EU regulates new A1 obligation for short-term business trips
27/04/2026

According to recent press reports, the European Parliament and the Council have reached a provisional agreement on the revision of EU regulations to revise the application for A1 certificates for short business trips. In future, this obligation is to be waived for business trips of three days within a 30-day period. Postings in individual sectors would remain exempt from this. Formal confirmation and subsequent implementation is still pending.

We will be happy to keep you informed.

If you have any questions, the DVKG / GCS consular advisors are available at any time.

Your DVKG / GCS team

Entry-exit system (EES) active at all Schengen external borders
14/04/2026

The Entry-Exit System (EES) has been fully operational at all border crossings in the European Schengen area since Friday, 10.04.2026. The digital procedure applies to all travelers without EU citizenship.

The EES is an automated IT system that records the entries and exits of non-EU citizens in the Schengen area for a short-term stay of up to 90 days within a period of 180 days in one of the corresponding 29 European countries.

If you have any questions, the GCS / DVKG consular advisors will be happy to help.

Your GCS / DVKG team

Appointments at the US Consulate
13/04/2026

Dear ladies and gentlemen,

At the moment, appointments - e.g. for B1 visas, but also for other visa categories - can only be booked at the US consulates to a limited extent and sometimes with longer lead times.

We will process your orders as quickly as possible and inform you immediately as soon as and for when an appointment can be booked.

We ask you to take this into account when planning your trip.If you have any questions, the GCS / DVKG consular advisors will be happy to help you.

Your GCS / DVKG team

Registration in the crisis preparedness list (ELEFAND)
05/03/2026

Good afternoon,

We would like to draw your attention to the possibility of registering in the ELEFAND list (electronic registration of Germans abroad) of the Federal Foreign Office. This possibility exists regardless of whether it is a vacation trip, a business trip or a longer-term stay.

In the event of a crisis or disaster, registration enables the Federal Foreign Office to contact and inform German nationals quickly (e.g. about evacuation measures).A booking option is available in the DVKG / GCS portal.

Your DVKG / GCS team

Current travel warnings
01/03/2026

Good afternoon,

We would like to draw your attention to the current travel warnings of the Federal Foreign Office.

Current travel warnings - Federal Foreign Office

Your DVKG / GCS Team