If your child has a Kinderreissepass and has been denied boarding at the airport, please call the Call Center to request an emergency appointment. Do not go to the consular section in person. If you realize a child needs a visa in his or her Kinderreissepass, and you are unable to obtain an appointment before your planned travel date, please read our Emergency Appointment Information or call the Call Center directly.

Express German e-Passports valid for Visa Waiver Program travel are also available at your local passport office and are often quicker to obtain than applying for a visa.

Processing of applications normally takes 5-7 days from the date they are received. However, during the busy Christmas and summer seasons normal processing time may be as long as 14 days. Longer processing time may also be required in the following situations: (1) in cases where the applicant has failed to submit all the required elements of an application; (2) in cases where the Embassy requires additional information from the applicant; and (3) in cases where the Embassy has to conduct additional administrative processing.

We recommend prospective travelers submit their applications well in advance. Applicants should refrain from calling the Embassy merely to inquire about the status of their application until the full processing time has expired. We also strongly recommend that applicants not purchase airplane tickets or make nonrefundable travel arrangements until they have actually received their visa; visa applicants should never assume their application will be automatically approved.

No. DHS will decide at the airport on how long you may stay in the United States during any one visit. The visa's validity period represents the time period during which you may apply for admission to the United States as a visitor for business or pleasure.

Yes. The United States charges visa issuance (reciprocity) fees to citizens of certain countries in addition to the application fee. This fee, if applicable, must be paid before a visa can be issued. The fee must be paid in cash (US$ or Euro) at the Consular Section. The reason for this is that those countries charge U.S. citizens additional fees. To determine whether your nationality is subject to an issuance (reciprocity) fee, please check the chart at http://travel.state.gov/visa/fees/fees_3272.html

The application fee is for the processing costs and is therefore not refundable.

If you departed by a commercial air or sea carrier (airlines or cruise ships), your departure from the U.S. can be independently verified, and it is not necessary to take any further action, although holding on to your outbound (from the U.S.) boarding pass - if you still have it - can help expedite your re-entry next time you come back to the United States.

If you failed to turn in your I-94 Departure Record, please send it, along with any documentation that proves you left the United States to:

DHS - CBP SBU 1084 South Laurel Road London, KY 40744

Do not mail your Form I-94 Departure Record or supporting information to any U.S. Consulate or Embassy, to any other CBP office in the United States, or to any address other than the one above. Only at this location are we able to make the necessary corrections to CBP records to prevent inconvenience to you in the future. The London Kentucky office does not answer correspondence, so please do not ask for confirmation that your record has been updated.

More information can be found at: U.S. Customs & Border Protection website.

The requirement that a passport be valid for longer than six months of the holder's departure from the United States is waived in the case of a German passport holder. Therefore, your passport needs only be valid for the period of time you will remain in the United States. If you are traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program and your passport is not valid for 90 days, you will be admitted into the United States until the date on which your passport expires.

If you hold a visa of any classification, including a B-1/B-2 visa, you are not required to hold a return ticket; you may enter the United States on a one-way ticket. All travelers should carry with them for presentation to U.S. officials, if required, evidence of funds sufficient for their visit and, with the exception of H and L visa holders, evidence that they have a residence abroad to which they intend returning at the end of their stay. Examples of such evidence include: traveler's checks; return tickets; copy of latest bank statement; letter from parents saying they will support you; evidence of current employment; evidence of enrollment at an academic institution.

Vaccinations are no longer required for temporary travel to the United States. However, if you are intending to study or work, you should contact the school or prospective employer as they may have specific requirements.

Visitors and temporary residents are required to pay their own medical costs. As a result it is advisable to take out health insurance. Temporary visitors to the United States can obtain accident and sickness insurance before departing Germany. Most local insurance brokers as well as many travel agents can arrange such coverage with insurance firms in Germany. Those planning on remaining in the United States for any length of time or permanently may obtain health insurance after arrival there. Sometimes it is available through an employer, as many companies arrange group insurance for their employees.

If you travel to the United States visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, you may remain for up to 90 days. This period cannot be extended. If you travel to the United States on a visitor (B-2) visa, the period of time you will be allowed will be determined by the at the port of entry by the U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP). Initially they can grant a stay of six months which can be extended for a further six months at their discretion. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has sole jurisdiction over such matters.

If you take medicines containing habit-forming drugs or narcotics (e.g. cough medicine, diuretics, heart drugs, tranquilizers, sleeping pills, depressants, stimulants, etc.) you should: have all drugs, medicine and similar products properly identified; carry only the quantity that might normally be used by an individual having a health problem requiring such drugs or medicine; have either a prescription or written statement from your personal physician that the medicine is being used under a doctor's direction and is necessary for your physical well-being while traveling.

Bearers of German drivers' licenses may drive in the U.S. for a short period of time on their valid German driver's license. (Exact length depends on the individual state.) When renting a car, some rental agencies may insist on seeing an international driver's license. Please contact one of the German automobile clubs: e.g. ADAC.

Those taking up temporary residence must obtain driving licenses from the appropriate State Authority upon their arrival at their destination. The Embassy does not have any information concerning the laws of the various States on requirements for issuance of driving licenses.

For more information about obtaining a U.S. driving license, please see http://www.dmv-department-of-motor-vehicles.com.

No special documentation or vaccinations are required for dogs or cats traveling directly from Germany to the United States. A "Health Certificate” from your veterinarian is recommended. Always check with your airline before departure. For further information we refer to the U.S. Department of Agriculture at http://www.aphis.usda.gov. Note: Different rules may apply to Hawaii, see http://www.hawaiiag.org.  

It is not possible to transfer a visa from one passport to another without making a new visa application. Please note that the Embassy no longer issues visas valid "indefinitely”. If you are issued a new visa it will have a maximum validity of ten years.

If the passport in which your visa has been endorsed has expired, the visa in the old passport still can be used, provided that you also carry a valid passport of the same nationality. Note: If, when canceling your old passport, the passport authority has clipped the corners of the passport, and, in so doing, has damaged the visa in any way, that visa is no longer valid and cannot be used for travel to the United States.

While visa regulations state that a passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the date of the holder's departure from the United States, the United States has an agreement with many countries (including Germany) automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. The result is that a German passport need remain valid only for the duration of the holder's stay in the United States. If you are traveling visa free and your passport is valid for 90 days or less, you will be admitted only until the date the passport expires.

If you travel to the United States visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, you may remain for up to 90 days. This period cannot be extended. If you travel to the United States on a visitor (B-2) visa, the period of time you will be allowed will be determined by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) at the port of entry. Initially they can grant a stay of six months which can be extended for a further six months at their discretion. The U.S. Customs & Border Protection has sole jurisdiction over such matters.

If you are competing in a tournament or sporting event for which you will receive no salary or payment from a U.S source other than prize money you will require a B-1 visa. If your proposed activities are not exactly as described, you will require an O or P visa.

Provided you are customarily employed and paid by the racing team, you are a normal and necessary component of the entourage and both you and the team will receive no payment from a U.S. source other than prize money, you will require a B-1 visa. If the racecar driver is applying for an O or P visa, you should apply for the O-2 or P-1 visa to accompany him or her.

Provided the income of the team and salary of the players is principally accrued in a foreign country, you will require B-1 visas.

You will require an O or P visa.

If you are all amateurs and you will be performing in a social and/or charitable context, you will require B-2 visas, or if eligible, may travel visa-free under the visa waiver program. However, if you will be performing to a paying audience, you require P visas. If you are professional musicians, or the group includes a mixture of profession and amateur musicians, you will require P visas.

Provided you are employed by a foreign employer and your salary will continue to be paid by that employer, you will require a B-1 visa. Amateur crewmembers also qualify for the B-1 visa.

Unless the company is participating in a cultural program sponsored by the sending country; or participating in a competition for which there is no remuneration other than a prize (monetary or otherwise) and expenses, O or P visas are required.

A B-1 visa, or visa free travel is appropriate if you will utilize recording facilities for recording purposes only; the recording will be distributed and sold only outside the United States; and, there will be no public performances.

If you have to travel urgently and are unable to obtain an appointment before your planned travel date, please read our Emergency Appointment Information.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security regulations state that holders of F, M and J Nonimmigrant visas will not be admitted to the United States until a date 30 days or less prior to the beginning of your program date, or start date, as given on your form I-20 (for F or M visas) or DS-2019 (for J visas). Please consider that date carefully when making your travel plans to the United States.

If you have an F-1 visa you may remain in the United States for up to 60 days at the end of your studies; if you have an M-1 visa you may remain for up to 30 days, or in total one year from your date of admission, whichever is shorter. Holders of J-1 visas may remain for up to 30 days. If you wish to remain longer, you will be required to apply for an adjustment of status from F-1/M-1/J-1 to B-2 with the Department of Homeland Security having jurisdiction over your place of residence.

Please note that students may no longer begin studies at a U.S. school while awaiting adjudication of a change of status application. Students who have not yet received their I-20 or DS-2019 form simply have to wait until they have received all their documents from their school, along with a letter from the school stating that the student may start classes late, then apply for a regular F-1, M-1, or J-1 visa. Once you apply, we will make every effort to get you the visa in time for you to make your scheduled start of classes.

Yes. If your original student visa has expired you will need a new student visa to enter the U.S. to begin or resume your Optional Practical Training, even if the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has already issued you an Employment Authorization Card.

The Department is required by law to recover the cost of processing nonimmigrant visas through the collection of the MRV fee. Periodically, independent contractors conduct a Cost of Service Study to determine direct and indirect costs to the U.S. Government of providing consular services, such as nonimmigrant visa processing. Such a study was completed in June 2009 using an activity-based costing model, which is standard for estimating the cost of government services. The Study determined that the cost of accepting, adjudicating, and issuing nonimmigrant visas will be greater than $131 in Fiscal Year 2010, which began October 1, 2009. Also, since the last fee increase in 2008, there have been new security-related costs, new IT systems have been put in place, and there is a new mandate from Congress to charge nonimmigrant visa applicants $1 to support programs to combat trafficking in persons.

The new fees will be implemented on June 4, 2010, which is 15 days after the interim final rule was published.

Applicants will have to pay the full fee in effect on the day they apply. Applicants who paid $ 131.00 (EUR 98.25) on or before June 3, 2010 for appointments on or after June 4th will have to pay the difference to match the new visa application fees in cash at the embassy/consulate in Frankfurt am Main, Munich, or Berlin.

The Department is publishing with that rule additional cost of service data for nonimmigrant visas, and will accept public comments on that data for 60 days (until July 19, 2010). Later this summer, the Department will review and consider any comments received from the public and publish a final rule.

An independent study of consular operations costs shows that certain categories of nonimmigrant visas are more complicated and require more in-depth consideration than most other categories of nonimmigrant visas. Therefore, those categories of nonimmigrant visas have higher unit costs. The cost of accepting, adjudicating, and issuing the following categories of visas are appreciably higher than for other categories: E (treaty trader and investor); H (temporary worker or trainee); K (fiancé(e)); L (intracompany transferee); O (alien with extraordinary ability); P (athlete, artist or entertainer); Q (international cultural exchange visitors); and R (religious worker). Each of these visa categories requires a review of extensive documentation and a more in-depth interview of the applicant than other categories, such as tourists.

The proposed fees accurately reflect the processing costs incurred and regulations require full cost recovery through fees. Past increases in nonimmigrant visa fees did not negatively impact the number of applications received worldwide. The Department is aware that this fee increase may suppress the demand for nonimmigrant visas in some countries. However, the cost is still small compared to the cost of round-trip airfare from most countries to the United States. Most visas issued worldwide are tourist visas with a validity of ten years, meaning the bearer can apply for admission to the United States any time during that ten-year period.

While some countries may increase visa fees, we expect many will not because, under the principle of reciprocity, we will be able to offset the nonimmigrant fees increase with a simultaneous reduction in reciprocity fees. For some countries, the combined total of nonimmigrant visa fees and reciprocal issuance fees will remain the same.

The MRV processing fee is paid by all visa applicants, worldwide, with certain limited exceptions, for example, those pertaining to government officials. It must be paid in advance, whether or not the visa is granted. The reciprocal issuance fee is an additional charge paid by visa applicants from certain countries in certain categories and is based on fees U.S. citizens are charged for similar visas to visit those countries. The U.S. reciprocity fee is charged only if the U.S. visa is granted.