Family Reunion Visa Germany (2026): Comprehensive Guide ✍

For most students, moving to a foreign country is an exciting but challenging task. This new chapter in your life brings with it many new experiences, opportunities and difficulties. Germany is no exception. Based on our observation of hundreds of cases, most international students in Germany need at least one semester to adjust to the new environment they are facing in Germany. In fact, some students are unable to cope and even leave the country during or after the first semester.

However, it must be emphasised that there are several ways in which international students can make this transitional period a much smoother and more enjoyable experience! One of them is to bring your family to Germany with you. Did you know that some of your family members can join you in Germany during your studies through a special type of visa called a "Family Reunion Visa"? If this is a type of German visa that you would like to know more about, then you have come to the right place, because here we answer the basic questions about the Family Reunion Visa.

It is our goal to inform you honestly and accurately, therefore, we need to add a DISCLAIMER:

You should use this text as a general guide, but it cannot be a legal consultation. The visa regulations are made and executed by the Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt), Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI), and the local Foreigners’ Offices (Ausländerbehörde). Please be aware: Some rules and procedures can vary from embassy/consulate to embassy/consulate (even within one country), and from Ausländerbehörde to Ausländerbehörde in Germany. That is why we highly recommend you also consult the German representation abroad near you, and the local Foreigners’ Office in Germany (which Ausländerbehörde is responsible for you depends on your residence in Germany) for information that applies to your case.

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What is a Family Reunion Visa?

German family visa (Visum zur Familienzusammenführung/Familiennachzug) is a type of visa that allows family members of international students to join them in Germany during their studies. In other words, as an international student, you have a right to bring some of your family members with you as a holder of a German student visa/ student residence permit.

Keep in mind that not all of your relatives are permitted to join you during your studies. Generally speaking, depending on the individual cases, family members that are eligible to accompany you during your studies in Germany are your spouse (wife, husband), your child and your parent. It is noteworthy that the family visa requirements differ based on who will join you. Put differently, the documentation package and the prerequisites needed for your child to join you are not the same as in the case of your spouse joining you on your German student visa.

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Who can apply for a Family Reunion visa in Germany?

Actually, it is more about who should apply rather than who can apply for a German family reunion visa. Basically, whatever the country of origin of your family member (e.g., your spouse), s/he will be able to come and stay with you in Germany. The thing is that depending on the country of origin, your family member may or may not need a visa and/or a residence permit. In total, we can distinguish between three groups of countries based on the need for a visa and residence permit for a German Family Reunion Visa:

Countries whose citizens need neither a visa nor a residence permit to join you during your studies in Germany. For example, family members from the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland fall into this category, as, basically, they have the same rights as Germans.
States whose citizens do not need a visa but need a residence permit. For instance, the USA and the UK.
Countries whose citizens need both a visa and a residence permit. For example, China and India.

Below you can find the full list of countries divided according to these categories.

Group 1 (EU + 4)

No visa or residence permit needed.

Group 2 (USA, UK, Canada, South Korea, Brazil, El Salvador +8)

No visa needed, but residence permit (after arrival).

Group 3 (rest of the world)

Always need a student visa.

How long is a Family Reunification visa valid for?

The family reunification visa is valid for at least the duration of your studies. In other words, a German family visa is valid for a minimum of 1 year. For example, if you are doing a 2-year Master's in Germany and you brought your spouse on a student visa, the family reunion visa for your her/him will be valid for at least 2 years.

Family Reunion Visa Germany: Processing Time

How long does it take to get a family reunion visa for Germany? Based on our research, in most cases, the processing time for a German family visa is around 3 months. Keep in mind that there is no universal processing time that applies to all cases. In some countries, German family visa processing time might take less (e.g., in China, it might take 8 weeks), while in others, it might take even over 3 months (e.g., in India, 3 months is a minimum required processing time). Hence, checking the processing times at your local German Embassy/Consulate is of utmost importance.

Can I work in Germany with a Family Reunion Visa?

Yes, your family members who join you during your studies can work in Germany on a family reunion visa. For example, after arriving in Germany on a family reunion visa, your spouse has approximately 3 months to convert the German spouse visa into a residence permit for spouses. Once the residence permit is granted, your spouse will have the right to work in Germany.

Note: To obtain the appropriate residence permit, your spouse must apply to the local foreigners authority (i.e. the local immigration office). For more information on this procedure, see the "How to apply for a residence permit for a German family reunion visa" section of this article.

Geeky Stuff Box

To study in Germany, most international students need a special type of residence permit. This permit gives them the right to work in Germany, but with some restrictions. In particular, international students can work in Germany 280 days per year part-time (e.g. up to 20 hours per week) or 140 days per year full-time (e.g. more than 20 hours per week).

What are the requirements for a Family Reunion Visa in Germany?

As mentioned above, there are slightly different requirements and conditions depending on which family member will be joining you on your student visa in Germany. In order not to further complicate the already complicated picture and not to confuse you with different subtypes, we will focus here on the most popular type of family reunion visa, the German spouse visa.

Before presenting you with the general checklist of documents required to apply for a German Spouse Visa, let us first present you with some of the requirements that you and your spouse must meet in order for your husband/wife to qualify for this type of family reunion visa.

General prerequisites for spouse visa

Accommodation. As a student residence permit holder, you should have suitable accommodation in Germany for you and your spouse. In other words, your living space should be large enough to accommodate both of you. For example, a 16 sq.m. single room in a student dormitory will not qualify as adequate housing for a couple. It is noteworthy that student dormitories usually offer special housing that is sufficiently large for spouses.
Money. You should have enough money to care for both yourself and your spouse. Put differently, you should have sufficient finances to cover the living costs for your family without the support of public funds.
Age. When applying for a family reunion/spouse visa, you and your partner should be at least 18 years old.
Marriage. You and your spouse should have registered your marriage before you got your German student visa.
Duration of your stay. The duration of your study course should be at least 1 year.

As for the documents you need to apply for the German family reunion visa, especially the German spouse visa, the list of required documents is usually available on the websites of the local German embassies/consulates. Depending on your country of origin, the requirements may vary slightly. After reviewing the requirements in various locations around the world, our team has come up with the following general checklist of documents you will usually need for your spouse visa application:

Checklist for the German family reunion visa/ German spouse visa

Completed application form. You can find the application forms on the website of the relevant German Embassy/Consulate responsible for your husband's/wife's application. The form is usually quite self-explanatory and easy to fill in. It asks you to provide information regarding your personal details, like your first and last names, date of birth, email, address, marital status, etc. Here is one of the examples of the German family reunion visa application form.
Completed declaration form. By doing this, your spouse confirms that the information s/he provided is accurate.
Passport. Your spouse's valid passport and copies of its data page. Besides, you need to provide copies of your passport's data page too.
Current biometric passport photos. The size of the photo should be 35(W) x 45(H). Your spouse's face in this photo should be clearly visible and should occupy 70-80% of the picture. This equals to 32-36mm of height. The background should be without shadows, bright and unicolored, preferably in neutral grey. Further details regarding the photo quality, head position and the rest can be found here.
Residence Permit. You should provide copies of your current student residence permit in Germany.
Marriage certificate.
In case of previous marriages: marriage, divorce, death certificates. This applies to both you and your spouse.
Birth certificate. Usually, your spouse should also provide a birth certificate for a German family reunion visa.
Invitation letter. You should write an informal letter of invitation confirming that you and your spouse will live together and that you will take the financial responsibilities with regard to your spouse.
Proof of funds. The proof that you have sufficient funds to cover your and your spouse's living costs in Germany.
Registration of the address (Meldebescheinigung). A certificate confirming your registration at a German address.
Proof of accommodation in Germany. E.g., a lease contract or a letter from your landlord confirming that you are staying in the specific dormitory.
Health insurance. Your spouse should provide valid insurance that covers the first 3 months of his/her stay in Germany. At this point, travel insurance usually suffices.
Additional documents might be requested in individual cases. For example, a letter of motivation.

Note: All of the German family visa documents should be submitted as originals with two attached copies unless stated otherwise. Incomplete documentation may lead to the rejection of the family reunion visa application.

Regarding the German language certificate. In general, when one applies for a family reunion visa, s/he will need to provide proof of knowledge of A1 level of the German language by providing Goethe, TestDaf or other accepted certificates. In other words, usually, the German language is mandatory for a family reunion visa. However, some German Embassies/Consulates also explicitly mention that if your spouse is going to join you on a temporary basis, then there is no need for a German A1 certificate (e.g., check German Missions in Pakistan and German Mission to Kenya, Somalia and the Seychelles). It is noteworthy that you, as a student visa holder, have a temporary German residence permit, which means that your spouse is also joining you on a temporary basis. Consequently, in this case, no German language certificate should be required from your spouse. Despite that, we still recommend you to double-check this information with the German Embassy/Consulate responsible for your spouse's family reunion visa.

Table 1: Examples of family reunion visa requirements across German Embassies/Consulates

Country	Source
German family reunion visa - India	German Missions in India
German family reunion visa - China	German Missions in China
German family reunion visa - Nigeria	German Missions in Nigeria
German family reunion visa - Uzbekistan	German Embassy in Tashkent
German family reunion visa - Pakistan	German Missions in Pakistan
German family reunion visa - Kenya	German Embassy in Nairobi
German family reunion visa - Philippines	German Embassy in Manila

Once again: it is crucial to consult the websites of the German Embassies/Consulates as the requirements might vary. For example, German Missions in Kazakhstan require 3 biometric photos for the family reunion (spouse) visa application, while the German Embassy in Tbilisi (Georgia) requires 2 biometric photos.

How to apply for a Family Reunion Visa in Germany?

Getting an appointment for a German family reunion visa can take months. In addition, your family member may have to wait another 3 months for his/her family visa to be processed. Therefore, you should all plan months ahead and apply as early as possible if you want your family members to be in Germany at the desired time.

The procedure for applying for a family visa in Germany may vary slightly from country to country. However, there are NINE key steps you need to be aware of in order to obtain a German family reunion visa:

Make sure that all of the prerequisites that qualify your family members for the family visa are met.

Start collecting the documents required for the German family reunion visa application. You can find all of the required documents in the "Family Reunion" (or Familiennachzug) section of the website of the German Embassy/Consulate responsible for your family visa application. Important: Certify and translate the documents as required by the local German Embassy/Consulate.

Book the appointment at the German Embassy/Consulate responsible for your application. You can find the German mission near you here. Note: you need to have all of the necessary documents ready by the time of your appointment. In other words, you can start collecting your documents both before and after you book the appointment. The key is that by the time you visit the Embassy/Consulate, you have all of the necessary documents in your hands.

Visit the Embassy/Consulate. Make sure you are there at least 15 minutes before the appointment.

Submit the documents. All of the documents should be ordered according to the checklist provided by your local German Embassy/Consulate. Do not staple the documents!

Pay the fee for processing your German family visa application. The fee for a German family reunion visa application is 75 Euros. Applicants have to pay the money in the local currency based on the exchange rate at the time of application. As for the payment methods, these vary from country to country. In some cases, the applicant will need to pay in cash only, in other cases with a credit card, yet in other cases, only a demand draft might be acceptable. Keep in mind that the fee is not reimbursable. In other words, even if your application for the German family visa is rejected, you will not get your money back.

Complete the interview. It will take around 10-15 minutes. The interview questions will mainly be regarding your personal background and the purpose of your travel.

Wait for the response. You will probably need to wait around 3 months (the timing depends on the German Embassy/Consulate in your country).

Collect your passport and visa.

Remember to check the website of your local German embassy/consulate for information on procedures applicable to your particular case.

How to apply for a Residence Permit for a German Family Reunion Visa?

It is important to remember that if your family members are from an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, they do not need a residence permit. If they are not from these countries, they will need a residence permit for family reunification.

For example, if your spouse needs a German spouse visa to join you in Germany, the visa is usually valid for 3 months. Once in Germany, your spouse will need to obtain a residence permit for the German spouse visa within 3 months. Ideally, your spouse should apply for the German residence permit for family reunion 6 weeks before the family visa expires.

It usually takes 4-6 weeks for the immigration authorities to process your application. In other words, the processing time for your German family reunion residence permit is about 1-1.5 months. Remember that the application is not free of charge: the fee for a German residence permit for family reunion is around 100 euros.

As far as the documents required for the family reunion residence permit in Germany are concerned, they are not very different from the documents required for the visa application. Below is a checklist of the basic documents you will need to obtain a residence permit for your spouse in Germany.

Checklist of the documents for the German family reunion/German spouse residence permit:

Filled-out application form. You can find the application forms on the website of the Foreigners' Authority responsible for your application.
Valid Passport. Make sure that your passport's expiry date is not very close and that it has enough free pages left.
Current biometric photo.
Valid entry visa (if applicable).
Marriage certificate.
Language certificate (if applicable). A German A1 certificate might be required.
Certificate of registration at your German address (Meldebescheinigung).
Proof of accommodation. For example, your rental contract.
Health insurance. In this case, it should be, for example, statutory German health insurance rather than travel insurance.
Proof of sufficient financial resources.
Additional documents might be requested in individual cases.

Do not forget to certify and translate the documents as required by the local foreigners authority. In general, you should always check the information on the procedure and requirements for a residence permit for family reunion with the foreigners authority responsible for your application!

See the table below for location-specific examples.

Table 2: Examples of family reunion residence permit requirements across German cities

City	Source
Family Reunion Residence Permit Berlin	City of Berlin
Family Reunion Residence Permit Hamburg	City of Hamburg
Family Reunion Residence Permit Leipzig	City of Leipzig
Family Reunion Residence Permit Heidelberg	City of Heidelberg
Family Reunion Residence Permit Munich	City of Munich
Family Reunion Residence Permit Cologne	City of Cologne