Tourist Visa to Germany

I am taking a short trip(10 days ) to Germany in September. I am not sure if this is too early but I hate paper work and I'd like to get it over with as soon as possible.

I am going to need a tourist visa.

Any pointers?

Especially about Travel Health Insurance and such!

Are you invited by someone or is it just a trip on your own(staying in hotels)?

(i) You fill in the Schengen form
(ii) Be very sure to attach relevant documents like hotel bookings, return ticket details, bank statements etc.
(iii) Arrive at the embassy at the appointed hour as intimated.
(iv) Have your documents inspected and if they are okay, proceed to the interview room.
(v) There are two young Indian ladies in seperate cages (with glass in front) to interview candidates. Choose the one on the left - she is prettier and a sucker for sob stories (but disconcerted me by constantly ogling at me - there are certain hazards of being good looking ]. The one on the right is an ace b****
(vi) Travel insurance is compulsory...takes a few minutes to get so should be the least of your worries.
(vii) Entire process takes about 5-6 days from the date of submitting application

(viii) When you arrive in Germany : If travelling with wife who is 5"6", fair and more than stout, put her forward to the immigration officials....you sail through like a breeze - as my wife put it, the Germans got confused about her : "German body, Indian Looks !"....and waved us through.

Note : If the immigration official is a woman, put yourself forward....they see the Indian passport and exclaim in ecstasy : "Shahrukh Khan !"

P.S. Knowledge is two years dated....

Doesn't matter, at least for the German part (no idea about the Indian ladies for the interview), we are not really a fast changing society.

I can picture her saying that, you two are well matched!

Are you kidding me ? I first went there when I was about 14 years old (my dad had decided that we must see the country he had studied and worked in)...so we are at this hilltop restaurant (can't remember the place) and all the waitresses are enviously admiring my waist size ! "How can your waist be so thin ?" they asked. Fourteen odd years later (when I still had a mere 30" waist size being puny and all), I am accosted by these pretty young things who cluck cluck at my paunch (??) and ask : "Is it because of the oily Indian food ?"

Sidenote : Did not make me very happy when this waiter (male !) in the Italian joint in Anheauser (sp ?) Platz in Berlin discovered we were Indians, hugged me and yelled "Shahrukh Khan !"... let's stick to the women saying that shall we ? I questioned my German relative (male) very deeply about this German fixation for the Khan and his explanation was that European women love his kind of looks ! ....someone, please get me the smelling salts !

Lovely country Germany and Germans...but then I am probably extremely biased because of nostalgic reasons.

You mean her German body and my Indian looks ? Actually, the official said it all for her....

But yes, well matched....her brawn and my brains

Hm, Sharukh Khan is not really the best looking Indian actor. No idea why they acted like this. I guess most European women would prefer John Abraham

This Bollywood hype came up about 8 years ago, ok, I admit, this is something where Germany has changed

Well, put it this way, I don't exactly obsess over the guy but I wouldn't throw him out of my bed on a cold night ...

Me too; as a teenager - first ride of a motorbike, first trip without parents, first beer, first boyfriend... Not to mention amazing food and friendly welcoming people. Who wouln't be biased!

Gasp ! Such wanton brazery ! Oh England Oh England ! The understatement discarded in such debase fashion...Derozio's words may be aptly applied for England too :

My country! In thy days of glory past
A beauteous haylo* circled round thy brow
and worshipped as a deity thou wast—
Where is thy glory, where the reverence now?
..................
..................
..................
Well—let me dive into the depths of time
And bring from out the ages, that have rolled
A few small fragments of these wrecks sublime
Which human eye may never more behold

* Oops ! Sorry, I meant Halo not Haylo...

If you plan to visit Munich, book a hotel now. The Oktoberfest is in September, and hotels are very very full during that time. [I wonder why it isn't called Septemberfest instead!]

Couldn't agree more with your assessment, Federica. And J Abraham comes across as so much more brainier and therefore sexier .

@ Federica : I have a German friend there. I am going to be living with a German family.

@KABAARY : Thanks for the info Helps a lot!!
I hope I dont need to have oodles of money for a one week especially when I am staying with friends.

2 and a half months away and I am already excited.

The second European country for me, though more politically fervent people would say UK is not exactly Europe.

Because it start at the end of September and goes till the first weekend of October

I was just asking because of the health insurance, as far as I know the inviting person has to cover it (usually they do it with ADAC), but if it's compulsory for your visa application, then I am not sure about it. Kabaary seems better informed in this regard.

Hope you'll have a good time!

@ Kabaary : Can you tell me about the health insurance? Can I get it here or as Federica says I have to get my host to do it for me?

@ Federica : ADAC? What does it mean?