Consulate General of Germany — Local services in New York

It might not be fair to rate this consulate on visa policy Made in Germany, but after my wife of 13 years just got a 9 day visa I feel compelled to give feedback.

We travel regularly, have paid lots of taxes in Germany, and my wife was close to being eligible for German citizenship when we left the country for the US in 2010. She had lived in Germany for over 5 years and speaks fluent German. When we went back to Germany in 2020, she got a 2 year visa, which made sense.

This time, we first had difficulty getting an appointment. Then we found out that visa services had been outsourced to a third party, staffed by contract employees with limited English (and no German) skills and no authority to give any info on processing. These people made a big stink because my wife did not have proof of where we would be staying for the last 2 nights, even though we had plenty of funds on our bank statement (which they also need, to ensure that we are not becoming a drag on the German economy, in addition to an invitation from my parents and health insurance...). After 4 weeks, and just a little over a week before our Christmas trip, we finally got her passport back - with a visa that is valid for 9 days. How ridiculous.

I so appreciate that my birth country is meticulous about who is let into the country for how long, to benefit from its tax financed welfare state. The only better representation of this immigration policy is how the Colombian niece of my German friend, an officer in the Colombian army, was denied a student visa out of concern that this young woman might want to overstay her visa - despite my (affluent) friend sponsoring her.

Meanwhile, literally millions of poor migrants are being let into the country and allowed to stay indefinitely regardless of how they behave. I sympathize with migrants (being one myself), but I shake my head at such a self-destructive immigration policy. Every legal immigrant in Germany has stories about being treated like a beggar by immigration authorities, and a big German bank famously just complained about their elite foreign employees not getting work permits in time.

We're not coming back, and my wife will never apply for a Schengen visa at this consulate again - thankfully we can do what everyone else does - enter through Italy or Spain and then continue on. Apparently Spain uses the same third party company to process visa, with same day turnaround at least in some cases. Hope this review helps others avoid unnecessary...

I had a 10am apt today Had a short but complicated LRR ride to grand central. My Illness @ COVID time occurred simultaneously end 2019. I have a walker & need to take elevator. After I took a virtural elevator GC station tour, I FREAKED , multiple elevators blocks ,located 15 stories down & blocks apart FREAKED OUT. FRIEND SAID ID DRIVE YOU BUT HAVE DR APT MYSELF. I said make it y 10 driving? She said sure. Tried unreachable taxi & then got another friend to volunteer. I had thought the consulate had photo operations, but @ last inquiry, said closed as of may ‘25. Did CVS, by me just opened & empty. Horrible, but then @ my age what can I expect. SO OFF TO THE CONSULATE WE FINALLY LEFT 8:50. THANK YOU SUMMER VACATIONERS & SOMETHING I NEVER THOUGHT ID E HAPPY ABOUT “CONGESTION PRICING, FLEW INO 48th & 1st, IN TIME TO PARK, SIGN IN & RIDE UP IN TIME. 1 DISASTER ACCOMPLISHED, more happily than ever thought NEXT THE YOUNG LADY I THE WINDOW. EXTREMELY POLITE, EXPLANATORY & EFFICIENT. SHE ASKED FOR MY APPLICATION FORM, I DIDNT KNOW I NEEDED 1 SHE GAVE ME 1 TO FILL. EASY BREEZY. SHOWED ID, passport (now expired IN JUNE (6) NOT AUG (8), I HAD FORGOTTEN IT WAS IN GERMAN DATUM. Alien card, license (awaiting renewal on new) & bank statement & card for residency proof. SO ALL WENT SWELL (There even is a nice bathroom. Babies fare not , your covered) SO CONCLUDES MY HAPPY NYC CONSULATE APPOINTMENT VISIT. SAID GOODBYE TILL NEXT TIME. THEY DO STILL HAVE AN SELF OPERATING PHOTO BOOTH....

Neutral experience - for passport-related things, process is pretty straightforward and overall uneventful. A few things I found characteristically sobering:

Typical German bureaucracy: don't expect service with a smile (exception may be lobby reception). Don't be surprised if responses come wrapped with sentiments of annoyance of the sort "Didn't you read and fully understand our entire website with all of its 516 links and 8765 footnotes?"

Payment in USD but deducted from credit card in exchanged Euros: this incurs unfavorable exchange rates and fees. I brought Euros, hoping to avoid this problem, but to no success. Why charge in Euros but force a customer to pay with USD rolled into Euros? Utter office-chair-bureaucrat-farting nonsense!

Brought copies, because the website unambiguously stated so. But, not a single one needed. This opens the online info up for interpretation: what is needed? what is real? Wonderful!

Oh, and here's the kicker: appointment wait time for a regular passport was 6 weeks for me. I called to inquire about temp passport. Guess what: wait time is also 6 weeks!...