General Information

This type of visa is for people that intend to join a spouse or someone they live with in a registered civil partnership who resides or intends to reside in Germany. The spouse or partner is called “reference person” which “anchors” the application to Germany.

There are different sub-types of this visa type, depending on the fact that the spouse or partner is either a German citizen, has the citizenship of a visa-exempt third country (such as for example the citizenship of the USA, Canada or Great Britain) or has the citizenship of another third country (such as for example India). If your spouse has both the German citizenship and the citizenship of another country, the German citizenship supersedes the other citizenship, the reference person will be treated as a German citizen only and the spouse or partner as a spouse or partner of a German citizen.
Both partners have to be at least 18 years of age.

As a first step in the Consular Service Portal, you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. The answers from this questionnaire will determine which sub-category of this visa type applies to you and you will receive a list of documents to be uploaded tailored to your situation. You need to answer the question truthfully. Answers that do not match your situation will lead to a request to delete your process and start over again with correct answers.
One question will ask if the marriage or registered civil partnership was notarised in Germany or if there was a subsequent notarization. You would only answer this with “yes” if you were married in front of a German Registrar’s Office or if you had your marriage registered with a German Registrar’s Office. In all other cases, the correct answer is “no”.

Necessary and optional documents

The Consular Service Portal will guide you through the process and give additional information to each upload. You can stop, safe your progress and return to your application at any time during the uploading process.

When making your application through the Consular Service Portal, you will be asked to upload the following documents:

• valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and with at least 2 empty pages for visa) – page with your photo and personal details
• passport of the reference person (if third country citizen) or proof of reference person’s German nationality
  If your spouse or partner is the citizen of a third country, but has not yet received a residence permit, please also upload the visa for Germany here
  If your spouse or partner is German, please upload the front and back of a valid German identity card (“Personalausweis”) or the data page of a valid German passport.
• IF APPLICABLE - Proof of German language skills – Language Certificate
  Current, recognized certificate for knowledge of German at least at level A1. The exam cannot have taken place more than one year ago. Recognized certificates in India are for example “Start Deutsch 1” from Goethe Institut / Max Mueller Bhawan, “Grundstufe Deutsch 1” of the Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD) or “Start Deutsch 1” of telc GmbH.
  A certificate of knowledge of German is not always necessary. It is mandatory for almost everyone marrying or intending to marry a German citizen and for a majority of spouses or partners of people residing in Germany that do not have a visa or residence permit for high skilled work. For more information on that please refer to the information in the Consular Service Portal.
  Please note: If you claim to have “obvious knowledge of German” you have to upload supporting documents such as proof of an university degree in German studies, proof of previous long term residence in a German speaking country or other reasons you think your knowledge of German is obvious. The visa sections will not conduct German exams, that is the job of the recognized language institutes. If in doubt, you will be asked to provide a recognized A1 certificate.

• Proof of marriage or registered civil partnership
  If you were married in India, it means you have to upload the following:
  Marriage according to Hindu Marriage Act
  - Marriage registration certificate
  - Temple OR Gurudwara OR Priest certificate
  - If applicable: Conversion certificate
  - Photographs showing all essential rites have been performed
  Marriage according to Sharia Law
  - Marriage registration certificate
  - Nikahnama
  - If applicable: Conversion certificate
  - Photographs of the ceremony (singing of the Nikahnama, Qazi, witnesses)
  Marriage according to Special Marriage Act (“Court Marriage”, “Civil Marriage”)
  - Marriage Certificate according to Section 13 Special Marriage Act
  - Photographs showing the marriage or function
  Marriage according to the Christian Marriage Act
  - Marriage registration certificate
  - Marriage certificate issued by licensed Church
  - If applicable: Conversion certificate
  - Photographs of marriage or function

  If the marriage did not take place in India or Germany

  - Marriage Certificate with Apostille or Legalization

• If you are not yet married but intend to get married in Germany:
  Confirmation of marriage appointment issued by the German Registrar’s Office, containing the date of the intended marriage. Please note this uses its validity 6 months after its date of issue.
• If either you or your spouse or partner have been married before:
  Divorce judgement and decree of all former marriages or Certificate of Death of former spouse(s)
• Proof of habitual residence of the reference person in Germany
  This will be requested if your spouse or partner already resides in Germany and is not moving together with you. It means a current Certificate of Residence (“Meldebescheinung”) not older than 6 months.
• IF APPLICABLE - Residence permit of the reference person in Germany
  This would be the front and back of the German residence card of your spouse or partner.
  If your spouse or partner has a long-term visa, but not yet a residence permit, please upload the visa with the passport of the reference person.

Optional documents

• Certificate about compulsory health insurance (Gesetzliche oder private Krankenversicherung)

  The insurance must be valid from the date of entry.
  If you will be insured with a statutory insurance, please submit the confirmation of the statutory insurance as well as a so-called incoming insurance. This should usually be valid for three months.
  If you will be privately insured for the entire visa period, a mere travel health insurance is usually not sufficient. A sufficient proof of health insurance must in principle offer the same protection as the statutory health insurance in Germany. This means that the insurance must not have any additional exclusions or cost limits in the event of illness. It must also not regularly contain clauses that end the insurance upon reaching a certain age, termination of an employment relationship, change of purpose of stay or loss of residence status and thus lead to the loss of your insurance cover.

• IF APPLICABLE – Pre-approval from the foreigners’ authority
  This is a special document of a “visa pre-approval” which could either be obtained just for you or it can be obtained by your spouse’s or partner’s employer from the immigration authority. The German name is “Vorabzustimmung” or “Vorabzustimmung im Rahmen des beschleunigten Fachkräfteverfahrens gem. § 81a AufenthG”. It is not mandatory, but it can shorten the processing time.
• In “Other documents” you can upload additional relevant documents to support your application. Examples would be already obtained professional qualifications, previous long-term German or EU visa or residence permit if you have previous long-term stays.

Please note that the German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or the verification of certificates, for which additional fees would be charged.

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