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Family reunion visa for non-Turkish citizens
What documents do I need?
NOTE: Please do not staple or fold any documents. The submission of complete documents does not constitute a claim to the issue of a visa, but enables the visa office to check the legal requirements. In individual cases, further documents not mentioned here may also be required. You will be informed about this after the application has been submitted and will be given a reasonable period of time to submit them.
For foreign civil status certificates and other public certificates please check on the website of the German mission in the issuing state whether any formal steps must be taken in order for the document to be accepted by German authorities (i.e. legalization, apostille). The legalization can generally only be done by the German mission in the country where the document was issued.
In general:
Please fill in the online application form for each applicant and print it out from here: https://videx-national.diplo.de/ From the age of 18 you sign the form yourself; in the case of children the parent or legal guardian sign it.
You pay the visa fee at the visa section in cash (change cannot be given!) or by credit or debit card. Only MasterCard or VISA cards are accepted. The fee is usually 75,00 Euro; for children from 0 to 17 years: usually 40,00 Euro.
Please submit a passport for each applicant. The passport(s) must be valid and there have to be at least two empty pages. Please also submit a copy of the passport data page(s) (page with photo and validity dates) for each family member.
If you are an Afghan citizen and you have applied for your passport at the Afghan Consulate General in Istanbul (place of issue: „MFA Kabul“): Please submit additionally your e-Tazkira or a paper Tazkira accompanied by a translation into English stamped by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
One passport photo for each applicant. The photo must be biometric and not older than 6 months. They must be 35 x 45 millimetres. You can find more information on biometric photos here.
If available: Turkish residence permit or visa. Please submit the original document and one copy. If you have a residence permit, please copy front and back side.
Please fill in, print out and sign the address confirmation and e-mail consent.
After your application has been processed, we will send your passport and other original documents via UPS to the indicated address.
WARNING: If your (e-mail-)addresses change during the application procedure, please inform us immediately. Otherwise, we can not ensure that your documents or important information with regard to your application reach you.
Documents of the family member in Germany:
Please submit a copy of the photo page of the passport and provide us with an e-mail address and a telephone number of the family member in Germany.
If the family member is a foreign national, please submit a copy (front and back) of the German residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis or Niederlassungserlaubnis). If the family member is German, please submit a copy of the Personalausweis (front and back) or a so-called Meldebescheinigung.
If the family member has a protection status in Germany a copy of the BAMF’s recognition notice is required and, if available, proof of the timely notification (fristwahrende Anzeige) that the application was submitted within three months (printout from https://fap.diplo.de).
Documents if the spouse joins:
If one of the spouses was represented at the time of the marriage, additionally: special power of attorney – the power of attorney must state the full names of both spouses and must have been issued before the marriage contract is concluded. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
If the marriage took place in Syria: Please submit also the marriage contract or decision of Sharia court.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalization procedure in Beirut. If you submit a legalized family registry extract, the marriage certificate can be submitted without legalization by our Embassy in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If available in your home country. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalization procedure in Beirut. If you submit a legalized family registry extract, the marriage certificate can be submitted without legalization by our Embassy in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If one of the spouses was already married before, please submit a divorce decree of all previous marriages or death certificate(s) (if applicable).
Please bring the original documents (you will get them back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
Proof of basic knowledge of the German language, at least level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The A1 language certificate must be issued by a certified provider. In Turkey these are the Goethe-Institut „Start Deutsch 1“ (www.goethe.de) and the Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD) „Grundstufe Deutsch 1“ (www.osd.at).
Whether an exception applies can only be checked after the application has been submitted. You can find additional information Proof of knowledge of basic German for spousal reunification from abroad PDF / 287 KB .
This does generally not apply if you are joining a spouse in Germany holding German or EU/EEA citizenship or a protection status (asylum, refugee or subsisdiary protection). However, family members of asylees or refugees must provide a timely notification (see above), otherwise they have to submit proof of a 90 days health insurance.
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance, i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.
Additionally required if children join or in case of reunification of the parents to an underage child:
Birth certificate of the child. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If available in your home country. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
Death certificate of the deceased parent. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If the child is a minor and will not join both parents with custody/ the parent with sole custody: a notarized declaration of consent of the parent not joining the child is required, in which his or her agreement to the visa application and the permanent relocation of the child to Germany is declared. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
This does generally not apply if the child joins a parent in Germany holding German or EU/EEA citizenship or a protection status (asylum, refugee or subsisdiary protection). However, family members of asylees or refugees must provide a timely notification (see above), otherwise they have to submit proof of a 90 days health insurance.
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance, i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.
When getting married in Germany with subsequent permanent residence:
Certificate from the German registry office („Standesamt“) on the registration of the marriage, stating that all documents have been examined, including the planned date of the marriage and information on the latest date the marriage must take place.
Please note that the registration is valid for six months and ensure that you submit a valid registration when filing the application.
Please submit one copy.
Proof of basic knowledge of the German language, at least level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The A1 language certificate must be issued by a certified provider. In Turkey these are the Goethe-Institut „Start Deutsch 1“ (www.goethe.de) and the Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD) „Grundstufe Deutsch 1“ (www.osd.at). Please submit the original document and one copy.
Whether an exception applies can only be checked after the application has been submitted. You can find additional information Proof of knowledge of basic German for spousal reunification from abroad PDF / 287 KB .
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient. The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance (§ 11 sections 1-3 SGB V), i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical treatment can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.
Documents if parents or parents-in-law join family members in Germany holding a Blue Card EU or a residence permit as described in § 36 (3) AufenthG granted after 01.03.2024:
If parents-in-law would like to join, please submit the marriage certificate of the person holding a Blue Card or a residence permit according to §36 (3) AufenthG, granted after 29.02.2024. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy. Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated. Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality. Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates). Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Please also submit a copy of the German residence permit (front and back) of the spouse, whose parents would like to join (Aufenthaltserlaubnis or Niederlassungserlaubnis).
Birth certificate of the family member living in Germany, whose parents would like to join. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Syrian documents need to be pre-legalized by the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and must be legalized by the German Embassy in Beirut. Please see here for more information on the legalisazation procedure in Beirut.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
If available in your home country. Please bring the original document (you will get it back later) and one copy.
Please bring German translations of all foreign language documents. Only English language documents do not need to be translated.
Documents from German authorities will be accepted without further formality.
Turkish documents are accepted without further formality if they are presented in the international form (e.g. Formül B for marriage certificates, Formül A for birth certificates).
One copy of the insurance confirmation. A Turkish travel health insurance is NOT sufficient.The health insurance is considered adequate if it corresponds in terms of type and scope to that of the statutory health insurance, i.e. in particular it must not provide for any more substantial exclusions of benefits or include any limitation of the costs to be refunded in the event of sickness or any termination or expiry clause due to a particular age being reached, work being discontinued, a change in the purpose of residence or the loss of legal residence status.
IMPORTANT: Being uninsured may have serious consequences as in the worst case no adequate medical can be provided. We strongly recommend that you apply (if applicable) for statutory or other private long-term health insurance as soon as possible after entering Germany.