Applying from a third country (Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Serbia, Türkiye)

What is confirmed about where Russians living abroad can apply, and what is not.

Many Russians now live in other countries. Where you apply depends on the German mission's own rules for that country.

What is confirmed

• The Embassy in Moscow processes visa applications for all of Russia and requires proof of habitual residence in the Russian Federation at application (national visa page). Moscow is therefore not the route for someone who lives abroad.
• Proof of funds must be a blocked account or a declaration of commitment; a Russian bank account is no longer accepted by the Embassy.
• Visas are issued by the missions abroad that the Foreign Office has authorised (§ 71 AufenthG). In practice the missions deal with people who live in their district; this is mission practice, not stated in § 71.

What you must check yourself

• Whether the German missions in Tbilisi, Yerevan, Astana, Belgrade or Ankara accept national-visa applications from Russian citizens, and what residence status in that country they ask for (a residence permit, a minimum stay). Each mission publishes its own rules; none was checked here.
• Waiting times for appointments in these countries; they differ and change.
• The rules for Schengen short stays are the same Visa Code rules for Russians everywhere, see below.

Short stays: Schengen visas for Russians

The EU-Russia visa facilitation agreement was fully suspended in 2022; for short stays the general Visa Code rules apply. The Embassy states that long-validity multiple-entry visas are in principle not issued, that security checks are strict and that non-urgent applications are handled with lower priority (Embassy Moscow). A short-stay visa does not allow a stay for work or study over 90 days.