Where do I apply for a Germany Schengen visa in the UK?

All short-stay C visa applications go through TLScontact, which runs centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. London and Manchester serve the Embassy in London, covering England with some exceptions, Northern Ireland and Wales. Edinburgh serves the Consulate General in Edinburgh, covering Scotland.

What are the Germany visa fees in the UK?

The visa fee is EUR 90 for a Schengen A or C visa. TLScontact charges an additional service fee on top, which the Embassy does not state, so check the current amount with the centre. The Embassy says the only charges are the TLScontact service fee and the visa fee, so no agency is needed.

Which Germany visa documents do I need?

The signed VIDEX form with barcodes, one per applicant, a passport issued within the last 10 years and valid at least 3 months after the trip with two blank pages, a UK residence permit with share code valid at least one month after the trip, a 35 x 45 mm photo under three months old, a reserved return ticket, hotel bookings, proof of a UK address, three months of bank statements, an employment or status letter, three payslips for employees and insurance covering at least EUR 30,000.

How long does a Germany visa take from the UK?

About 15 working days from receipt by the mission, plus 2 to 3 working days for the passport to come back. Nationals of Russia, The Gambia, Somalia and Guinea get single-entry visas only and a standard processing period of 45 days instead of 15. You may apply up to six months before the trip.

Can I apply for a Germany visa in the UK if I am not a British citizen?

Yes, if you live here legally. The European Commission says you apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident. Applications are generally accepted only from UK residents, such as holders of a UK residence permit or share code, with anything else accepted only in very exceptional cases at a visa officer's discretion.

How does the 90/180 rule work with a Germany visa?

On each day of a stay, count back 180 days, and the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. The day of entry and the day of exit both count, and all 29 Schengen countries share one allowance. Days in the UK and time under a Schengen residence permit or long-stay visa do not count.

Will my phone work in Germany and across Schengen borders?

A Slashtel Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border. It is data only, with no number and no calls or SMS, so keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes with data roaming turned off.

Germany Visa from UK 2026: TLScontact Steps & Fees

Q: Do British citizens need a Germany visa from the UK?

No. GOV.UK says a full British citizen passport allows visa-free travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 day period, and earlier Schengen visits in the previous 180 days count towards the 90 days. Holders of other passports should check the German mission's rules and apply in the UK if they live here legally.

Q: How do I get a German visa appointment in the UK?

You normally need an appointment before lodging, and from 1 June 2026 the Embassy runs waiting lists through TLScontact in London and Manchester for tourism, business, family or friends visits and school trips. Registration is online only, appointments are first come, first served, and the service fee must be paid within 24 hours of allocation or you rejoin the list.

Q: Do I need ETIAS if I have a Germany Schengen visa?

No. ETIAS is a travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only, so people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for it. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20. The Entry/Exit System at the border is separate and free.

If you live in the UK and need a Schengen visa, you apply for a Germany visa through TLScontact at the London, Manchester or Edinburgh centre, depending on where you live. The visa fee is EUR 90, a decision normally takes about 15 working days, and British citizens do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days in any 180 days.

Who needs a Germany visa in the UK

British citizens do not need a visa for Germany: GOV.UK says a full British citizen passport allows visa-free travel in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180 day period, and earlier Schengen visits in the previous 180 days count towards that. Everyone else checks their own passport against the German rules and applies in the UK if they live here legally.

GOV.UK entry requirement pages only cover travellers on a full British citizen passport. If you hold another passport, GOV.UK points you to the relevant embassy in the UK, which for Germany is the German Embassy in London or the Consulate General in Edinburgh.

The European Commission says you apply at the consulate with territorial responsibility for the country where you are legally resident. So a non-British national living legally in the UK applies in the UK, not in their country of nationality.

Applications are generally accepted only from UK residents, for example holders of a UK residence permit or a share code. Applications from anyone else are accepted only in very exceptional cases, at a visa officer's discretion.

If you are still working out whether a visa is needed at all, the Schengen visa guide sets out the wider rules, and the Germany destination page covers the country itself.

Which Germany mission and visa centre you use

All short-stay C visa applications go through TLScontact, which runs three visa application centres in the UK: London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The London and Manchester centres serve the Embassy in London, which covers applicants living in England with some exceptions, Northern Ireland and Wales. The Edinburgh centre serves the Consulate General in Edinburgh, which covers applicants living in Scotland.

So the first decision is where you live, not where you would like to travel from. A resident of Scotland lodges at the Edinburgh centre. A resident of England, Wales or Northern Ireland lodges at London or Manchester, and picks whichever of the two suits them.

This is the TLScontact Germany UK route: you cannot lodge a short-stay application directly at the mission. The visa application centre takes your documents and biometrics on the mission's behalf.

If you are applying for a long-stay national visa rather than a short stay, the short-stay rules in this guide do not describe your route, so check with the mission directly.

Booking the appointment

You normally need an appointment before you can lodge the application, and from 1 June 2026 the Embassy runs appointment waiting lists through TLScontact in London and Manchester for tourism, business, family or friends visits and school trips. The lists exist because demand for Schengen appointments exceeds the visa section's capacity.

How the waiting list works:

Registration is online only, through TLScontact. There is no other way onto the list.
Appointments are allocated first come, first served.
The service fee must be paid within 24 hours of allocation. If it is not, the appointment is cancelled and you must rejoin the list.
Registration details must match your passport exactly.
The Embassy does not give waiting times, so plan around the list rather than assuming a slot.
No agency is needed. The Embassy states the only charges are the TLScontact service fee and the visa fee.

The official route is the online registration itself, so there is no need to pay anyone for a place on the list.

Fees and service charges

The visa fee is EUR 90 for a Schengen A or C visa. TLScontact charges an additional service fee on top, which the Embassy does not state, so check the current amount on the TLScontact site before you pay. The Embassy confirms that the TLScontact service fee and the visa fee are the only charges.

Two payments are involved and they are separate:

The visa fee of EUR 90, which is the official charge for the Schengen visa.
The TLScontact service fee, set by the visa application centre.

Because the Embassy does not publish the service fee figure, budget for it as an extra rather than assuming the EUR 90 is the total cost.

The Embassy's statement that no agency is needed is a useful check on cost: if someone quotes you a package price well above the visa fee plus the service fee, you are paying for something the official route does not require.

Documents for a Germany visa

Start with the VIDEX online application form: complete it, print it with the barcodes and sign it, with a separate form for each applicant, including children. Then build the file around your passport, your UK residence, your trip and your money.

Passport and residence:

The passport must have been issued within the last 10 years, be valid for at least 3 months after the trip ends and have at least two blank pages.
Your UK residence permit, shown with a UKVI share code, must be valid for at least one month after the trip ends.

For a tourist application the checklist asks for:

A 35 x 45 mm biometric photo no older than three months.
A reserved return ticket.
Confirmed hotel bookings for the full stay.
Proof of a UK address, such as a council tax or utility bill.
Travel health insurance with cover of at least EUR 30,000, valid for all Schengen member states.

Proof of funds and ties:

Bank statements showing three months of movements and salary payments, plus the current balance.
A letter confirming employment, student status, unemployment or pension.
For employees, the last three payslips.

The Schengen visa from the UK guide covers the document set for other Schengen destinations, which is largely the same shape.

Processing time and when to apply

A Schengen visa takes about 15 working days from receipt by the mission, plus 2 to 3 working days for the passport to come back. You may apply up to six months before your trip, so the sensible move is to book the appointment early and lodge well ahead of the flight.

Work backwards from your travel date:

15 working days for the decision.
2 to 3 working days for the passport to be returned.
Whatever time the waiting list takes to allocate you an appointment, which the Embassy does not quantify.

One exception applies to the 15 working days. Nationals of Russia, The Gambia, Somalia and Guinea are issued single-entry visas only, and the standard processing period for them is 45 days instead of 15 days.

Do not book non-refundable travel you cannot afford to lose before the visa is in your passport, even though a reserved return ticket is part of the file.

The 90/180 rule in Germany and the rest of Schengen

A Schengen short-stay visa allows up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and the 90/180 rule is a moving window: on each day of a stay, count back 180 days, and the days spent in the Schengen area in that window must not exceed 90. The day of entry and the day of exit both count, and all Schengen countries share one allowance.

The Schengen area has 29 member countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Bulgaria and Romania became full members on 1 January 2025. Cyprus and Ireland are EU countries that are not in the Schengen area.

What does not count:

Days spent in the UK.
Time under a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country.

After 90 days in a row outside the Schengen area, a new stay of up to 90 days is possible. Run your dates through the Schengen calculator before you book, especially if you have earlier trips in the window.

Visa type matters too: a single-entry visa allows one entry, a multiple-entry visa allows several visits while it is valid, and an airport transit visa only covers the international transit area of an airport.

If you visit more than one country, apply to the country where you will spend the longest time, the main destination. If the stays are equal, apply to the country you enter first.

The EU Entry/Exit System records non-EU nationals on a short stay at the external Schengen border: passport details, fingerprints, a facial image and the date and place of each entry and exit. It started on 12 October 2025, has been fully operational since 10 April 2026 and replaces passport stamping, so overstays are detected. Registration is free, there is nothing to apply for in advance, children under 12 do not give fingerprints, and holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit from an EES country are not registered. The EES page explains what happens at the border.

ETIAS is separate: it is a travel authorisation for visa-free visitors only, so people who need a Schengen visa do not apply for it. ETIAS is not yet operating and is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026, with a fee of EUR 20.

Data in Germany

A Slashtel eSIM is data only: there is no local phone number and no calls or SMS, though WhatsApp and other internet calls work over the data. The Europe+ eSIM works in all 29 Schengen countries, plus the UK and Turkey, so data keeps working when you cross a border.

Practical points for a Germany trip:

Keep your home SIM in the phone for calls and bank codes, and turn off data roaming on it to avoid roaming charges.
Buy online with an email address and a card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The QR code arrives by email within minutes.
Someone else can buy it and enter the traveller's email, so the QR code goes straight to the person who will use it.
Validity starts when the eSIM first connects at the destination, so it can be bought and installed at home before the flight.
The network is chosen automatically and cannot be picked by hand.
More data can be added to the same eSIM later, with no new QR code.
The phone must be unlocked and eSIM compatible.

Slashtel also sells mobile top-ups to more than 100 countries, delivered in minutes, which keep a prepaid home line active while you are away. Support is on WhatsApp and email, 7 days a week.

If you want to keep receiving one-time codes from UK banks while abroad, the calls, texts and OTPs guide explains how the two-SIM setup works. Size your plan with the data calculator and see the Europe eSIM page for coverage.

See Germany eSIM plans.

Sources

Checked 25 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so check the official pages before you rely on them.

Germany Visa from the UK: 2026 Schengen Application Guide

Who needs a Germany visa in the UK

Which Germany mission and visa centre you use

Booking the appointment

Fees and service charges

Documents for a Germany visa

Processing time and when to apply

The 90/180 rule in Germany and the rest of Schengen

Data in Germany

Sources

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