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Family Reunification (Familienzusammenführung) in Germany
Document Checklist
Antragsformular für ein nationales Visum
National visa application form
Required: Two original signed copies of the AA national-visa application form, in German or English
Where to get: Website of the competent German Auslandsvertretung (form identical across missions)
Cost: Free (visa fee collected separately)
The competent Auslandsvertretung is determined by the applicant's ordinary residence.
Reisepass
Passport (Reisepass)
Required: Original passport with at least two free pages; validity must extend at least three months beyond the intended Visum-D validity. Two biometric photos to ICAO (35 mm × 45 mm, neutral expression, light background)
Cost: Already issued (renewal in the home country if validity insufficient)
Bring copies of the data page and of any prior Schengen or German visas.
Geburtsurkunde
Birth certificate
Required: Original Geburtsurkunde, apostilled (Hague-convention) or legalised (non-Hague), with certified German translation by a vereidigter Übersetzer
Where to get: Civil-registry authority of place of birth, then the designated Apostille authority or German Auslandsvertretung for Legalisation, then a court-sworn translator
Cost: Apostille or Legalisation typically EUR 15–EUR 40; certified translation EUR 30–EUR 80 per page
Plan 2–8 weeks per document depending on country. Untranslated or unapostilled originals are routinely rejected at embassy intake.
Heiratsurkunde oder Lebenspartnerschaftsurkunde
Marriage or life-partnership certificate
Required: Original Heiratsurkunde (or Lebenspartnerschaftsurkunde), apostilled or legalised, with certified German translation
Where to get: Standesamt or civil-registry authority of the place of celebration
Cost: Apostille or Legalisation EUR 15–EUR 40; translation EUR 30–EUR 80 per page
If registered in Germany, an Internationale Heiratsurkunde nach CIEC-Übereinkommen suffices without apostille. The marriage must be recognisable under deutsches internationales Privatrecht; child marriages may be void or annullable under Art. 13 Abs. 3 EGBGB.
Identitätsnachweis und Meldebescheinigung des Stammberechtigten
Sponsor identity and registration proof
Required: German sponsor: Personalausweis or Reisepass copy plus current Meldebescheinigung. EU sponsor: EU identity document copy plus Meldebescheinigung. Drittstaatler sponsor: front-and-back copy of the Aufenthaltstitel plus Meldebescheinigung
Where to get: Sponsor's local Bürgeramt or Meldebehörde issues the Meldebescheinigung
Cost: Meldebescheinigung typically EUR 5–EUR 12
Sponsor sends scans to the applicant abroad in advance.
A1-Sprachzeugnis (Goethe-Zertifikat A1 oder anerkanntes Äquivalent)
A1 German-language certificate
Required: Original Goethe-Zertifikat A1 'Start Deutsch 1' or equivalent from telc, ÖSD or TestDaF-Institute, per § 30 Abs. 1 Satz 1 Nr. 2 AufenthG
Where to get: Local Goethe-Institut or an accredited partner test centre
Cost: Exam fee EUR 100–EUR 120 depending on country office
Waived where the sponsor holds a Blaue Karte EU, ICT-Karte, Mobiler-ICT-Karte or researcher / Hochqualifizierten title (§ 30 Abs. 1 Satz 3 Nr. 5 AufenthG), and in narrow health-and-reasonableness cases. Check the provider against BAMF's accepted list before booking.
Lebensunterhaltsnachweis und Wohnraumnachweis
Livelihood and housing proof (Drittstaatler sponsor)
Required: Drittstaatler sponsor only: sponsor's last three Gehaltsabrechnungen (or current Steuerbescheid for self-employed), plus Mietvertrag and a Bescheinigung from the landlord confirming adequate space for the joining family (typically at least 12 m² per adult and 10 m² per child over six)
Where to get: Sponsor's employer, Finanzamt, landlord
Cost: Free to obtain
Not required for Nachzug zu Deutschen or zu EU-Staatsangehörigen. The Ausländerbehörde computes Lebensunterhalt-Sicherung conservatively under § 5 Abs. 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG read with § 27 Abs. 3.
Krankenversicherungsnachweis
Health insurance proof (post-arrival)
Required: Confirmation of statutory or private cover from the date of arrival, for the Ausländerbehörde appointment
Where to get: Statutory Krankenkasse or accredited private insurer in Germany
Cost: Varies by Krankenkasse
Statutory cover usually flows from the sponsor's membership where the joining family member is a Familienangehöriger; private cover is required where statutory entry is closed.
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