German Embassy announced its intention to reduce Schengen visa waiting times
The head of the German diplomatic mission in Belarus, Katrin aus dem Siepen, announced her intention to reduce Schengen visa waiting times in a video address, noted "Pozirk".
German Embassy in Belarus. Photo: Yandex Maps
“My team at the embassy and I are very pleased with the great interest in Germany. It is very important for us to strengthen existing contacts between Germany and Belarus and to promote the establishment of new ones. Visa processing plays a key role in this. Unfortunately, we cannot fully satisfy the high demand, and waiting times are significantly increasing,” said Katrin aus dem Siepen.
According to her, the embassy intends to give even more attention to this problem in the future.
“We are working on solutions that will allow us to optimize processes,” the diplomat said.
She announced a new section on the embassy's communication platforms with Belarusian citizens – “Visa: Mission Possible”. The section will feature videos designed to “make the visa application process successful,” aus dem Siepen reported.
The accompanying press release states that in 2025, the German Embassy issued about 42,000 Schengen visas to Belarusian citizens. It “is among the top ten record-holders for visa issuance among German foreign missions worldwide.”
“We are working on what we can change with our own efforts, and we strive for improvements, first and foremost regarding waiting times,” the message emphasizes.
In addition, the diplomatic mission intends to “debunk common myths about visa processing.”
In the comments, one reader reported waiting 14 months twice for an invitation to the embassy. Another reader wrote that they had been waiting for a response since March 2025, meaning 14 months had also passed.
According to data from the European Union's migration service, about 152,000 Schengen visas were issued in Belarus last year. Germany's share was approximately 28%.
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