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GERMANY – 2024 UEFA European Championship: Visa Impacts and Considerations
February 16, 2024
By: Soo Gurtcheff-Smit
Germany is hosting the UEFA European Championship (EURO 2024) football tournament in June and July 2024. Not only is the tournament expected to bring hundreds of thousands of fans to the country, but it will also showcase 24 national teams and host their coaching and support staff.
From a visa and immigration perspective, there will be no special visas implemented for the event. However, Newland Chase does anticipate processing impacts on the following visas:
Schengen visas
Most visitors coming from outside Europe will need to obtain a Schengen visa to travel to Germany. The resulting increase in applications at German embassies and consulates is anticipated to bring two major consequences:
- Difficulty in obtaining a Schengen visa appointment (including Schengen visas with work authorization)
- Increased processing times at German embassies and consulates
National visas
While many visitors and fans will be able to travel to the tournament on Schengen visas, some foreign nationals will be travelling for work during this period for non-exempt tournament activities and will require a work permit and German national visa. As such, German embassies and consulates will likely experience delays with these applications as well—particularly those located in Europe.
The German government has waived work requirements for nationals of certain countries (currently only the United Kingdom but additional countries may follow) and has made it possible for EURO 2024 staff (i.e. members, referees, players etc.) to travel to Germany without work authorization or visa for under 90 days. Please reach out to Newland Chase for any case-specific assessments as needed.
Newland Chase Insights
All third-country nationals planning travel to Germany in the coming months should note that consulates often face staffing shortages in the summer months. It is therefore very important to communicate these anticipated challenges to applicants with upcoming plans to apply for German visas.
As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Newland Chase dedicated contact or submit an inquiry here should you have any specific questions regarding this announcement.
This immigration update is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal or scenario-specific advice. Furthermore, it is important to note that immigration announcements are subject to sudden and unexpected changes. Readers are encouraged to reach out to Newland Chase for any case- or company-specific assessments.
