Indian visa at the consulate in Hamburg: documents checklist for children and families

Most people use the e-Visa. It is online and fast. But sometimes it does not work out. The e-Visa takes too long, it was rejected, or you need a visa type the e-Visa does not cover. Then there is the regular visa, the one you get at the consulate.

This guide is for families in Hamburg, Bremen, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein. That is the area of the Consulate General of India in Hamburg. Everything here comes from the consulate's own visa pages, checked on 28 October 2026.

e-Visa or consulate: which one?

• e-Visa: online only, decided in India. The consulate cannot help with it. Questions go to the e-Visa helpdesk: indian.evisa@gov.in, phone 0091 11 24300666.
• Regular visa: you apply online too, but then you bring the paper form and the documents to the consulate. The consulate handles it.

If you only need a tourist or family trip and have a few days, try the e-Visa first. It is less work. Our step-by-step guide is here: Indian e-Visa form step by step.

The consulate

• Consulate General of India, Kohlhöfen 21, 20355 Hamburg
• Phone: 040 338036
• Appointments: cgihamburg.gov.in/get-appointment

You need an appointment to hand in the application. You do not need one to pick up the passport.

The four steps

Step 1: apply online. Fill the regular visa form on indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa and upload the photo and documents. Print the finished form.

Step 2: book an appointment with the consulate online.

Step 3: go to the consulate with the printed form and all documents. Stick a 2 x 2 inch photo on the form. It must be the same photo you uploaded online. Sign it in all the right places. For a child, the parents sign.

Step 4: follow the status on indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/StatusEnquiry. When it says "Printed", you can pick up the passport at the consulate on any working day between 16:00 and 17:00. No appointment is needed for that. Or you get it by post, if you gave them an envelope.

Documents for a child (tourist visa)

Take this list with you and tick it off.

• The child's original passport, valid for more than 6 months, with at least two empty pages
• A self-attested copy of the passport (you sign the copy yourself)
• One photo, 2 x 2 inches (5 x 5 cm), white background. The same photo as online.
• A self-attested copy of the Meldebescheinigung (city registration)
• A copy of the confirmed flight ticket to India
• The child's birth certificate (copy)
• Passport copies of both parents
• A consent letter signed by both parents
• A custody document from a German court, only if the parents are separated and there is one
• The visa fee. The amount is on the consulate's "Bank Details and Fee Structure" page. If you pay by bank transfer, bring the proof.
• Optional: an A5 envelope with your address and stamps for 4.45 euros (registered post, Einschreiben), if you want the passport sent home. One envelope per application.

Only if the child is not a German citizen: a copy of the German residence permit and the consulate's "Additional Form".

Former Indian citizens also need a copy of the surrender certificate or the renunciation certificate.

Family visa (dependent visa)

If one parent already has an Indian visa for work, study or business, the partner and children apply for a dependent visa. Then also bring:

• A letter from the main visa holder
• The main visa holder's passport copy
• The marriage certificate (for the spouse)
• Birth certificate and parents' passport copies (for children)
• A letter from the Indian institution, if there is one

The fee is the same as for the main visa holder.

Things people get wrong

• Different photos online and on paper. The consulate rejects this.
• Only one parent signs for a child. Both parents should sign the consent letter.
• Forgetting the flight ticket copy. For a tourist visa it is on the list.
• Copies not signed. "Self-attested" means you sign every copy yourself.
• Coming without an appointment to hand in the application.

Good to know: children under 12 and adults over 70 do not give fingerprints at the consulate.

Before the flight

• e-Arrival card: every foreign national must fill it online within 72 hours before landing, on indianvisaonline.gov.in/earrival or in the app "Indian Visa Su-Swagatam". This counts for children too.
• The passport must be valid for more than 6 months on the day of travel.
• Restricted or protected areas need extra permission and about 2 months. Check the official list if you travel near a border.
• If you come from a yellow fever country, or were in one in the last 6 days, you need the vaccination certificate.

Short checklist

• Online form filled and printed
• Appointment booked
• Same photo on paper as online
• Passport, copies signed by you
• Meldebescheinigung copy
• Flight ticket copy
• Birth certificate and parents' passport copies
• Consent letter from both parents
• Fee paid (proof if by transfer)
• Envelope with 4.45 euro stamps, if by post
• Status "Printed", then pick up between 16:00 and 17:00

More on OCI, e-Visa and fake websites: Indian visa from Germany.

All buttons in one place (apply, status, e-Arrival card, consulate appointment, tick-off checklist): Indian e-Visa help page

Checked on 28 October 2026 on the website of the Consulate General of India, Hamburg. Rules and fees can change. If something looks different, the consulate's website is always right.