Nationals of the EU and EEA can travel to Germany as short-term visitors without restrictions, with a national identity card or a valid passport. Similarly, citizens of many non-EU countries (e.g., Guatemala, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, and the UAE) are exempted from the visa requirement as long as they are not staying in Germany for more than 90 days in a six-month period, and are not engaged in employment during their stay in Germany. The list of visa-exempt countries for entering Germany is available on the Federal Foreign Office website, which is provided in the Useful Links section below. As per the Federal Foreign Office's list, nationals of the countries that require a visa should contact the German embassy or consulate in their home country to complete a visa application for tourist purposes. All visa exemptions are valid for short-term entry, such as visiting friends and family, engaging in leisure activities, or attending conferences. If the entry to Germany is for engagement in gainful employment, different rules apply, which are thoroughly explained in Expat.com's article about Work visas for Germany. To enter Germany without a visa, your passport must be biometric, and it must be valid for at least three months from the date of arrival. A biometric passport (e-passport) has an embedded microchip, which holds biometric information used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder. To confirm whether your passport is biometric, look for the biometric symbol (a circle between two lines) printed on the cover.  The Schengen Area is a zone within Europe, consisting of 26 countries, which have agreed to exempt their citizens and holders of valid visas and residence permits from border controls within this area. The Schengen Area is often confused with the European Union. However, it's worth clarifying that the EU is a political and economic union of 28 member states, whereas the Schengen Area serves the free movement of people between the 26 countries. Also, it's good to know that there are some countries, which are in Europe, are not participating in the  Schengen Area agreement — namely, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Monaco, and the United Kingdom. So, suppose you are a third-country national and you wish to enter Germany on a short-term basis, and probably combine your trip to Germany with visits to other countries in Europe. In that case, you should consider applying for a Schengen visa. The Schengen visa is issued by a member-state of the Schengen agreement and is valid for travels within the Schengen Area (26 countries). The visa allows for a short-term stay in the Schengen Area, meaning that you can stay in the Schengen Area for a maximum of 90 days per six months. For example, suppose you have a residence permit issued by Germany, your country of residence. Since Germany is a member-state of the Schengen agreement, you have the right to visit other Schengen member-states for a short period by presenting your German residence permit. Or, if you want to arrive in Germany from a third country (e.g., Egypt), you can apply for a Schengen visa, which will allow you to travel between the Schengen countries for a maximum of 90 days within six months. In other words, a third-country national who has a valid passport and a valid residence permit issued by a Schengen member-state is entitled to enter the territory of another Schengen member-state for a short stay without a visa. The Schengen visa is issued only to applicants who can prove that they genuinely intend to stay in the Schengen Area for a limited amount of time (e.g., tourism, business, or family visit); possess enough resources to support themselves for the time for which they plan to stay in the area (e.g., bank statement), and hold travel insurance (e.g., health insurance certificate covering the days of travel). If you are unable to provide such information, a sponsor living in Germany can vouch for you. This statement of support must be filed at the city hall of your sponsor's city of residence in Germany.