German national visa became unusable after my Russian…
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German national visa became unusable after my Russian passport was confiscated
Hi everyone,
I’m a Russian citizen and I’m supposed to start a Master’s degree in Germany this October. I’m trying to understand what happens to my German national visa after my Russian passport was declared invalid and confiscated by Russian authorities because of an error they made in the passport.
Here is the situation:
I was admitted to a Master’s programme at Freie Universität Berlin.
I applied for a German national student visa (D visa) in Russia.
My visa was issued on **31 August 2026** and is valid from **17 September 2026 until 16 September 2027**.
The visa itself was correctly issued for my studies in Germany.
I had planned to fly from Moscow to Berlin on **17 September**, the first day of validity of the visa.
However, at Russian border control at the airport, the authorities discovered that there was a **mistake in my Russian passport**. My patronymic was spelled incorrectly in the passport due to an error made when the passport was issued.
The important part is that **I did not provide false information**. My actual patronymic is correct in my other documents, and the error was made by the Russian authorities when producing the passport.
Because of this, the passport was declared invalid and **confiscated by the Russian authorities**. I was given an official seizure report/protocol documenting the situation. I was also fined 5,000 RUB.
I therefore could not board my flight and never entered Germany.
I have applied for a new Russian biometric passport, which I have been told should be ready around **25 September 2026**.
My problem is now my German visa.
The visa sticker is physically in the old passport, which has been confiscated and will apparently be destroyed. I have scans/photos of the visa and the old passport, as well as the official Russian document confirming the confiscation.
I have already contacted the German Embassy in Moscow through their national visa contact channels and explained the situation, attaching the relevant documents. I was told by phone that there may be a procedure involving transferring/reissuing the visa, and another time I was told that a **“visa for re-entry” (Visum zur Wiedereinreise)** might be relevant.
However, I have never actually entered Germany and therefore technically this is not a normal situation where someone loses their residence permit or visa while already living in Germany.
I am trying to understand:
**What happens to an unused German national D visa when the passport containing it is confiscated and declared invalid by a foreign government?**
Of course, I’ve already contacted all the relevant authorities. I just want to know if anyone has ever been in a similar situation.
#local
source
Hi everyone,
I’m a Russian citizen and I’m supposed to start a Master’s degree in Germany this October. I’m trying to understand what happens to my German national visa after my Russian passport was declared invalid and confiscated by Russian authorities because of an error they made in the passport.
Here is the situation:
I was admitted to a Master’s programme at Freie Universität Berlin.
I applied for a German national student visa (D visa) in Russia.
My visa was issued on **31 August 2026** and is valid from **17 September 2026 until 16 September 2027**.
The visa itself was correctly issued for my studies in Germany.
I had planned to fly from Moscow to Berlin on **17 September**, the first day of validity of the visa.
However, at Russian border control at the airport, the authorities discovered that there was a **mistake in my Russian passport**. My patronymic was spelled incorrectly in the passport due to an error made when the passport was issued.
The important part is that **I did not provide false information**. My actual patronymic is correct in my other documents, and the error was made by the Russian authorities when producing the passport.
Because of this, the passport was declared invalid and **confiscated by the Russian authorities**. I was given an official seizure report/protocol documenting the situation. I was also fined 5,000 RUB.
I therefore could not board my flight and never entered Germany.
I have applied for a new Russian biometric passport, which I have been told should be ready around **25 September 2026**.
My problem is now my German visa.
The visa sticker is physically in the old passport, which has been confiscated and will apparently be destroyed. I have scans/photos of the visa and the old passport, as well as the official Russian document confirming the confiscation.
I have already contacted the German Embassy in Moscow through their national visa contact channels and explained the situation, attaching the relevant documents. I was told by phone that there may be a procedure involving transferring/reissuing the visa, and another time I was told that a **“visa for re-entry” (Visum zur Wiedereinreise)** might be relevant.
However, I have never actually entered Germany and therefore technically this is not a normal situation where someone loses their residence permit or visa while already living in Germany.
I am trying to understand:
**What happens to an unused German national D visa when the passport containing it is confiscated and declared invalid by a foreign government?**
Of course, I’ve already contacted all the relevant authorities. I just want to know if anyone has ever been in a similar situation.
#local
source
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