They stole my German husband, American baby and mine passport in Cologne airport. We didn't notice…read moretill the night before our scheduled flight back to California. Husband was able to get his temporary passport the next day but baby and I had to go all the way to Frankfurt to get temporary ones. -So if you lose your passport while in Germany be prepare to go this this particular Embassy (sorry) - YOU CANNOT BRING IN YOUR CELL PHONE OR ANY KIND OF ELECTRONICS! So if you also take the train to the consulate, on that stop there's a small store on the corner. Since I didn't know a employee of the US embassy told me to walk back to and leave my cell. The owner of the store will charge you 5 euros. He gives you a ticket to use to pick up your belongings. -But good news, the 2 times I went the US nationals line was empty compared to the German citizens (they have a long line) When you get to the front of the lonely line they basically give you the right away. Tut mir Leib deutsche Leute! -Have a legit sized pic ID with you. They do have a vending machine booth inside but you'll waste less time. Made sure you have the application filled out. And it really helps if you have a printed pic of your old passport! They even ask for my baby's birth certificate. Hmm... I don't know who travels with that doc Word of advice: take a pic of it just in case this crap happens to you -And in case the father leaves you in Germany with your baby make sure he gets a Notarize permission travel document before he leaves! Stating that other parent is allowed to travel with the baby/kid. Bec/ the embassy WILL ask for it and you must get it to them ASAP or else your little ones won't get a temp passport. https://www.nationalnotary.org/notary-bulletin/blog/2015/04/3-tips-notarizing-travel-docs-minors -Also the reason why I had to go back a second time was due to the fact that I didn't take my baby with me. I was able to get my temporary passport the same day but had to come back the next with with my baby "proof". -Embassy employees are understanding and helpful . Extra facts: *There's a small children's room with toys. *If you bring a drink be ready to drink up I front of security (even baby's milk) FYI: there's a mini coffee stand inside and vending machines inside. *They have high security protocol. *They have a passport picture machine inside I can't remember if it cost 5-7 euros (bring cash)

I wish they had more staff to accelerate the visa interview process. They had so many counters, but…read morenot enough personnel. Hence, visa applicants had to needlessly wait in the queue for a long time. Other things to be aware of: - The consulate can keep your electronic items. They say on the website that they don't because, I guess, they have only limited storage space. - If you have a big backpack, it's best to keep all your stuff at the store next to the Gießener Straße U-Bahn stop. It costs €3 for the day. Address: Imbiss Kiosk am US Konsulat, Gießener Str. 58, 60435 Frankfurt am Main. - If you don't have a latest physical photo, you can click one at the photo booth inside the consulate. It costs €6 for four pictures.

Unbelievable! Ok, so…read morethis review is actually for Indo German Consultancy Services Ltd., or IGCS ( http://www.igcsvisa.de/igcs_english/index.php ), the company that handles visa applications for the Indian consulate in Frankfurt. But, it's also for the consulate, which has proved to be an exception to the rule that Indian missions abroad must not venture too far from their parent and relative institutions back home in terms of service. I decided to apply for my partner's visa this morning. We plan to go to India, and I already have my visa. To be safe, I figured we'd apply now to give us enough time to buy tickets, which are getting expensive after steadily declining in price until now. I went to the website, we filled in the application, which is about 4 pages long, and printed it out. We had the photos they asked for, proof of registration in the city, the cash (65.50 euro) and the passport. It was around 11.00 and they closed at 11.30, so I hopped on my bike and was there 2 minutes before they closed for the morning (they are also open later in the afternoon). I went up, and there were 2 others in front of me. Now, when I went to the consulate in New York for my visa 2 years ago, there were about 10 people in front of me, and I waited an hour to submit the visa. So, this was a pleasant surprise, Mind you, this is Frankfurt, which is not the world city that you might think it is (there are fewer than a million people here, apparently). Still, after 10 minutes, I was called. I handed over the documents to the nice girl, was given a receipt, and was out the door in another 5 minutes. When I got home 20 minutes later, I had got 2 emails from them already, one to say they had accepted the application, and one to say that it had been sent to the consulate (which is down the street from them). At 16.49 this afternoon, I got a third email, informing me that the passport had been sent back from the consulate, and was ready for pick-up. THE SAME DAY. I must say that, in New York too, the passport was ready the next day, so turnaround time would be considered better there given the volume. But, here too, I saw piles of red German passports, so they get their fair share of applications. One thing the email doesn't mention is whether or not the visa was issued (in New York, this was mentioned), so I'm hoping (and expect) that everything was in order and the visa was issued. I will have to check tomorrow when I go to pick it up. And, maybe the place wasn't that crowded because I was so late, and Germans tend to take care of things with ample time to spare, but what about the Indians in the city? I must add that I emailed the consulate directly a couple of weeks ago to ask about their OCI processing times. I actually received a reply the next day, and we went back and forth a couple of times. Those who have experience trying to contact Indian missions will know that this is out of the ordinary, and a really nice surprise. So, all in all, the Indian post in Frankfurt, and the visa outsourcing agency, are the rebellious children of the red-tape-mired and over-burdened Indian bureaucracy. Perhaps, being in an efficient German city has its ramifications.