You may only enter Germany for up to 90 days with a valid Spanish residence permit.

It is not possible to enter Germany with an expired Spanish residence permit and the requested extension and/or an „autorización de regreso“.​​​​​​​

It is not possible to enter Germany with an „autorización de regreso“.

You should therefore contact the competent Spanish authority and apply for your Spanish residence permit. You can only enter Germany for up to 90 days with a valid Spanish residence permit.

The German Embassy in Madrid can only process your visa application if you have your habitual residence in Spain or Andorra.

Habitual residence is where someone actually lives, works or studies, i.e. where they have the center of their life. As a rule, habitual residence is assumed if someone lives in one place for more than six months.

The residence permit and/or registration alone do not prove habitual residence. Therefore, in cases of doubt, it may be necessary to submit further documents such as an employment contract, water/electricity/gas bills or bank statements.

For employment of up to 90 days in general you will also need a visa. There may be exceptions, e.g. for internships or artistic performances. Please contact us to clarify whether or not you require a visa.

For any employment of more than 90 days, you do need a visa.

However, there are exceptions:

1. EU nationals, nationals of the European Economic Area and nationals of Switzerland do not require a visa.

2. Nationals of the following countries also do not require a visa on entry and can apply for the required residence permit in Germany at the foreigners authority: Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. However, you can only start work if you have a corresponding German residence permit. Therefore, please enquire about the processing times. If you want to work immediately after entering Germany, you must apply for a visa beforehand.

As a general rule a visa must be applied for before entering the country for any stay of more than 90 days.

You will find more information about this and the exceptions here.

If you have a valid Spanish residence permit „régimen comunitario - familiar ciudadano de la Unión“, you can enter Germany without a visa if the EU citizen to whom the residence permit relates (spouse, child) is already in Germany or if you are moving to Germany together.

Find more information here.

Information on the visa application process can be found here.

Firstly, please check whether you can submit your application online in the consular service portal. There you will find detailed information and be guided through the application process.

For all other visa types the German Embassy in Spain does only provide information on the required documents in German and Spanish. You may also consult the website of the German mission in your home country as the visa process is similar at all German missions abroad.

For some residence purposes in Germany, e.g. for studying, a language course or the „Chancenkarte“, you must prove that you have sufficient funds to cover your living expenses. We recommend opening a blocked account for this purpose.

Information on the blocked account can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office.

In addition, a person living in Germany can submit a „formal obligation form“ for your stay. To do this, this person must contact the Foreigners' Registration Office at their place of residence.

No, your passport will be returned to you immediately.

You must present your passport again to collect your visa.

If you already have a Spanish residence permit for study or research purposes, you can use the EU mobility programme. You can find the requirements for this under the following links:

Students
Researchers

If you do not fulfil the requirements, you must apply for a visa.

You can travel to Germany for an internship without a visa if:

- Your passport and Spanish residence permit are valid for the entire duration of your stay and

- Your stay in Germany is no longer than 90 days and

- your internship is a compulsory part of your degree programme and

- you have the prior approval of the Federal Employment Agency or your internship is supported by an Erasmus grant from the European Union.

In all other cases, you will need a visa.

You can only apply for a research visa if you have a university degree that gives you access to a doctoral program. This is usually only the case with a Master's degree, so you cannot apply for a research visa during your Master's studies.

If you have an employment contract as a highly skilled worker, you can apply for a visa to work as a highly skilled worker with university degree. You can apply via our online portal.

If you have an employment contract as a research assistant but do not yet have a university degree, you can apply for a visa for employment.

If your contract states that you will do an internship, you may be eligible for a visa for a study-related internship. Your employer should then contact the Federal Employment Agency and obtain their approval. You can only apply for a visa once this agreement has been obtained.

If you are only writing your Master's thesis in Germany without working there, a visa is not required. You can then complete your stay for up to 90 days in a 180-day period with your valid Spanish residence permit.

A visa cannot be issued for every job.

Please first check whether you fulfil the requirements for the online application.

If this is not the case, your employer can contact the Federal Employment Agency and obtain preliminary approval. You and your employer can find all the relevant information at the following link.

There are many opportunities to work in Germany. On the Federal Government's portal for skilled workers from abroad, you can search for your desired job and view the opportunities available.

The portal is available in numerous languages.

You can apply for a „Working Holiday“ visa in person at the German Embassy in Madrid.

In principle, you do not need a Spanish residence permit for this visa, but there are exceptions.

You can find all the information about the requirements and the necessary documents on our website.