China → Germany
A mainland China ordinary passport holder needs a Schengen visa before short tourist/business entry to Germany.
Entry clearance is based on citizenship/passport; the German Federal Foreign Office country list marks China (People's Republic) as visa required.
Based on passport-specific data. · as of 2026-06-18
Official source ↗Documents that change the outcome
- Visa-free· schengen_visa · 90 days
A valid Schengen visa may be used for Germany/other Schengen states according to the visa sticker validity, number of entries, and duration of stay; German missions advise checking those fields carefully.
source ↗
Documents & how to apply
- Travel passport — Original plus one copy of the identity page; must be personally signed, valid at least 3 months beyond the requested stay, have at least two blank visa pages, and be undamaged.
- Schengen visa application form — Complete online through VIDEX, print and sign by hand; the attached declaration and Residence Act section 54(2)(8) declaration must also be signed.
- Passport photo — One recent biometric passport photo taken within the last 6 months, with a white background.
- Travel medical insurance — Must be valid for the whole Schengen area and the full requested stay; minimum coverage EUR 30,000, explicitly covering outpatient care, hospitalization, and repatriation due to illness or death.
- Household register or Chinese residence permit — Chinese nationals submit copies of all non-blank hukou pages, no translation required; foreign nationals in China submit a copy of a valid Chinese residence permit.
- Applicant bank statements — Bank-issued and stamped statements for the last 3 months from the salary account or another regularly used account; credit-card statements are not accepted.
- Employment certificate — Must include employer contact details, letterhead, stamp, issue date, handwritten signature of the responsible person, applicant name/position/salary/employment period, and confirmation of leave and continued employment after return; Chinese company letters need a German or English translation.
- Employer or own-company business license — Submit a copy of the business license stamped with the company seal.
- Travel itinerary — Tourism applicants must submit a detailed and convincing itinerary showing places visited and transport; if booked through a travel agency, submit the agency documents.
- Flight reservation — Submit a round-trip flight reservation confirmed by the airline; cancelled reservations are not accepted.
- Proof of accommodation — For tourism, must cover the full stay in all Schengen countries, such as hotel reservations or holiday-apartment rental contracts; cancelled hotel bookings are not accepted.
- Invitation from German company or business partner — For business visits, submit the original or a clear scan plus printout of the email sending it; it must use company letterhead, be stamped and dated, handwritten-signed by the responsible person, and state purpose, dates, itinerary, places of stay, and who bears costs.
- Proof of coverage of travel and stay costs — For business visits, if the employer pays, submit the employer's last 3 months of bank statements; if the inviting company pays, it may give an undertaking under Residence Act sections 66-68; if self-funded, refer to the applicant bank statements.
- Proof of previous Schengen travel · optional — If applicable, for example an old passport or copies of previous visas.
⏱ If the documents are complete, the visa section usually completes processing in a few working days; processing can take longer if deeper review or investigation is needed. 💳 90 EUR (government fee) 📍 Usually apply by appointment through VFS.GLOBAL visa application centres in China, the contracted service provider of the German missions; only in rare cases may applications be lodged directly with the responsible German mission. The application form is completed online through VIDEX, then printed and signed.
Applications may be submitted up to 6 months before departure; the German missions in China advise preparing and booking an appointment as soon as travel plans are concrete. Incomplete applications are not accepted.
Requirements vary by consulate — verify with the official source. official ↗
Regional stay rules
Short stays are generally limited to up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across the Schengen Area as a shared area.
Common questions
No. German official guidance says entry-clearance requirements depend on the applicant's citizenship, and the German country list marks China as visa required. A US visa may affect where a Germany visa application can be lodged, but it is not a Germany/Schengen entry waiver.
Not under the German official country list. Germany determines short-stay visa need by citizenship, and China is listed as visa required. German Missions in the US also state applicants applying there need a valid US Resident Alien Card/US visa, which is an application-residence requirement, not a visa-free entry document.
Yes. The German Federal Foreign Office country list refers Hong Kong to China and states in the footnote that the visa waiver applies to Hong Kong SAR passports; the usual limit is 90 days in any 180-day period.
Generally yes, but the German official condition is that the Taiwan passport must include an identity card number; the usual limit is 90 days in any 180-day period.
Yes, if the visa is valid for the Schengen states/Germany and its validity, entries, and allowed duration of stay have not been exhausted. German Missions state that Schengen visas are also valid for other Schengen countries and advise checking validity, number of entries, and maximum duration of stay.
Verify with official sources
Visa policy changes without notice and this page is reference information that may contain errors. Before travel, verify via the official sources below or contact the destination country's embassy / consulate / immigration authority directly; final admission is at the destination government's discretion.