Germany family reunification visa

The family member already in Germany must hold a settlement permit, EU long-term residence or a qualifying residence permit (for example as a skilled worker, Blue Card holder, researcher, student in some cases, or a recognised refugee). Living space must be adequate for the family and the livelihood must be secured without public benefits, except where the law waives this, for instance for some refugees who apply within three months of recognition.

For spouses both partners must be at least 18. Children under 16 can join a parent with sole or joint custody; children aged 16 or 17 who do not move together with their parents generally need good German (C1) or a positive integration prognosis.

Spouses must normally prove that they can communicate in simple German, usually with an A1 certificate from a recognised provider such as the Goethe-Institut or telc. The Residence Act exempts, among others: spouses of EU Blue Card, ICT Card, researcher and skilled-worker permit holders and of § 21 self-employed persons; spouses of recognised refugees and protection holders if the marriage existed before the sponsor moved to Germany; people who cannot learn German because of illness or disability; spouses with a clearly low integration need; spouses of nationals who may enter Germany visa-free for long stays; and cases where it is impossible or unreasonable, owing to special circumstances, to learn German before entry.

The last hardship clause is assessed individually, for example where no course is reachable or a disability makes learning impossible. Be ready to prove A1 unless one of these exemptions clearly applies.

There is no single national figure: the foreigners authority checks that the sponsor's net income covers the family's needs, including rent, without social benefits, and that the home meets the local standard of adequate living space. Spouses of skilled workers benefit from simplified rules in some cases.

Book as the German mission responsible for your place of residence instructs; all family members should apply at the same time, preferably as a group. Depending on the category, the mission gives an appointment or sends you to the Consular Services Portal. The mission forwards the file to the foreigners authority at the sponsor's place of residence, whose consent is needed.

Register your address within two weeks and apply for the residence permit at the foreigners authority. Spouses with limited German may be entitled or obliged to attend an integration course run by the BAMF.

National visa refusals can be challenged by remonstration with the mission or by legal action at the Administrative Court in Berlin, as explained in the decision; the deadline is stated in the decision.