When booking a visa appointment, many embassies/consulates offer a variety of options to choose from. In many cases, similar appointment types are named differently, so we have collected a few common options for you below to help you with the booking.

Firstly, there are usually two main groups of visa appointments:

Schengen-/ Short-term visas:
These types of visas are for all stays in Germany of 90 days or less. This can include business trips, tourism, and more
National visas / D-Visas
This includes all visas of duration over 90 days and may include purposes of travel such as studies, AuPair, work, Fast-track (Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren), Job seeking and more

Visa appointment types in more detail:

The Work visa

In general, you will need to apply for this visa if you wish to take up work in Germany and if you already have a signed contract or work offer from a German employer.

Depending on which permit you qualify for, you can book different appointments:

Blue Card Visa: You can apply for this if you fulfill the requirements for a Blue Card permit
Specialist with Degree: You can apply for this if you are a highly skilled worker with a degree that does not directly fulfill the Blue Card requirements
IT specialist: You can apply for this type of visa when you are highly qualified in the field of IT due to your past work experience (of at least 3 years) in regards to the German job offer but you do not carry a (recognized) degree
Company specialist: You can apply for this type of visa when you are highly qualified due to your past work experience (of at least 3 years) in regards to the German job offer but you do not carry a (recognized) degree
with pre-approval via Fast-track / Beschleunigtes Fachkräfteverfahren § 81a AufG: this visa category is only available to applicants who have undergone the Fast-track procedure which has to be initiated by us/the employer. This process is recommended only for countries in which the waiting time for an embassy appointment is 4+ months, as the process itself takes at least 2-3 months to receive the pre-approval and costs 411€ per person relocating. It has to be supported and paid for by your employer. If you book this category of appointment without having received the pre-approval, your application will not be accepted.
ICT Visa: You can only apply for this visa category if your employer in your home country has an entity here in Germany where they wish to send you for a limited period of time
Visa with pre-approval by the German Employment agency: this category can often be booked if we have already applied for an LMA (labor market approval) and received it from the German employment agency. This is to be differentiated from the Fast-track pre-approval!

Other visa types:

The Family Reunion Visa:
This visa type can be booked for all of the close family members (e.g. spouse or children under 18) you wish to have join you in Germany and who will not have their own income upon arrival! We usually advise to apply at the same time as you are applying for your work visa to ensure a quick processing, as family reunion visas can take a long time to be issued.
Business Trip visa:
- this should be booked if you have an invitation from a German employer via your employer in your home country to visit with the German company for a specific time frame
Schengen Visa for touristic purposes:
- For visits to Germany. You are not allowed to work in Germany on this visa!
Study Visa:
- For the purpose of exchange or full-time studies in Germany. It may also include a permit to work but this is decided on individual basis and should not be used as a permit to work in Germany solely.
Job Seeker Visa:
- You can apply for this visa if you wish to seek employment in Germany

To know which visa you may qualify for, please check the case evaluation summary your case manager sent you at the beginning of your process. It should include information on the general visa type you would most likely be eligible for.

Additionally, you can also check our article on types of visas:

Visa types

Whenever you are unsure of which category to book or if the embassy/consulate you are applying at is using different categories, please contact your case manager and they will be happy to help you choose the correct appointment type!