German Embassy in Tunisia: address, hours and booking a visa appointment

Written under our editorial standards.

Targeted correction from official sources read on 12 October 2026: jurisdiction, category-specific registration and the operational details stated below. Not a complete legal audit or a test of telephone responsiveness or appointment availability. Check the category instructions and appointment letter before travel.

Start here

Official visa page →

The official visa page for this mission. Appointments, fees and opening hours are published there and change — check it before you act.

Applications go through TLScontact.

Tunis Schengen filing uses TLScontact, but national visas do not share one embassy booking system. Some categories use the digital portal; other national categories book directly with TLScontact. Establish purpose and residence before registration; office details guarantee neither appointments nor approval.

Embassy details

Official designation: Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany — Tunis.
Head of mission: Ambassador Elisabeth Wolbers.
Address: 1 Rue du Lac Windermere, Les Berges du Lac — Tunis.
Postal address: B.P. 222, 1053 Les Berges du Lac.
Telephone: +216 71 143 200
Emergency line: +216 98 305 090 — ⚠️ for emergencies only; no visa information is given on it.
Fax: +216 71 143 299
Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 07:30 – 16:30 · Friday 07:30 – 13:00.
Summer hours: June to September: Monday to Thursday 07:30 – 16:00 · Friday 07:30 – 13:00.
Legal and consular section: Monday to Friday 08:00 – 12:00 — most services require an appointment.
Jurisdiction: Tunisia · and Libya for official consular and legal matters.
Honorary consulate: Djerba.

Jurisdiction: who applies in Tunis

Tunisia is the general district. The mission states that Libya-related legal and consular work is carried out from its Tunis office and refers to the Tripoli mission. That does not guarantee every Libyan category or a walk-in service; check the particular instructions.

The embassy also has an honorary consulate on the island of Djerba. Honorary consulates offer a far narrower range of services than an embassy — check what it actually provides before you make the journey.

How to book your appointment, step by step

Establish type, purpose and residenceSchengen for short stays within 90 days in 180; national visa for longer stays according to purpose and nationality requirements. The channel is not simply external Schengen versus always-internal national booking. Read the current category first.
For a Schengen visa: register with TLScontactSince 1 April 2022 Schengen applications are filed at the external service provider TLScontact, the embassy's only partner on this route. Registration and appointment booking happen on its site, and you must attend in person for fingerprints and questions.
Complete the VIDEX form before the appointmentThe embassy expressly recommends preparing the application online through VIDEX, printing it with its barcode and bringing it to the TLScontact appointment, because it reduces processing time noticeably. The form is available in German and French.
For national visas select portal, TLS or category listThe portal covers study/preparation, training, qualified employment and Opportunity Card. New family-list registrations use it from 15 January 2026; earlier registrations retain their place and must not register again. Certain categories book directly with TLS: language courses, agreed internships, section 81a pre-approval with family filing the same day, nurses, doctors for professional language courses, inland navigation and public-funded scholarships. Read each condition.
Separate appointment waits from processingThe figures below are dated appointment estimates, not decision periods. Do not use an old figure to commit to travel, or convert conflicting pages into a new range.
Do not ask for an expedited appointmentThe embassy states literally that no special appointment can be booked, and that questions about expediting appointments will not be answered. Anyone offering to "speed up an appointment" for money is selling what they do not have.
Attend with a complete fileMissing documents can lead to refusal, and the visa section may request additional documents in individual cases. Read the requirements list for your specific purpose of stay, not a general one.

Published waiting times for the national visa

Family reunification: About 5 months on the 29 June 2026 national pages in German/French, read 12 October. The 10 May 2022 Arabic national page and 7 March 2023 FAQ still state 9 months; that is not a currently agreed figure.
Gainful employment: More than 12 months on the national German/French pages for employment, mentioning au-pair and FSJ. Vocational training must not automatically be added to that estimate; it has a separate portal route.
Study or language course: OlderArabic pages give 6 months inFAQ and 9 in national guidance. Current German/French national pages place study in the portal and language courses among direct TLS bookings without one current estimate here for both. No 6–9 month range is created from older, differently routed information.
What these numbers are: Published appointment estimates, not decision times or appointment guarantees. Read 12 October 2026; each source’s date and context are distinguished above.

Current Schengen fees and separate charges

The European Commission lists ordinary fees of€90 for adults and€45 for ages 6–12, with case-specific reductions/exemptions and possible service-centre fees. The€40 child fee in Tunis’s 2022 Arabic page is older than the current rule. Check local-currency amounts and exemptions before payment.

Commission guidance says apply no earlier than six months and normally at least 15 days before travel. Normal processing is 15 days and can extend to 45 when further scrutiny is needed. This is not an appointment or approval promise within 15 days.

The emergency line is not for visa enquiries. National guidance says early or special-appointment requests receive no response; no faster decision is sold. Official registration is free, while applicable visa and TLS-service fees are separate.

The remonstration procedure has been abolished — this changes what you do after a refusal

The German Federal Foreign Office abolished the remonstration procedure against visa refusals worldwide with effect from 1 July 2025. If your application is refused after that date, do not send a remonstration to the mission — it will not be processed. The remaining legal route is an action before the Administrative Court in Berlin, which must be in German and involves court costs. And one door stays open always: submitting a fresh application. Which is why filing a complete file the first time now matters more than it ever did.

Official sources

Address, opening hours and jurisdiction — German Embassy Tunis · Schengen visa and TLScontact · National visa and appointment booking · FAQs and waiting times · Current Tunis national guidance:German · Current Tunis national guidance:French · EuropeanCommission:Schengen applications

Please note: this page is general guidance, not legal advice, and it is not an official page of the mission. Visa decisions are assessed individually, and the information here is taken from the official website on the verification date recorded above.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the German Embassy in Tunisia?

At 1 Rue du Lac Windermere in Les Berges du Lac, Tunis, with the postal address B.P. 222, 1053 Les Berges du Lac. If you are directed elsewhere to file a Schengen application, it is most likely the TLScontact office rather than the embassy building.

How do I book a visa appointment at the German Embassy in Tunis?

Schengen uses TLS. National categories use portal for study/training/qualified work/Opportunity Card and new family registrations from 15 January 2026, preserving earlier entries. Specified categories including language courses and conditional section 81a cases book directly with TLS; au-pair/volunteers use their list. Registration is not an immediate appointment.

Is booking an appointment free?

Mission registration and appointment booking are free. Visa and applicable TLS-service fees are separate. This does not establish that every national route excludes external providers or that paid expedited appointments are guaranteed.

How long is the waiting time for an appointment?

The 29 June 2026 German/French national pages estimate family appointments at about 5 months and employment including au-pair/FSJ at more than 12. OlderArabic pages retain different figures; study uses the portal and language courses appear in direct TLS routes, so no 6–9 range is adopted. These are appointment estimates, not decision periods.

Does the German Embassy in Tunis serve residents of Libya?

Within a defined scope: the official site states that official consular and legal work relating to Libya is carried out from the Tunis office. Confirm the mission's jurisdiction for your specific case in writing before paying fees or booking travel.

Can I apply for a Schengen visa long before travelling?

Commission guidance: not earlier than six months and normally at least 15 days before travel. Normal processing 15 days can extend to 45. Neither appointment availability nor approval is guaranteed.

What is the difference between a Schengen and a national visa?

Schengen covers short stays up to 90 days in 180; national visas cover longer stays according to purpose and nationality requirements. National does not mean one embassy booking system: categories use portal, TLS or designated lists.