline. With the waiting list on top, we recommend registering as early as possible.

The Embassy in London is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December 2026. Edinburgh closes on the same days plus 1 and 4 January 2027. TLScontact's own closures are not on the missions' pages, so check TLS notices too.

Germany plus Austria or Czechia

You apply to the sole destination or, on a multi-country trip, to the main one by nights or by purpose. If neither decides it, the country of first entry takes the application. Five nights in Germany and two in Prague go to Germany. Four nights in Vienna and three in Munich go to Austria.

According to applicant reports on Reddit in early October 2026, a UK resident visiting a brother in Germany was told to apply through France because it is "quicker/easier". The rule does not allow that choice. Another October 2026 Reddit report describes a first German visa valid for just four days. Validity is the officer's decision, and the itinerary sets where you apply.

Recent Changes (2025-2026)

• 1 February 2025: new consular districts. Edinburgh serves Scotland only, and five northern English counties moved to London.
• 1 July 2025: remonstration, the informal appeal against a refusal, abolished worldwide. The options now are a lawsuit at the Berlin Administrative Court, in German and with court costs, or a new application.
• BRPs replaced by eVisas: all BRPs have expired. An expired card may work for 24 months after its printed expiry or until 31 December 2026, whichever comes first, and only to sign in, create a UKVI account or apply to extend.
• 10 April 2026: the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational across all Schengen countries. Fingerprints and a facial image are taken at the border, passports are no longer stamped, and visa rules are unchanged.
• 1 June 2026: waiting lists at TLScontact London and Manchester.
• 1 August 2026: pupils at UK schools with a long-term UK residence permit can join an organised school trip to Germany without a visa if listed on a school-certified List of Travellers and accompanied by teachers throughout.

eVisa holders do well to check that their UKVI account shows their current passport before travelling. A carrier may refuse boarding on the way back if the details are wrong.

ETIAS concerns only visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens. As of April 2026 the European Commission planned it for the last quarter of 2026, and no start date had been announced by late October.

FAQ

Do I need a German visa if I have ILR in the UK?

Yes, if your nationality requires one. ILR does not exempt anyone from the Schengen visa requirement.

My child is British but I am not. Who needs a visa?

The British child travels visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180. A parent with a visa-required nationality still applies, at their own appointment.

Do UK refugee travel documents need a visa for Germany?

UK-issued 1951 Convention travel documents (dark blue) and 1954 stateless person's travel documents (red) need no visa for Germany for up to 90 days in 180. British Certificates of Travel (black) need one. Other Schengen states may treat them differently.

I live in Scotland. Can I book TLScontact Manchester?

No. Applicants are assigned by place of residence, and Scottish residents belong to Edinburgh, so they apply through TLScontact Edinburgh.

Can I change my visa dates or hold two visas?

Germany does not change the dates of an issued visa, so new dates need a new application. Two visas with overlapping validity are not allowed, and only the issuing mission can cancel a Schengen visa.

My visa was refused. Can I appeal?

Remonstration ended on 1 July 2025. The options are a complaint at the Berlin Administrative Court or a new application at any time. We recommend addressing the refusal reason first.

How long does my UK visa need to be valid?

At least one month after the trip ends, per Germany's checklist. A short remaining permission may also mean a shorter visa.

Can I get a multiple-entry visa on a first application?

It happens, but it is not automatic. The Visa Code cascade gives a one-year multiple-entry visa after three visas lawfully used within two years, then two years, then five. Validity stays the officer's call.

Do I need ETIAS if I already have a Schengen visa?

No. ETIAS is for visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens. Visa holders travel on their visa.