As you live in Spain, you must contact the Spanish authorities for all matters relating to your stay in the Schengen area.

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.

A visa must be applied for before entering the country for any employment over 90 days.

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.

You are generally not allowed to work for less than 90 days without 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.

A visa must be applied for before entering the country for any stay of more than 90 days.

However, there are exceptions:

Citizens of the following countries can enter Germany without a visa and apply for the required residence permit at the foreigners authority in Germany: Australia, Israel, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, the United States of America, Andorra, Brazil, El Salvador, Honduras, Monaco, San Marino and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

This does not apply if you are going to Germany for employment.

Please first check whether you can submit the application online. You can find more information here.

If this is not the case and you would like to book an appointment via our reservation system, please note that due to the high demand it is possible that there are currently no free appointments available.

New appointments are regularly released or become available again due to cancellations.

We therefore advise you to visit our online reservation system repeatedly.

For some visa types, it is possible to submit the application online via the online portal. You can find the portal under the following link.

After your documents have been checked, you will be given a priority appointment for a personal interview at the embassy.

We will be happy to arrange a joint appointment with your family.

As soon as you have been informed that you can make an appointment, book it and then inform us by e-mail or via the contact form that you would like to come to the embassy together with your family. Please provide the names and passport numbers of your family members.

You can find the necessary documents for a family reunification visa here. These must be presented at the appointment.

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

For direct application at the embassy, you will find links to the documents to be submitted below:

Documents required for: Gainful employment

Documents required for: Family reunification

Documents required for: Education

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

- Your stay in Germany is no longer than 90 days

- your internship is a compulsory part of your degree programme

- 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 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.

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.