Visa
A visa requirement applies for many countries’ nationals who wish to enter Germany.
An up-to-date list of all countries subject to visa regulations, as well as those which are not, can be obtained from the German Federal Foreign Office.
Table of countries
Visa-regulations
Information, contact persons, letters of invitation
To apply for a letter of invitation you must first be registered as an exhibitor or as a trade visitor. You can find a link to the registration form directly beneath your "My Book Fair" profile.
Exhibitors and trade visitors from countries subject to a visa requirement must contact the relevant German mission abroad (embassy or consulate-general) in good time to make an appointment and inform themselves about specific local conditions that may apply.
You can obtain a list of addresses of the German foreign missions from the
German Federal Foreign Office website.
The missions abroad generally take from two to ten working days to decide on applications for short-stay visas. During peak travelling periods you may need to wait longer for your application to be processed, so please be sure to submit it early.
Information regarding the documents required is available from the website of the respective foreign mission for your area, or from the local mission itself. A list of websites of the German foreign missions can likewise be found on the German Federal Foreign Office website.
As a rule, you will have to provide the following documentation:
- a completed visa application form
- a passport (valid for at least three months beyond the duration of your planned stay)
- a visa-related letter of invitation from the Frankfurt Book Fair
- confirmed travel arrangements, including flight and hotel reservations
- proof of current health insurance, valid for overseas travel
- documents proving your business relationship and commercial activities, such as a certificate of registration or a tax card
- trade visitors must provide evidence of their employment, income and marital status, as well as their social security coverage.
The Frankfurt Book Fair will be happy to help by sending you a letter of invitation from 21 May up to 1 September 2013. However, this does not guarantee the success of your visa application.
If you are registered and listed in the Who’s Who, you can request your visa-related letter of invitation here. If you have not yet completed your registration, please follow this link:
To the registration
Please take note of the customs regulations for entry to the European Union (EU) and Germany. Kindly be informed that special customs regulations apply to currency, traveller’s cheques and shares etc.
Customs regulations on cash/funds
Customs Regulations
Contact
Visa Service - Frankfurt Book Fair
Mr Lukas Brieke
Ausstellungs- und Messe GmbH Braubachstraße 16
60311 Frankfurt am Main
Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 69 2102-243
Fax: +49 (0) 69 2102-46243
E-mail: visa@book-fair.com
International contacts
Exhibitors and trade visitors from China and India may also contact our international offices in Beijing and New Delhi.
BIZ Beijing
German Book Information Centre (BIZ Peking)
Mrs Mingli Zhang
1870 Beijing Sunflower Tower
No. 37 Maizidian Street
100125 Beijing
China
Phone: +86 10 852 767 98
Fax: +86 10 852 768 06
E-mail: zhang@biz-beijing.org
GBO New Delhi
German Book Office New Delhi
Mrs Saloni Grover
A-259 2nd Floor
Defence Colony
New Delhi 110024
India
Phone: +91 (11) 40201100
Fax: +91 (11) 40201107
E-mail: grover@newdelhi.gbo.org