Declaration of commitment for a short-term stay (Schengen visa)

If you invite a foreign visitor to Germany for a short time, you can submit a declaration of commitment for your visitor. Your visitor needs such a declaration of commitment in particular if he/she is applying for a short-stay visa and cannot pay for the cost of his/her stay in Germany himself/herself. The declaration of commitment is generally recognised by German missions abroad for up to 6 months after it has been issued.

What is a short-stay visa?
With a short-stay visa, your visitor can stay in Germany for up to 90 days within a period of 180 days. It is valid for private visits, tourist trips and business trips. It is also called a "Schengen visa" or "tourist visa". You can find out more about the short-stay visa on the website of the Federal Foreign Office (see "Further Information” section).

What costs are involved?
With the declaration, you undertake to bear all the costs that the state might incur as a result of your visitor's stay in Germany. These include:
  • Cost of living (for example, for food and drink, accommodation, clothing, medical treatment, medication or nursing care)
  • Costs which arise in the event that the authorities have to send your visitor back to his/her home country under compulsion.
For more information on the scope and duration of the commitment, please refer to the "Zusatzerklärung zur Verpflichtungserklärung (Additional declaration of commitment)" (see "Forms" section).

Prerequisites

  • Appointment to appear in person
    To arrange an appointment, please contact Department B 5 using the contact form (see “More information” section). You will receive an appointment suggestion immediately.
  • Visitor has planned a short stay
    Your visitor has planned a short stay in Germany. The dates when he/she will enter Germany and when he/she will leave have been fixed.
  • Sufficient income or savings
    • You should be able to pay from your own income or savings any costs that may arise from your visit to Germany. This is assessed according to how much income you have or how much you have in savings or fixed deposit accounts and how many guests you want to invite.
    • You can find an overview of the income or savings required in each case in the chapter "More information".
    • If you cannot credibly prove your financial standing, this will be noted on the declaration of commitment.
  • Residence in Berlin (in the case of legal entities: registered office in Berlin)
    • You live in Berlin and are registered here. A secondary residence in Berlin is sufficient.
    • If a company or association or another legal entity makes the declaration, the legal entity must have its registered office in Berlin.
  • Without EU or EEA citizenship: valid residence title
    • You are not a citizen of Germany, another EU country, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Norway? Then you need a valid residence title, for example a residence permit or settlement permit.
    • Your residence title must be valid for longer than your visitor intends to stay in Germany. How long it has to be valid for thereafter depends on each individual case.
    • Permission to remain pending a decision on asylum (Aufenthaltsgestattung), temporary suspension of deportation (Duldung) or provisional residence document (Fiktionsbescheinigung) will not be sufficient.

Documents required

  • Form „Angaben zur Verpflichtungserklärung“ (filled out)
    • Please bring the form with you filled out as completely, correctly and legibly as possible.
    • Accompanying spouses and minor unmarried children of your visitor can be entered on the same form.
    • For each other family member accompanying your visitor, please fill in a separate declaration of commitment.
    • The details are voluntary. Incomplete details may, however, lead to the visa being refused.
  • Form „Belehrung zur Speicherung und Nutzung der Antragsdaten im VIS“ (filled out)
  • Form „Zusatzerklärung zur Verpflichtungserklärung“
    • Please read the information in the form carefully before your appointment with us.
    • If you have any questions about it, we will be happy to answer them at your appointment.
    • Please bring the form to the appointment, but without signing it.
  • Proof of your income or savings (original)
    If you are an employee:
    • the last three net earnings statements
    • Your employer does not issue net earnings statements every month, but only when your salary changes? Then please bring along your last net earnings statement and proof of your last 3 salary payments in the form of bank account statements.
    If you draw a pension:
    • the notice announcing the amount of your old-age pension
    If you draw unemployment benefit I (Arbeitslosengeld I):
    • the notice announcing the amount
    If you are self-employed or freelance:
    • the last tax assessment notice (if the application is submitted by 30 June, the tax assessment notice from the year before last; if the application is submitted as from 1 July, the tax assessment notice from last year) or
    • a certificate stating your approximate current net income in the last 3 months; The certificate (no older than 14 days) should be issued by a person who works as a tax advisor, auditor or lawyer (only with relevant professional experience in tax law).
    A financial evaluation is not sufficient.
  • Your health insurance
    Proof of
    • voluntary membership of the statutory health insurance scheme or
    • the amount of contributions for private health insurance, if any
  • In the case of legal entities: proof of power of representation
    e.g., by means of an extract from the commercial register (Handelsregister) or the register of associations (Vereinsregister)
  • Identity document
    • Your identity card or passport
    • Copy of passport of the person applying for the short-stay visa
  • If you do not have a regular income: Documentary evidence of savings (in the original)
    Only savings or time deposit accounts at German banks may be taken into account (no shares, funds, other securities or speculative investments).
  • More documents
    In individual cases further documents may be required

Fees

29.00 euros each declaration of commitment

Average time to process request

30 minutes

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