Preparation before application

José began preparing the documentation about one month before the appointment, although he highlights that the most important requirement needs significantly more advance planning: proof of funds.

According to their explanation, the money had to remain in the account for at least three months before the application. Furthermore, they recommend avoiding significant movements in the account during that period, as they could raise doubts during the review, although in their case a transfer made in error ultimately did not affect the application.

For him, raising the funds was the biggest challenge, while the rest of the documentation proved fairly straightforward to prepare.

How did he get the turn

José and his partner followed up on the availability of appointments at the German Embassy in Bangkok for several weeks.

They observed that shifts were released approximately eight weeks in advance and that they usually appeared on Wednesdays. Thanks to this, they were able to book the exact date they were looking for without difficulty.

They booked the appointment on 7 January 2026 to attend the embassy the 4 March 2026.

What was the experience like at the embassy?

We leave you the experience exactly as Jose described it: 

We chose this embassy as we were travelling from Australia through the south-east and it was on our way. We saw several people getting theirs done here and it was very quick, so my partner and I booked an appointment. The portal allowed us to select dates two months in advance, there were plenty available, and they were all on Wednesdays. For context, we requested the appointment for 04/03 with flight dates of 06/05.

We arrived for the appointment on Wednesday 04/03 with all the requested paperwork, and some extras (like a Chilean criminal record certificate, which they do not usually ask for, but we brought it anyway).

They had us go through around 8 am, I went to the counter first and the girl asked me to hand everything over at once. While she was checking the documents, she asked me questions, some of which were:

Why are you applying from Bangkok and not from another embassy in Asia? I replied that I had acquaintances who had done it there and had a good experience, and he responded that the processes have changed and that our process would be different from that of my friends, that the visa could take between 1 week to 1 month, and asked us if we were willing to risk it taking a month, as our next flight was out of Thailand in 10 days. He asked me what we would do in that case, and I told him that we would go back to get the visa from the country where we were.

He also asked what our itinerary had been after Australia's WH, and what the route would be after Bangkok and before Germany. He also asked me when I had last been to Chile; how many months I had been in Australia; he asked me if I had the AU visa document, and then he asked for the criminal record from Chile (antecedentes). Then he started to review the CV and asked me if I had my university degree certificates with me (I didn't have those either).

Our flight to Germany arrives in Frankfurt. I checked our accommodation, and it was a hostel we booked for 3 weeks (it was the cheapest) and it was located in Dreieich, which is 10 minutes by underground from Frankfurt. However, the address didn't say Frankfurt, but Dreieich. (He started having problems because it said another city.) I told him that the place was 10 minutes from Frankfurt, and he kept replying that it didn't say Frankfurt, which led me to modify the Videx, stating that my destination was not Frankfurt but Dreieich.

Next it was my partner's turn, she started checking the documents a bit faster as it was the same itinerary, but she asked her about her age. She turns 31 on April 1st, and he said she couldn't enter in May aged 31. We told him that we understood that to apply you had to be 30, but that we could enter afterwards aged 31. He took a moment and went to ask inside, he returned and said no. That if she got the visa she had to enter aged 30 and not 31 in May as we had thought.

He gave us 5 minutes to chat and see what we would do, we decided to apply anyway and that we would send him the new documents with March dates for the application via email. We paid the fees (2800 THB) and went to book our flight, insurance and accommodation with March dates.

We sent it the same Wednesday 04/03, and only on Friday 06/03 did they request more information from my partner, they asked her how she would manage with the following days of accommodation (in this new booking there were only 2 weeks), and they also asked her if they had more bank funds.

In our demonstration, it was approximately €5,000 each, with 3 months' history, and they still asked for more funds (we assume because this second booking was more expensive given the proximity of the dates, as we modified everything so that I could enter at 30 years old). My partner attached other bank accounts they had in their name and sent it. Regarding accommodation, they replied that once they arrived in Germany, they would look for long-term accommodation for convenience and to do in-person viewings.

On Monday 09/03, we both received an email saying that the visa could be approved, that we should go to the embassy with our passports, medical insurance for one year, and tentative entry dates (with booked flights if we had them). They asked us to arrive between 7:30 and 9 am without an appointment, and that we had up to 2 months to get our passports stamped.

We went on Tuesday, 10/03, arriving at around 7:15, and they let us in at 8 am. We went to the counter, it was a different girl to the one who served us the first day, we gave her the documents, she checked dates, names, and that everything matched, and she said to come back around 11:30 am the same day.

As we were leaving, I received an email around 9 am, requesting the flight from Bangkok to Tokyo (as my final flight is from Tokyo to Frankfurt). I sent them the whole itinerary by email, as we also passed through South Korea beforehand. Luckily, I had this ready, as another girl in the group had also been asked for her complete itinerary. I replied, and 30 minutes later, they sent the email again requesting the flight. So, I replied once more, a bit more explicitly, stating that I don't have a direct flight from Bangkok to Tokyo, but rather several flights passing through Korea and Japan. I attached all the documents again and waited.

We went at 11:30 to collect the passports, we went to the street-side window where you announce your arrival, and they had the stamped passports there.

It was more tedious than we expected, as even though we had everything prepared, they caused us problems due to age. So you can take it into consideration if you plan to apply at 30 and start at 31. As I mentioned, we've known many cases where this has happened, but if the person reviewing you says that's not the case, there's not much more you can do, so have a plan B for these situations.

Come with plenty of time and patience, we had relied on it taking 2 days according to some reviews we saw, but it ended up taking 5.

Documents they requested from you

José presented the following documents:

• VIDEX Form.
• CV in English and German.
• Cover letter in English and German.
• Accommodation booking.
• Flight to Germany.
• Medical insurance.
• Bank statements from the last three months.
• Proof of funds (approximately €5,000).
• Chilean criminal record certificate (although it was not initially a mandatory requirement).

During the interview, they also asked for additional documentation that they weren't expecting:

• Australian visa.
• University degree certificate.

Certified translations were not necessary; the CV and cover letter were translated using ChatGPT.

Proof of funds

José presented approximately €5,000 per person using historical bank statements from the last three months.

Initially, he used Chilean bank accounts, and subsequently, when the embassy requested proof of additional funds for his partner, he also presented a Wise account.

Although the embassy did not mention a specific minimum amount, they carefully reviewed the bank statements and requested additional information before approving the application.

Health insurance

To meet the visa requirement, José took out health insurance with Mawista. (Here you can hire him)

The interview

The interview was conducted entirely in English.

Some of the questions it received were:

• Why apply for the visa in Bangkok and not at another Embassy in Asia?
• What had been your itinerary after the Working Holiday in Australia?
• What would be your route before arriving in Germany?
• When was the last time you visited Chile?
• How long had they been in Australia?

Although the process was clear, the number of questions was higher than I expected.

How much did the process cost?

The visa fee was approximately 2,800 Thai Baht (around €75) per person.

Furthermore, due to the issue related to their partner's age, they had to modify flights, accommodation, and medical insurance, generating additional expenses that they had not initially foreseen.

Result: How long did the approval take?

The appointment took place on 4 March 2026.

The 10 March 2026 Both already had the visa stamped in their passports.

In total, the approval process took 6 days.

Advice for future applicants

José shares several recommendations for those considering applying for the Working Holiday Germany from abroad:

• Plan in advance for proof of funds.
• Don't leave the process until the last minute if you are nearing the age limit.
• Bring all possible documentation, even that which is not listed as mandatory, as it may be requested during the interview.
• Have a contingency plan in case the embassy requests modifications to flights, accommodation, or entry dates.

His biggest learning was not to rely on the age requirement. Although he knew of other cases where people had been able to enter at 31, the final decision depended on the official who reviewed their application. Therefore, he recommends leaving sufficient room between the application and the planned entry date to Germany to avoid unnecessary stressful situations.