If you’re not travelling from inside the EU/Schengen area to Heidelberg, you may need a visa to enter Germany.

First off, check if you actually need a visa to visit Germany. If you’re a citizen of one of the countries in the EU/Schengen area, you will only need valid government ID (e.g. a passport) to enter the country. (The same goes if your spouse or child is a citizen of one of those countries and you’re travelling together.) If you’re not sure, check the website of the German embassy or consulate to your country.

If you do need a visa, check the website of the German embassy (usually something ending in “diplo.de”) to your country for a list of things you need to apply for a short-term visa to Germany. You’ll probably be looking for at filling in a visa application form in your country’s language, provide some additional information, and pay a fee of about EUR 60.

You will also probably need a letter of invitation to confirm that you’re indeed visiting DjangoCon Europe. To receive an invitation, please send us an email including the following information:

• Your full legal name, as stated on your official documents
• Your date of birth
• Your current address
• Your passport number
• The full address of the embassy or consulate you’re applying to
• Your current occupation (or anything else we should supply as context/reason for the invitation)
• Your order code/url for your DjangoCon ticket

As visa applications can take some time to get processed, now is the best time to start yours!