My visa interview experience at German Consulate

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio

Welcome back and get ready for the continuation of the story if you arrived here after reading the last blog post that is How to apply for German National Visa. If you didn’t read the first part, I strongly advise reading it first. You may learn more about how to prepare for a visa interview and this post will make more sense. Today I will talk about my visa interview experience and what all happened in the German Consulate.

More questions?

Once again there were many questions that I asked myself before our visa interview. I am sure you must be thinking about few of them too. For example -

• When to reach the embassy on appointment day?
• Can someone accompany me to the embassy?
• Where should I keep my belongings?
• How much will I have to pay for the visa? Do they accept cash?
• What are the questions asked by officer?
• Can I book an appointment in any state?
• How many days does it take to get the visa stamped?

Some questions may seem trivial. But rest assured that they are all essential in helping you remain composed and prepared for the interview. It might happen that your question isn’t listed here, but don’t worry I will discuss a lot of things in this post. Additionally, I made a YouTube video regarding my visa interview and what happened on the day of appointment. If you prefer to watch content rather than reading, then this video is a must watch for you.

In case you still have some doubts and queries about the interview process which were left unanswered, please leave a comment in the video or down in the comment section. We will try our best to answer them.

Reach 30 mins ahead of appointment

I arrived 30 minutes early at the consulate. There isn’t a strict dress code, but business formals are always preferable. Asked the gatekeeper if there was a lockbox in the premise where I could store my items (like wallet, phone, and bag). Fortunately, the Kolkata consulate has one near the main gate. Please note that you are not permitted to bring anyone inside with you (with the exception of your spouse if they have an appointment on the same day).

Stick to the checklist

First and foremost, make sure you have two copies of each of the documents listed on the checklist. Keep them in the same order that the checklist suggests. Please be aware that the order may or may not be followed by the officer. Be prepared for anything, but don’t lose calm. Take your time if you are not able to locate a specific document. Additionally, avoid stapling your papers. To organize them properly, you can use paper clips, though. If you have your appointment in the Mumbai consulate and your spouse accompanies you, then it’s better to carry your wedding photos and wedding card with you.

Tip: Don’t hand over all the documents at once, instead provide only the ones that you are asked for.

How to pay?

At the time of my appointment, the consulate was only accepting Demand draft. The fee was INR equivalent to 75€. Please make sure your DD should be worth equal or more than this amount, not a single penny less. Otherwise, they might reject your visa application on spot. Do not worry about currency exchange fluctuation, instead check the amount on this website india.diplo.de and issue a DD accordingly. Although your DD should not be older than 2 months, it is advisable to check the amount on the given website day before your appointment. There are couple of points that I would like to highlight here -

• Your visa fee may be waived. Check this link for eligibility.
• The Demand Draft must not be older than 2 months.
• In case you are applying from Kolkata or Mumbai, you will need to fill out a Demand draft form.
• Your friend or family member can issue a Demand draft on your behalf.
• Prefer nationalized banks to issue a DD. My friend obtained it from Punjab National bank on my behalf.

The Interview

Since my husband and I had the appointment for the same day, I was allowed to go inside with him. He was called first with his documents. He was sweating already🤭. Not because the AC wasn’t functioning, but rather because the other day he read too many blogs and comments about why someone’s visa got rejected. These thoughts were making him nervous. Fortunately, the officer was in a good mood and requested the documents in the order that he had already kept them. The question and answer portion of the interview was crucial. The officer asked below questions to him -

• “You are working in Pune, then why are you applying from Kolkata?”. I was working remotely due to the Corona situation.
• What do you do and why are you going to Germany?
• Who is your employer and what do they do?
• Where are you going to live in Germany?
• Do you have travel insurance?

Once the officer was satisfied with his answer, he was asked to submit biometrics at the fingerprint scanner.

My husband was requested to submit all the documents on my behalf. I was only asked to submit my biometrics. Surprisingly the officer didn’t ask me any questions. At the end, they kept our passport and told us to leave. He also informed us that we will get an email about our visa status later on. The whole process for us took around 30 minutes.

Tip: Don’t ask them — “when will I get my stamped visa”, they won’t answer and will tell you to wait for the email.

Visa stamping

I left the consulate at about 11:00 a.m. We arrived back at the hotel, tense and anxious, my mind was racing with a ton of unanswered questions. Like — When will I get the stamped visa? What will happen following the stamping? Will the consulate send our passport by courier? I had no idea that I would receive information about our visa status on the same day. Yes, I got an email from the consulate at around 2:00 PM informing me that my visa along with my husband’s visa had been stamped and was ready for pick up.

Tip: Just don’t forget to take a printout of the confirmation email along with you.

And thus my story about getting a national visa came to an end. But that is not the end of the book. It was only the beginning of our journey as an expat. The whole new chapter is about to begin. I hope you will join us again in our upcoming endeavor where I will share what happens next.

If you find this blog helpful then don’t forget to share with your friends and family. Till then take care and keep reading!! 👋