The Consulate General Chicago can only provide those services to residents of the states of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. If you do not live in this region, please contact the mission that is responsible for your area. To find out which of the nine German missions in the US can assist you, please use our Consulate Finder.

Information on Schengen visa appointments

All applications for Schengen visas have to be submitted through BLS International, our external service provider. Applications will no longer be accepted by this Consulate General.

​​​​​​​Click on the following link to book an appointment with BLS: https://usa.blsgermanyvisa.com/book_appointment.php

Contact

Please direct all inquiries, including regarding visa, passport, and legal, administrative, economic, and cultural matters to us via our contact form.

Please note: Due to numerous incoming inquiries, calls for passport and visa matters can only be answered on Mondays from 2 to 3 pm Central Time. Outside these hours, inquiries can be made via the contact form.

Office Hours

The German Consulate General in Chicago observes the following German and U.S. holidays and is closed for business on:

Additionally, the Consulate General is usually closed on December 24 and December 31.

Please note that an appointment is necessary for legal and consular matters at the Consulate General in Chicago. To make an appointment, please use our appointment system.

Telephone calls regarding passport and visa matters are taken according to the times listed under the bullet point “Contact” above.

Due to space restrictions, it is only possible for people to enter the Consulate General if their personal presence is necessary for the application. We also ask that you do not bring any luggage or other bulky objects with you to your appointment, as it is not possible for these to be stored.

In order to refrain from physical contact as much as possible, please pay the required fees either by credit card or with the exact dollar amount in cash. Please carry your own pen for signatures.

Access to the Consulate is permitted only to visitors with a prior appointment, and companions are only permitted for minors or people with disabilities.

Please be punctual and arrive no earlier than 10 minutes prior to the scheduled appointment as we are trying to avoid crowding the waiting area.

Passports cannot currently get picked up personally at the Consulate, they have to be sent out by mail and will incur a fee. If you wish to keep your old passport once you receive the new passport by mail, please make sure to send us your old passport once you receive the new one.

Credit Card Payment: All services offered by the Consulate General can be paid for with major credit cards (Visa or Mastercard only). Please note that surcharges might occur if your credit card was not issued by a bank in Germany. Please contact the bank which issued your credit card for further Information.