General Information

This type of visa is for unmarried children under the age of 18 that intend to join their parent(s) who resides or intends to reside in Germany. The parent already in Germany or the parent with the non-family reunion visa intending to move to Germany 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 parent is either a German citizen, or has the citizenship of another third country (such as for example India). If the parent 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 child as a child of a German citizen.

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 the child 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.

Necessary 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 the parent is the citizen of a third country, but has not yet received a residence permit, please also upload the visa for Germany here
  If the parent is German, please upload the front and back of a valid German identity card (“Personalausweis”) or the data page of a valid German passport.
• School reports
  All the child’s school report, noting its name. If the child is too young, please upload a short note that the child is too young to attend school or kindergarten.
• Birth certificate issued under the Births, Deaths Registration Act, 1969
  The certificate has to note the name of the child and those of the parents
• Proof of eligibility to apply: legal custody
  This is in regards to the sole custody of the person that makes the application on behalf of the child. In general, the birth certificate naming the parent making the application as parent is sufficient. If the situation has changed since the birth, proof of sole custody needs to be provided. This could be a divorce decree of the parents with custody arrangement, a court decision on legal custody, the death certificate of the parent if one parent is deceased
• Proof of legal custody of both parents – this will generally be the marriage certificate of the parents
  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
• Declaration of consent by the legal guardian if one parent does not move to Germany
  Please upload a written declaration of consent from the parent that will not move to Germany with the child. This parent will be asked to attend an appointment in the German mission to sign a declaration in front of the German mission.
• 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 of 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 the child will be insured in a statutory insurance, please submit the confirmation of the statutory insurance and additionally a so-called incoming insurance. This should usually be valid for three months.
  If the child 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 the child's 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 the child or it can be obtained by the parent'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.