Nationalities › Germany
Germany · Europe
U.S. visas issued to nationals of Germany
The reports below contain preliminary data which are subject to change. Beginning with FY 2020, individual monthly issuance reports should not be aggregated, as this will not provide an accurate issuance total for the fiscal year to date. Instead, refer to our annual Report of the Visa Office for final full Fiscal Year statistics.
Nationals of Germany were issued 4,405 U.S. nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, close to September 2024 (4,581, -4%), the 26th largest nationality of 203 in the month's table.
For the full fiscal year the Department's Report of the Visa Office lists 69,363 nonimmigrant visas issued to nationals of Germany in FY2024, 0.6% of the 10,969,936 issued worldwide and the 26th largest nationality of 197. The previous year's figure was 65,690 (FY2023).
The largest classes in September 2025 were B1/B2 (temporary visitor for business and pleasure) with 1,897, J1 (exchange visitor) with 429 and C1/D (combined transit and crewmember visa) with 427. 116 immigrant visas were issued to applicants chargeable to Germany in the same month, led by IR1 (37) and DV (24).
The Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (visitor) visa applicants who are nationals of Germany was 12.22% in FY2025, close to the Europe median of 15.20%; it was 10.02% in FY2024. The rate covers B visas only and is the Department's own calculation, counting each applicant once by their final status in the year.
In the Diversity Visa program, 420 entrants chargeable to Germany were selected for DV-2026, 0.3% of all selectees that year; the count was 479 for DV-2025. Selection is not a visa; the Department's pages explain that selectees must still qualify and that more are selected than there are visas.
3 U.S. posts in Germany (Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich) issued 7,073 nonimmigrant visas in September 2025, to applicants of all nationalities.
Nonimmigrant issuances by month
Compared with the Europe region and the world
| Measure | Germany | Europe (55 nationalities) | All nationalities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonimmigrant visas, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | 69,363 | 1,012,314 | 10,969,936 |
| Median nationality, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office | — | 8,239 | 7,901 |
| Nonimmigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 4,405 | 68,373 | 823,557 |
| Change on Sep 2024 | -4% | — | -11% |
| Immigrant visas, Sep 2025 | 116 | — | 45,966 |
| B-visa adjusted refusal rate, FY2025 | 12.22% | 15.20% | 31.28% |
| DV-2026 selectees | 420 | — | 129,516 |
Fiscal-year rows are the Department's Report of the Visa Office tables; monthly rows are the September 2025 report alone. Region and world refusal figures are medians across the nationalities listed in the Department's table for that year; regions follow the Report of the Visa Office grouping.
Visa classes, FY2024, Report of the Visa Office
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued, FY2024 | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 25,092 | 36.2% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 14,219 | 20.5% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 6,903 | 10% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 5,878 | 8.5% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 3,902 | 5.6% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 2,708 | 3.9% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 1,559 | 2.2% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 1,459 | 2.1% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 848 | 1.2% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 791 | 1.1% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 771 | 1.1% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 725 | 1% |
| NATO6 | Member of a civilian component accompanying a force entering under the NATO agreements, and their dependents | 556 | 0.8% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 513 | 0.7% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 485 | 0.7% |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 447 | 0.6% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 301 | 0.4% |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 287 | 0.4% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 266 | 0.4% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 262 | 0.4% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 204 | 0.3% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 189 | 0.3% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 179 | 0.3% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 164 | 0.2% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 122 | 0.2% |
| G1 | Principal resident representative of recognized foreign government to international organization, staff, or immediate family | 83 | 0.1% |
| F2 | Spouse or child of F1 | 61 | 0.1% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 61 | 0.1% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 49 | 0.1% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 43 | 0.1% |
From the Department's annual NIV detail table (nationality by class). Older symbol spellings in the table (B-1,2; H-1B) are shown in the current form.
Visa classes, September 2025
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1/B2 | Temporary visitor for business and pleasure | 1,897 | 43.1% |
| J1 | Exchange visitor | 429 | 9.7% |
| C1/D | Combined transit and crewmember visa | 427 | 9.7% |
| E2 | Treaty investor, spouse or child | 342 | 7.8% |
| L1 | Intracompany transferee (executive, managerial, and specialized personnel continuing employment with international firm or corporation) | 311 | 7.1% |
| L2 | Spouse or child of intracompany transferee | 130 | 3% |
| A2 | Other foreign government official or employee, or immediate family | 122 | 2.8% |
| F1 | Student in an academic or language training program | 121 | 2.7% |
| I | Representative of foreign information media, spouse and children | 75 | 1.7% |
| H1B | Temporary worker of distinguished merit and ability performing services other than as a registered nurse | 69 | 1.6% |
| P1 | Internationally recognized athlete or member of internationally recognized entertainment group | 62 | 1.4% |
| O1 | Person with extraordinary ability in sciences, arts, education, business or athletics | 54 | 1.2% |
| G2 | Other representative of recognized foreign member government to international organization, and immediate family | 42 | 1% |
| M1 | Vocational student and other nonacademic student | 42 | 1% |
| NATO6 | Member of a civilian component accompanying a force entering under the NATO agreements, and their dependents | 35 | 0.8% |
| G4 | International organization officer or employee, and immediate family | 34 | 0.8% |
| H4 | Spouse or child of H-1B/B1/C, H-2A/B, or H-3 | 33 | 0.7% |
| NATO2 | Other representative of member state to NATO and immediate family; dependents of member of a force entering under the NATO agreements; members of such a force if issued visas | 32 | 0.7% |
| J2 | Spouse or child of exchange visitor | 26 | 0.6% |
| E1 | Treaty trader, spouse or child | 20 | 0.5% |
| O2 | Person accompanying and assisting in the artistic or athletic performance by O-1 | 16 | 0.4% |
| A1 | Ambassador, public minister, career diplomat or consular officer, or immediate family | 12 | 0.3% |
| O3 | Spouse or child of O-1 or O-2 | 11 | 0.2% |
| Q1 | Participant in an international cultural exchange program | 10 | 0.2% |
| B1 | Temporary visitor for business | 9 | 0.2% |
| R1 | Alien in a religious occupation | 9 | 0.2% |
| P3 | Artist or entertainer in a culturally unique program | 7 | 0.2% |
| H3 | Trainee | 6 | 0.1% |
| B2 | Temporary visitor for pleasure | 3 | 0.1% |
| K1 | Fiance(e) of U.S. citizen | 3 | 0.1% |
Immigrant visa classes, September 2025 (foreign state of chargeability)
| Class | Description (State Department) | Issued | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| IR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen | 37 | 31.9% |
| DV | Diversity immigrant (DV1, DV2, DV3) | 24 | 20.7% |
| CR1 | Spouse of U.S. citizen (conditional status) | 22 | 19% |
| IR5 | Parent of U.S. citizen at least 21 years of age | 8 | 6.9% |
| IR2 | Child of U.S. citizen | 7 | 6% |
| E1 | Employment first preference (priority workers): person with extraordinary ability, outstanding professor or researcher, multinational executive or manager, spouse and child (E11-E15) | 5 | 4.3% |
| SQ3 | Child of SQ1 | 5 | 4.3% |
| F3 | Family third preference: married son or daughter of U.S. citizen, spouse and child (F31, F32, F33, C31-C33, B31-B33) | 3 | 2.6% |
| SB1 | Returning resident | 3 | 2.6% |
| FX | Family second preference, exempt from country limitations: spouse or child of lawful permanent resident (FX1, FX2, FX3, CX1-CX3, BX1-BX3) | 2 | 1.7% |
Nonimmigrant issuances by fiscal year, Report of the Visa Office
| Fiscal year | All classes | Visitors (B) | Students, exchange (F, M, J) | Temporary workers | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2015 | 65,798 | 9,442 | 31,453 | 14,709 | — |
| FY2016 | 79,124 | 24,083 | 29,563 | 14,871 | +20% |
| FY2017 | 78,085 | 26,189 | 26,766 | 14,571 | -1% |
| FY2018 | 70,560 | 22,077 | 25,657 | 13,521 | -10% |
| FY2019 | 64,866 | 18,648 | 25,124 | 12,937 | -8% |
| FY2020 | 27,075 | 8,146 | 8,111 | 5,951 | -58% |
| FY2021 | 27,883 | 820 | 15,635 | 6,520 | +3% |
| FY2022 | 56,026 | 11,844 | 23,784 | 12,817 | +101% |
| FY2023 | 65,690 | 22,844 | 20,829 | 12,773 | +17% |
| FY2024 | 69,363 | 25,148 | 20,916 | 12,592 | +6% |
Fiscal years run October to September. Every row is the Department's final annual detail table for that year; the visitor, student and worker columns add the table's class columns within one year. No monthly reports are summed.
Adjusted B-visa refusal rate by fiscal year
Dark bar: Germany. Grey bar: Europe median for the same year. The Department's rate covers B visas only; it counts each applicant once, in the status in which the fiscal year ended, so an applicant refused and later issued in the same year counts as an issuance. Source tables: FY2023, FY2024, FY2025.
Diversity Visa selectees by program year
| Program year | Selectees chargeable to Germany | Share of all selectees | All selectees |
|---|---|---|---|
| DV-2016 | 678 | 0.7% | 91,563 |
| DV-2017 | 532 | 0.6% | 83,910 |
| DV-2018 | 886 | 0.8% | 115,968 |
| DV-2019 | 488 | 0.6% | 87,610 |
| DV-2020 | 328 | 0.4% | 83,884 |
| DV-2021 | 563 | 0.4% | 132,404 |
| DV-2022 | 526 | 0.4% | 119,021 |
| DV-2023 | 512 | 0.4% | 119,262 |
| DV-2024 | 466 | 0.3% | 142,947 |
| DV-2025 | 479 | 0.4% | 131,060 |
| DV-2026 | 420 | 0.3% | 129,516 |
Counts of selected entrants as published on the Department's "selected entrants" pages; no names are published or held. Selection is not a visa: the Department selects more entrants than visas available, and DV visas are issued only to selectees who qualify before the program year ends.
U.S. posts in Germany
- Berlin: 1,884 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
- Frankfurt: 3,518 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
- Munich: 1,671 nonimmigrant visas issued in Sep 2025, to applicants of all nationalities
Questions and answers
What is the U.S. visa refusal rate for nationals of Germany?
The State Department's adjusted refusal rate for B (business and tourist) visas was 12.22% in FY2025 against a Europe median of 15.20%. The Department publishes this rate only for B visas and only by nationality; it counts each applicant once, by the status in which the year ended.
How many U.S. visas were issued to nationals of Germany last year?
69,363 nonimmigrant visas in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office, the Department's final annual figure. In September 2025, the latest monthly report, 4,405 were issued.
How does September 2025 compare with a year earlier for Germany?
4,405 nonimmigrant visas, close to September 2024 (4,581, -4%). Months are compared one to one; the Department says its monthly reports should not be added together.
Which visa classes do nationals of Germany receive most?
B1/B2 (25,092), J1 (14,219), C1/D (6,903), F1 (5,878) and E2 (3,902) in FY2024, Report of the Visa Office.
How many DV lottery selectees did Germany have?
420 for DV-2026, 0.3% of all selectees. Earlier years: DV-2022 526, DV-2023 512, DV-2024 466, DV-2025 479. Being selected is not a visa; the Department selects more entrants than there are visas available.
Where do nationals of Germany apply?
Berlin, Frankfurt and Munich are the U.S. posts in Germany. Nationals may also apply at posts elsewhere, subject to each post's rules, so the nationality figures on this page and the post figures are different counts.
Where does this data come from?
The State Department's monthly nonimmigrant and immigrant visa issuance tables by nationality, the annual Report of the Visa Office detail tables, the annual adjusted B-visa refusal rate tables and the Diversity Visa selectee pages. Data through 30 Sep 2025.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances by Nationality and Visa Class; Monthly Immigrant Visa Issuances by Foreign State of Chargeability or Place of Birth and Visa Class; Report of the Visa Office NIV detail tables (workbook); Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality; Diversity Visa selected entrants pages. All public domain. Data through 30 Sep 2025. See corrections.