Please make sure that you present all the documents applicable as per the checklist when taking your appointment at VFS Global/ the competent German Mission. Failure to do so may result in our inability to process your application and you having to book a new appointment.

• Valid passport (issued within the last 10 years; passports with observations regarding name, date of birth, place of birth and sex cannot be accepted); passport must have at least two empty pages
• Application form, declaration form and contact information form duly filled & signed
• Personal cover letter explaining the exact purpose and duration of stay
• Copy of the first and last page and all pages containing entry stamps/visas of your passport (A4 size copy)
• Child’s birth certificate, if applicable
• Copy of child’s passport, if available or other parent’s passport (A4 size copy)
• Certificate of residence (“Meldebescheinigung”) of the child or parent living in Germany, not older than 6 months
• Proof of parentage of child
  - Acknowledgement of paternity, if parents were not married to each other when the child was born
  Or
  - Proof of marriage of parents, please refer to checklist for family reunion for spouses
• Declaration of joint custody, if parents are not married
• Applicant’s birth certificate issued under the “Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1969”
• School certificate: matriculation certificate or Middle School Board Certificate or school leaving certificate including the date of birth
• Proof of Residence in India: Aadhaar Card or Ration card of the applicant covering the past 4 years or Voter’s ID
• 2 passport photographs according to biometric specifications, not older than 6 months

Please prepare two identical application sets consisting of copies of the above-mentioned documents and bring all your original certificates along. Please DO NOT staple any documents.

In case a document is not set up in German or English, it has to be submitted together with a notary attested English translation.

Please note that the German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or to initiate a further investigation of certificates, for which additional fees would be charged. Click here to find out about the charges for the verification.

As your application will also be forwarded to the competent immigration authorities in Germany, processing will take at least three months. Please be informed that regular status enquiries during the first three months after submission of your application will not be answered.

Please ensure that you have family health cover. Until health cover has been established you might want to take a travel health insurance (Kindly click here to know more about the travel health insurances accepted).

Submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa will be granted. Submission of incomplete documentation or refusal to appear for a visa interview will delay your application and may result in the rejection of your application.

For further information, please click here.

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