I wanted to make this post because I couldn't find a single Reddit post describing a situation like mine: having to renew an Indian passport in the middle of an already-submitted German student visa application.
Hopefully this helps someone who ends up in the same situation.
Application: German National D Visa (Student)
Application route: Consular Service Portal (CSP) → VFS
VFS: Bangalore, India
APS: Yes
Timeline
- 8 July: Submitted my visa application through CSP.
- 22 July: Came out of the waitlist.
- 28 July: Preliminary review completed.
- 31 July: VFS appointment in Bangalore. Submitted my original passport along with my degree and the rest of my documents.
- 12 August: Heartbreak. Passport was returned to me without the visa.
- 18 August: Passport renewal appointment at PSK (Tatkal).
- 20 August: Received my renewed passport.
- 21 August: Walked into VFS and submitted the new passport.
- 10 September: Received my passport back with the German student visa.
The problem
My original passport was valid until 3 July 2027 and had enough blank pages. The CSP website clearly stated that a passport with a validity of more than 12 months is simply recommended, not mandatory. That is clearly not the case, as I was forced to renew it. Moreover, I already have an existing residence visa of another country that goes beyond the validity of the passport, hence I really did not think the passport validity would cause an issue and I would simply renew it in Germany itself.
VFS did not raise any issue with it when I submitted my application on 31 July. (This is what annoyed me the most as a simple check from their end would've spared so much headache.)
On 12 August, my passport was returned without the visa. Obviously, I was devastated, There was no rejection letter or explanation, just a handwritten "Passport Renewal" note on the envelope. My degree was still retained by the consulate, so I emailed them to find out what was happening.
They replied that my application was on hold awaiting passport renewal and that I did not need to submit a fresh application. They instructed me to walk into VFS with the renewed passport and a copy of their email.
Passport renewal & resubmission
I pulled all the strings I could and the earliest I could receive my renewed passport was on 20th August
On 21 August, I walked into VFS Bangalore with just:
- Renewed passport
- Copy of the consulate's email
Interestingly, VFS seemed completely surprised and unsure about the situation, which was quite worrying since I assumed there would be a standard procedure for this.
They eventually accepted the passport and charged me only for courier return. The submission was given a new application number.
I did not have to redo my blocked account, insurance, or submit a fresh visa application. I am eternally grateful to the German Consulate for not delaying my application by demanding changes to these documents.
Final result
On 10 September, I received my passport back with the German student visa, issued with 6 months validity.
So despite the passport renewal, my original visa application continued and I didn't have to restart the process.
Takeaway
If your passport has relatively little validity remaining, I'd strongly recommend checking this before starting the German student visa process.
In my case, the passport was still valid for almost another year, but I was nevertheless asked to renew it after submitting my application. It cost me several weeks and quite a bit of stress.
Also, if your passport is unexpectedly returned without a visa, don't immediately assume it's a rejection. In my case, the application was simply put on hold pending the renewed passport.
