My Visa experience

Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany, Bangalore

Visa interview date: 02/07/2018
Document last revised: 02/07/2018
By: Chidvilas Karpenahalli Ramakrishna

Some important links

Description Link

German Consulate General https://india.diplo.de/in-en/vertretungen/generalkonsulat1

Bangalore

German national Visa https://india.diplo.de/in-en/service/-/1803740

information

German visa fee, Bengaluru https://india.diplo.de/in-en/service/-/1987084

German visa slot booking link https://india.diplo.de/in-en/service/05-VisaEinreise/-

/1987006

Contact form for German https://india.diplo.de/in-

Consulate General Bengaluru de/vertretungen/generalkonsulat1/kontakt-formular-gk1

German Consulate General https://goo.gl/maps/MjicnRENurn

Bengaluru Google maps link

For visa interview preparation https://owlcation.com/academia/German-Student-Visa-

Interview-Questions-With-Answers

The visa interview is the last formality that stands in your way from your German dream. Take
care of your documents and the documents will take care of your interview. This document is
mainly for those students who fall under the German Consulate General Bengaluru i.e.students
from the states of Karnataka and Kerala. I will first describe my own experience and I will
mention some key information that might make your interview a bit less tedious. I will also
mention some important tips that you need to keep in mind and certain things that you shouldn’t
forget or shouldn’t do during your visa interview.
My visa experience:

I booked my visa slot for July 2nd on April 2nd i.e. in Bengaluru you can generally book a slot
3 months from now. The consulate is very small and there are only 4 people to conduct the
interviews. Recently due to shortage of visa slots i.e. from June, they have introduced some
new slots in the morning from 8:15 am to 9:00 am to accommodate some more students.

The consulate opens at 8:00 am sharp and you need to go to the 2nd floor of the building. There
is enough space to sit inside and enough space around the building to park your 2 wheelers (No
idea regarding 4 wheeler parking. So, all rich people need to take care of that :-p). There is also
a hotel right next to the building if you need to eat something and Bank of India if you need to
get a new DD or something.

I had my slot at 9:00am. However, I went there very early at around 7:30am and entered the
building at 8:00am sharp. Even though I had around 1 hour left for my actual visa slot, I got an
early slot because I reached early. So, go as soon as possible, they will allow you to go inside
if the people from previous slots don’t show up.

Note: Take extra precaution when you booking your slot. Mention your passport number and
your complete name perfectly. Your slot confirmation sent to you visa email will not contain
your passport number and your slot might end up getting cancelled if you mention it wrong.

Steps before interview:

1. Get inside the consulate. They will call everyone who belong to that particular slot (for ex.
9:00am to 9:20am slot). Have your email printout of the slot booking confirmation in your
hand along with your passport so that your verification is done quickly and you get earlier
slots.
2. Once the verification is complete, they will write the counter number on your email printout
and they will allow you to go inside. They don’t give you any lockers to keep your bags.
Just dump all the unwanted stuff in your bag and switch off your phone. Sit close to the
counter you are assigned as you will not be able to hear anything the interviewer says and
you won’t know if they call your name.
3. After you get in, the guard will ask you to paste the photograph on the forms. You can sign
your forms before you go inside the consulate. There won’t be much time once you enter.
My interview:

Me: Hello mam, Good morning (with a smiling face)

She: Good morning. Do you have your documents ready?
Me: Yes mam.
She: Give me two sets of your documents along with 1 photograph, your passport, degree
certificate and DD.
Me: Gave the documents
She: Which course are you planning to pursue?
Me: Master of Science in Mechatronics
She: Which university?
Me: Hamburg University of Technology (TUHH)
She: Why did you choose this university?
Me: I liked the course structure in TUHH and it is one of the best colleges for Mechatronics. I
have two of my seniors who are currently studying in TUHH and I have heard a lot of good
things about the university and course.
She: How many universities had you applied for?
Me: This was my first university and I received an admit quite early. It was actually my top
priority and hence I did not apply anywhere else.
She: On nice. So what are you currently doing?
Me: I am currently working in the Indian Institute of Science as a Project Assistant.
She: Oh you haven’t resigned yet?
Me: No mam. It depends on how my interview goes today.
She: (With a smile on her face) Asked basic questions about my contact information in
Germany, accommodation related information, course related information and travel date.
Me: Answered all.
She: What do you plan to do after your Masters?
Me: I would like to come back to India and pursue a PhD here. [Tip: Never, I repeat never say
you will stay back in Germany. Everyone including the Bengaluru consulate people and even
people sitting in Germany know that you will try to get a job there but you shouldn’t be stupid
enough to mention it].
She: (smiling, all teeth visible) Oh!! Where?
Me: (with a serious face) Indian Institute of Science probably in the Aerospace department. I
worked in that department for quite some time and the professor there was the one who
encouraged me to pursue my masters in Germany.
She: (Still smiling, all teeth are still visible) what will you do after your PhD?
Me: Post-Doc
She: (Literally laughing) Do you want to study so much? Don’t you want to work?
Me: (Trying to control my laughter) (Still with a serious face) I will work after my post-doctoral
studies.
She: Okay. You can keep back the phone. I need your finger prints.
That was it. (I have neglected some minor questions asked by her)

Very Important:

1. I saw people going there and trying to talk to the interviewer through the glass. It is not
possible to hear them and you will annoy them for sure. Use the phone. If it is muted, the
light won’t be glowing. Just pick it up and they will turn it back on.
2. Don’t forget to take DD Xerox.
3. Paste your photograph on the application before you go there. At least two people were
sent back to paste it. It is a basic thing and if you don’t do it, you will end up irritating the
interviewer.
4. Give all the documents that you feel is necessary. If it is not required they will return it
back. But from your end you need to give it (Please don’t ask me any questions regarding
what documents are necessary :-p). Follow the checklist provided by them.

List of documents I submitted:

1. Original passport [they kept it]

2. Original degree certificate [they kept it]
3. Demand Draft of 6000 INR [guess who kept it :-p]
4. One photo with biometric specification
5. Two Xerox copies of the following documents
a. Passport
b. DD
c. Application form
d. Declaration of authenticity of documents
e. Cover letter
f. Degree certificate [Marks card, transcripts, 10th and 12th marks cards were not
required and were given back to me saying my degree was sufficient]
g. TUHH admission letter
h. Fintiba blocked account confirmation (Please don’t ask me about the procedure to
open a blocked account. It is covered in most of the posts and you can always
contact Fintiba directly via support@fintiba.com )
i. Loan sanction letter
 j. Accommodation offer letter from Studierendenwerk Hamburg along with the TT
copy of the paid accommodation fees
k. IELTS score card and Goethe-A2 Zertifikat
l. Work experience certificate [If you don’t have this, just take your previous 3 month
salary slip. Anything that proves your employment]

Answers to the most recurring questions:

1. Is Coracle travel insurance and health insurance accepted?

Ans: Yes the travel insurance is provided by ERV and it is accepted by the Consulate. The
health insurance is provided by TK and it is also accepted. You can also tick the relevant box
in your application form which says “Do you have health insurance that covers the Federal
Republic of Germany?” and submit the TK health insurance.

2. Can you please share your cover letter?

Ans: Nope. A big big NO. There is no particular format to it, write it on your own. Don’t forget
to sign it.

3. The full name does not appear on the SBI DD. What to do?

Ans: I got a DD from SBI where the complete name was not mentioned. Use “BLR” for
“Bangalore”. So, my DD said “CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE FEDE RAL REPUBLIC
OF GERMANY, BLR”. [You might see a gap in “FEDERAL”. It was not a typing mistake. In
SBI, after FEDE, the RAL goes to the second line and hence the gap]. It is absolutely okay.
This DD is accepted. However, I would suggest you to get a DD from other banks as they will
mention the complete name in it.

4. How will we get to know the changes in the DD fee?

Ans: The changes in the DD fee will be mentioned a week before it is implemented. It will be
displayed on the notice board next to the 4 counters. So, if you are done with your interview
just have a quick look at the notice board and see if anything has been mentioned. You can
convey the message to everyone who has an interview in the following week. Or you can
personally go within the prescribed timings and have a look.

5. What about “Additional contact and legal representation information” document?

Ans: It is needed for minors who are going to Germany and you don’t have to submit it.
6. Can I go to another university after I get my Visa?

Ans: Yes you can. Many of the students have done it.

I have tried to cover everything important in this document and if I come across some new
information, I will definitely update this document and share the same. Once you are done with
your interview, they will give you an acknowledgement slip with your DD amount and your
complete name written on it (Check it properly). You won’t get anything else. You should not
worry about your Visa interview in Bangalore. It is more of a formality than an actual interview.

All the best. Jai Hind!