The Schengen visa allows you to stay a maximum of 90 days per 180 days in the Schengen area.
As the German mission abroad, we are responsible for your application if Germany is your main travel destination.

Responsible mission abroad

The German Embassy Abuja only processes visa applications to a limited extent.

The Embassy in Abuja is responsible for you if you have your residence in one of the following states:

FCT, Niger, Kwara, Kogi, Nassarawa, Benue, Taraba, Plateau, Adamawa, Gombe, Bauchi, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Yobe, Borno

and

one of the following cases applies to you

• Medical emergency
• Employees of a federal government agency on official travel (submission of pay slip as proof of employment required)
• Members of the Presidency
• Members of the National Assembly
• Members of the State House
• Members of the Senate
• Members of the military on official travel with invitation from Germany
• SSS on official travel or with full cost coverage
• Governors (+ 1 spouse or children if travelling with the Governor)
• Spouses and children of Germans (+ unmarried partners who have already received a visa in Lagos / Abuja and have already travelled)
• Transit travellers departing from Abuja
• Visitors of the Nigerian Embassy in Berlin / the Nigerian Consulate General in Frankfurt
• Employees of the German political foundations in Nigeria and GIZ (+ spouses and children)
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps in Abuja (+ spouse and children) and staff of diplomatic missions who have already obtained a visa in Lagos / Abuja and have already travelled.
• Participants in visitor programmes organised by German federal authorities (only if costs are fully covered).
• Scholarship holders whose scholarship is paid from German public funds
• UN and ECOWAS staff members on business trips
• Participants in conferences / training courses organised by the federal authorities / political foundations / GIZ, if costs are fully covered.

In all other cases, the Consulate General in Lagos is responsible for your visa application.

Leaflets on the requirements for a Schengen visa

Click here to find the lists of documents needed

Appointment

You can only apply for a visa, if you have booked an appointment in advance. This also applies to the former Walk-in applicants. Booking an appointment is free of charge.

The consulate does not encourage bookings to be made through agencies or any other third party offering their services against payment of a fee.

In order to apply for a visa, the applicant must appear in person. Appointments can only be booked via the online appointment system on the consulates website.

For more information click here

Please do not ask for special appointments, these requests cannot be met.

Application forms

Please bring the completed application form to your appointment. Without a completed form, you will be denied entry to the visa office. The visa application forms are free of charge.

In case of application of minors, both parents, who have joint custody, need to come to the consulate in person along with their child and sign the application form in front of the visa officer.

In order to obtain a visa for a minor, both parents must generally appear at the appointment. If one parent cannot appear in person, the other parent must appear and provide a signed authorization from the other parent.

If both parents are unable to attend, they can jointly authorize a third adult person to accompany the minor and apply for the visa. This power of attorney can be created informally, but must be signed by hand by both parents. Please also attach copies of their passport or ID card. The authorized person must identify themselves with a passport, voter’s card, driver’s license or NIN slip (original + copy).

Application procedure

Applications must be submitted at least 15 calendar days prior to the start of the planned trip. Applications may be submitted 6 months prior to travel.

The fee for processing a visa application is 90 euros.

The visa fee is payable at the current exchange rate of the consulate/embassy in Nigerian Naira in cash or per credit card (VISA or Mastercard). The processing fee is not refundable in case of visa rejection.

For organizational reasons, there may be waiting time at the personal interview. Applicants who arrive late for their appointment cannot be accommodated and must book a new appointment.

All required documents must be submitted in full at the personal interview. Documents sent in advance cannot be considered.

It is not possible to process incomplete applications. No positive decision can be made if incomplete applications are submitted.

The processing time of Schengen visa applications at the consulate/embassy is at least 14 days. In individual cases, the processing time may increase to several weeks.

In addition to the standard requirements, further documents may be required depending on the specifics of your application.

The consulate will not return forms, photos or documents if the application is rejected or withdrawn. Falsified documents may be forwarded to the appropriate authorities.

Decision on the application and further procedure

If the visa is granted, it is your duty to verify whether the information printed on the visa sticker is correct and complete and to report any errors to the consulate immediately. The consulate is not liable for financial damage caused by corrections not reported in good time.

If the visa is issued, the applicant must verify that the information on the visa label is correct and complete. Any errors must be reported to the consulate immediately upon collection. In case of visa refusal, you can reapply with complete documents and a new appointment.

Have a good journey! Advice for visa holders

If all the information on your visa label is correct, nothing stands in the way of your journey. Please check this as soon as you have your passport back in your hands. Please inform us immediately of any errors so that we can issue you with a new visa if necessary.
Your visa will show your full name, passport number and photo. The period of validity of the visa is indicated. This is the period of time during which your trip can take place. You will also see the number of days you can stay. This is the maximum number of days you are allowed to stay in the Schengen area during the period of validity.

The issuance of a Schengen visa does not constitute a right of entry. The final decision is made by the border police upon entry into the Schengen area. It is possible that, in addition to your passport with the valid visa, the border police will also ask you to present documents upon entry that provide information about your financial means, the duration and purpose of your stay and health insurance cover. You should therefore take a set of your visa documents (including invitation from Germany, hotel reservation, travel health insurance) with you on your trip.

You were not satisfied?

Schengen visa applicants can submit complaints about the behaviour of consular staff or the visa application process via the contact form. To do so, please select the addressee “Complaint about the Schengen visa process” in the contact form.

We will investigate your complaint as soon as we receive it.