Residence permit for family reasons Issued for the family reunification of a foreign spouse with a German national

• Find out whether your foreigners authority allows you to apply online or has a special application form.
• If the application can only be submitted in person, make an appointment at the Foreigners' Registration Office. If you apply online, the Foreigners' Registration Office will contact you after receiving your application to arrange an appointment.
• During the appointment, your identity and documents will be checked (please bring your documents to the appointment, preferably in the original).
• If your application is approved, your fingerprints will be taken to produce the residence permit in the form of a new electronic residence permit (eAT card).
• The foreigners authority orders the production of the eAT card from Bundesdruckerei. After completion, you will receive information and can collect the eAT card from the relevant office. The eAT card must always be collected in person.
• If your application is rejected, you will receive a rejection notice.

Please contact the responsible immigration office.

• You are a citizen of a country outside the EU or the EEA.
• You are the spouse or partner of a German citizen.
• You and your spouse or partner have reached the age of 18.
• Your German spouse or partner has his/her habitual residence in Germany (i.e. his/her centre of life is not only temporarily in Germany).
• Your marriage/ civil partnership with the German national is valid and still exists.

Please note: The validity of the marriage depends on the form prescribed at the place of marriage and the local requirements for marriage. The marriage no longer exists if it has been divorced, annulled or declared invalid by an unappealable decision of a competent authority.

• You and your spouse/partner live together as a family (e.g. sharing a home). If you do not live together in a shared home, you may be considered to be living in a family relationship if you maintain regular contact with each other that goes beyond mere visits.
• You can at least communicate in a basic way in German (level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This may be waived if no German courses are offered in your country of origin, if they are too expensive or if you are unable to attend them for other reasons.

Please note: under certain circumstances, the immigration office may require you to participate in an integration course. This will then be noted on your residence permit.

• There is no interest in deporting you.

Their stay does not jeopardise or impair the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.

• Recognised and valid identity document (e.g. passport or passport substitute)
• Current biometric photo in passport format (45 x 35 mm)
• Visa, if this was required for entry
• Proof of the existence of the marriage or civil partnership (e.g. marriage certificate)
• Proof of knowledge of the German language at least at level A1 (e.g. language certificate, German school, training or university certificates, proof of successful participation in the integration course)

The documents and information must always be submitted in German. In individual cases, the foreigners authority may require less or further evidence.

• § Section 45 number 1 Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)

• § Section 28 (1) sentence 1 no. 3 and sentence 4 Residence Act

• Appeal against the decision of the immigration authority within one month of notification
• Action before the court named in the notice of objection if the objection is not upheld

Informal application possible: Yes

Personal appearance required: Yes

• As a rule, family reunification with Germans does not include securing a livelihood.
• A residence permit is excluded if the marriage or civil partnership was forced or only entered into for the purpose of moving to Germany.
• If polygamy is permitted in the country of origin, only the spouse or partner of the first marriage is entitled to join the family.
• The procedure at the Foreigners' Registration Office is usually conducted in German.
• All information provided to the Immigration Office should be correct and complete to the best of your knowledge and belief so that the request can be processed without major delays.
• Incorrect or incomplete information can slow down the procedure and be detrimental to the person concerned. In serious cases, incorrect or incomplete information that is not completed or corrected in good time vis-à-vis the immigration authority can result in the cancellation of residence rights that have already been granted, a fine, a prison sentence of up to three years or expulsion from the federal territory.
• Due to the complexity of residence law, this description is for information purposes only and is not legally binding.

• Information on reunification with German family members on the website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF)
• Brochure from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) and the European Migration Network (EMN) on family reunification of third-country nationals in Germany
• Information on family reunification on the website of the Federal Government Commissioner for Migration, Refugees and Integration

• Residence permit for family reasons Issued for the family reunification of a foreign spouse with a German national
• Covers the reunification of third-country national spouses or registered partners of German nationals.
• The German national must have their habitual residence in Germany (i.e. the centre of life is not only temporarily in Germany).
• The spouses must have reached the age of 18.
• The marriage/partnership must have been validly concluded and still exist.
• There is an actual cohabitation between the spouses with mutual responsibility for each other (e.g. shared home or regular contact that goes beyond mere visits).
• The third-country national spouse or partner must be able to prove that they have at least A1 level German language skills (exceptions are possible, for example, if no German courses are offered in the country of origin, if they are too expensive or if they cannot be attended for other reasons).
• The residence permit is usually issued for a limited period of three years.
• Responsible: the foreigners authority responsible for the applicant's place of residence