Getting a Schengen visa will be harder for some expats from July

Muscat: It is not good news from Germany if you are planning on visiting this summer! Starting July 1, 2025,  Germany’s Federal Foreign Office has decided to abolish the remonstration procedure for visa rejections worldwide.

This change means that applicants whose visa applications are rejected will no longer be able to submit a formal remonstration (a type of appeal or objection) directly to the German mission that processed their application. Until now, candidates had been able to apply for a new examination of the visa application, as long as it was done within a month of receiving the visa refusal letter.

Applicants will now have the option to take legal action by filing a lawsuit with the administrative court in Berlin.

The remonstration procedure was previously a mandatory step for applicants who wished to challenge a visa rejection before pursuing legal avenues. Its abolition aims to streamline the visa application process and reduce administrative burdens. This decision applies to all German diplomatic missions globally.