Visa and embassy

The German Embassy in Accra, how appointments work, fee, refusal.

You need a national visa for stays over 90 days (mission page). Ghana is not on the list of states whose citizens may apply for the residence permit inside Germany after visa-free entry (that list is § 41 AufenthV), so the visa comes first. Start at the Visa Information pages and the Visa Navigator.

Which mission

• The German Embassy in Accra accepts national-visa applications from nationals and residents of Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Address of the Consular and Visa Section: No. 4, Sam Nujoma Close, North Ridge, Accra (embassy site).
• Categories on the mission pages: family reunion, studies and language courses, employment and qualification measures (Blue Card, skilled workers, Opportunity Card) and re-entry.

Appointments

• Visa applications are accepted only with an appointment booked online; there is no walk-in. Booking is free; each person, including each child, needs an own appointment. Not by phone or e-mail (booking page).
• National visas for family reunion, skilled work, study and training go through the Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de/visa): you apply and upload documents online and receive a link to book an appointment. Some categories use separate booking links.
• Wrong category or incomplete data means no admission and a new booking. Latecomers are not admitted. Special appointments are not given.
• Family reunion: the mission page says to expect a waiting period of approximately 12 to 16 months (family page). Waiting times for work, study and training visas are not published; the mission advises applying well before your travel date.

At the appointment

• Only complete applications are processed. Certificates and diplomas must be shown in the original. The fee is paid at the appointment.
• Forged or incorrect documents lead to immediate rejection and an entry in a warning system that affects later applications.
• Do not ask for the status of your application during the normal processing period; for family reunion not earlier than 12 weeks after submission.

Fee and processing

• National visa €75 (minors €37.50, § 46 with § 50 AufenthV). The embassy's student leaflet (update Nov 2022) says payment in cash in cedi at the embassy's rate and no refund if refused. Re-check the payment method on the embassy site.
• Fee waiver: spouses, registered partners and unmarried minor children of Germans and parents of minor Germans (§ 52 (1) AufenthV); scholarship holders funded from public money and their family (§ 52 (5)).
• No general processing time is published. Do not buy flights or resign before you have the visa.

If the visa is refused

• The remonstration (objection to the mission) was abolished on 1 July 2025. There is no objection procedure for visas (§ 68 (1) S. 2 Nr. 1 VwGO).
• You can sue at the Administrative Court of Berlin within one month of service of the decision (§ 74 VwGO). The mission's FAQ puts court costs at about €480 at a value in dispute of €5,000 per applicant and expects court proceedings to take several months (FAQ).
• Or apply again with a complete file and a new appointment.

Next: Documents, Costs.