Each country has its own requirements for those who want to reunite with their families. What is needed for family reunion in Germany? Despite the fact that the procedure is not easy, everything is possible. In the article we will tell you what documents are needed and what conditions must be observed in order to be near relatives.
Who can count on family reunion
A person who has close relatives or a future husband / wife can count on family reunification in Germany.
In order to start the reunification procedure, a foreigner must receive an invitation from a German citizen. After receiving an invitation, a foreigner must apply for a German national visa. In order to get a family reunification visa in Germany, a foreigner must fulfill the following conditions:
- Those inviting must confirm the financial ability to provide guests for the entire period of their stay in Germany.
- A foreign relative must live with the person who invited him.
- The invitee should have sufficient living space for all guests to live there. According to the norms of the country, this is from twelve square meters per person. And also the invitee must provide evidence that each visiting relative has health insurance.
- Family reunification in Germany is possible only if the foreign relative is absolutely safe for society and for the country.
After reading the list of requirements, some people may have a question about a sufficient amount of income. To put it simply, neither a citizen of the country, nor his foreign relatives should apply for state benefits.
The whole algorithm of actions is regulated by the law on family reunification in Germany, which is called the "Law on the Integration and Stay of Foreigners".
The bad thing is that there is no specific timeline for making a decision. One situation can be considered in three months, while other people can wait for years.
Reunion of spouses
In order to obtain a visa for family reunification in Germany, namely spouses, it is necessary to comply with all requirements of German law.
Marriage must be real, not fictitious. That is, to be built on love, and not by agreement. This item should be taken very seriously, because the punishment is also serious. If the migration service or law enforcement agencies prove that the marriage is fictitious, then the violators will not only not be given a visa for family reunification in Germany, but also will be prosecuted. Criminal punishment also threatens those whose fraud will be revealed after they get into the country. In this case, the scammers are also deported with a ban on entry.
Marriage in Denmark
There are those who are trying to circumvent the law. To do this, people go to Denmark, register a marriage there, and only then migrate to Germany. Why is this done? In order to expedite the marriage process, which in Denmark takes much less time. This is a rather risky operation, and its risk is that, as a rule, people travel to Denmark on a tourist visa, and you can stay in the country as a tourist, but you cannot marry.
When representatives of the German migration service see this circumstance, they refuse to grant their husband and wife a residence permit, or even deport or criminalize them.
Spouse Reunion Visa Documents
In order to receive a document for family reunification in Germany, you must provide the following papers:
- Application form in duplicate. Both must be correctly completed and signed by the applicant.
- A statement that the applicant knows what the consequences will be if he provides false or incomplete information about himself. Also in duplicate.
- Photos that meet the requirements. They should be forty-five by thirty-five millimeters in size. They need three pieces.
- An unexpired passport.
- Passport of a citizen of the country from which the applicant.
- Certificate of marriage.
- Divorce certificate. Paper is needed if there have been marriages before.
- A document that confirms the identity of the inviter. In addition, you must provide a paper confirming registration in the country, or a residence permit.
- If the spouses enter the country at the same time, they must be provided with a paper confirming the rental of housing or property in the country.
- Invitation from a citizen of the country. You also need to have with you the consent of the inviter to the financial content of the second half.
- A certificate that indicates the level of language proficiency.
- Insurance policy.
If representatives of the migration service see a need, they may require other documents for family reunification in Germany that are not on the list.
Visa for marriage in the country
Before applying for permission to enter Germany to get married, you need to find out at the local registry office what you need to obtain a certificate of application. Only after fulfilling all the requirements of the registry office can you collect documents for a visa. It is important to remember that a national family reunification visa in Germany is issued only to people who have reached the age of eighteen. No later than six months later, people should register a relationship.
Documents for the bride or groom
In order to get a visa, you need the following papers:
- Application for receipt of the document in duplicate.
- Application for a residence permit in duplicate.
- Three photos that meet all the requirements.
- International passport.
- Passport of a citizen of the country in which the bride or groom lives.
- Insurance policy.
- Certificate from the registry office, which indicates when the application for marriage was filed.
- Divorce certificate, if there are previous marriages.
- The bride or groom living in Germany must confirm their desire to marry the applicant. In addition, they must confirm that they are ready to live with the applicant in the country and bear financial responsibility for him.
- Certificate with a language proficiency of at least A1.
- Residence permit in Germany and two identity cards.
Reunion with children
Family reunion in Germany from Russia is possible not only for a married couple, but also for parents with children. According to German law, you can reunite:
- With a child under the age of majority who is a German citizen.
- An unborn child, that is, a future citizen.
- With a child who has reached the age of majority, but is a citizen of Germany.
If the first case takes place, then, in addition to the usual documents, they will require:
- invitation from a German citizen;
- a document that confirms the citizenship of the child;
- birth certificate of a child if he has not reached the age of eighteen.
When the father is not indicated in the birth certificate, you need to have on hand a paper that recognizes paternity, and a recognition of the joint fulfillment of the duties of the parents.
When the baby has not yet been born, other documents are needed. These include papers confirming pregnancy, proof that the parent is a German citizen. On hand should be a document recognizing paternity, or a certificate of marriage.
There are times when children go to Russia to reunite families in Germany. Then they also put forward their requirements. A child should not be married, and if he is already over sixteen years old, then he must speak a language no lower than C1 level. But the condition of knowing the language is not necessary, since a person can prove that he can quickly learn the language, because he lived in conditions that are close to Germanic. If the evidence is convincing, then the language condition is canceled. Among the documents for a visa should be:
- Invitation from a German citizen.
- Birth certificate.
- Residence permit from a parent living in Germany, or a document confirming registration.
- Consent to leave the child of one who remains in another country.
Reunion with other relatives
The family reunification with a German citizen, according to the laws of this country, is possible only in cases of emergency. This rule applies, for example, to parents. Each such request is considered separately, and among the possible reasons for an affirmative answer, the following can be distinguished:
- Poor living conditions for the parents of a German citizen.
- Care for elderly parents.
It is sad, but moving to Germany for family reunion for relatives ends with a refusal more often than a positive answer. In addition, each case is considered for a very long time.
If, nevertheless, a positive answer came upon request, then there are no fewer problems. The main problem is health insurance. The fact is that visiting pensioners with low income have practically no opportunity to get medical insurance. Private insurance companies request at least one and a half thousand euros per month, and for an elderly expatriate this amount is often huge.
For this reason, people go to the trick and try to issue an invitation to visit or a visa to learn the language. Some go further and register relatives in other countries of the European Union, after which they are returned to Germany. These methods are quite risky, not to mention the fact that they are financially expensive. In some cases, it may be much easier to help relatives in their country.
Design Nuances
A national visa is included in category D, which means a period of stay in the country up to six months. For adults, a document is issued for sixty euros, and for children - for thirty. Each document must have an apostille, a copy of it, and a German translation must be attached. Only medical insurance and passports are not translated.
After a relative has moved, he must apply for a residence permit in Germany. The family reunion happened, but the benefits of a visa of this category remained. Among them, the opportunity to stay up to three months in any of the Schengen countries.
In order for the visa not to be refused, you need to pay special attention to filling out documents and follow all stages of registration.
To apply for a national visa, you must provide biometric data. Since fingerprints cannot be taken via the Internet, the applicant must personally submit documents. Children under the age of twelve are not affected.
Requirements for the main documents
In order not to have to redo documents, you need to compare them with the requirements in advance:
- A foreign passport must be with at least two blank pages.
- Photos should be taken on a light background, meet the requirements of the migration service and not have defects.
- The health insurance must cover at least two weeks in the country.
Why refuse
In order to obtain a visa for permanent residence in Germany for family reunification, you need to know why they are being refused, and try to avoid it.
They refuse mainly because the applicant provided incorrect or false data about himself. Incorrectly filled out documents are also grounds for refusal. They can also refuse a visa because of the false purpose of the visit indicated in the questionnaire.
Much less often, but still denied a visa to those who in the past have been expelled from the country.
Whatever the reason for the refusal, it will be reported in person. An appeal must be made to appeal the denial. All information on how to do this can be found on the website of the German Embassy.
Knowledge of the language
One of the crucial points is knowledge of the language. It is important that consulates accept only certificates that are received at accredited institutions. According to a single European system, the level of language proficiency should not be lower than A1. This abbreviation implies the ability to ask for directions, maintain a conversation with the seller, give the address of residence and other necessary data.
Certificates do not provide:
- People who demonstrate language proficiency.
- Persons who want to reunite with a minor child.
- Immigrants, provided that their spouse has a green card.
- Citizens of the European Union, the United States, Japan, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, Canada, Israel.
- People who cannot pass the language test because of their limited mental or physical capabilities. To attest to such a restriction, a corresponding certificate is issued at the German Embassy.
- Family reunion without a language exam is possible for those foreigners who do not plan to stay in the country for a long time.
- A foreigner who has passed the test several times and failed, can provide papers confirming this, and he will be allowed to take the test after he crosses the border of the country.
- Those people who have higher education and are able to independently solve their problems with work, as well as adapt in a new country.
- People who travel for family reunion in Germany with a husband or wife. The same applies to the situation when one of the spouses has a residence permit, because he works as a researcher, is the founder of the company, a refugee, a highly skilled worker or an asylum seeker.
Terms of consideration
How long to wait for a family reunion in Germany? The exact answer to this question does not exist. This is because the time frame has only a lower threshold, which is equal to three months. And then it all depends on the specific situation. One application may be considered after a minimum period has elapsed, and the other within a few years. Therefore, in order to avoid problems, it is necessary to draw up all documents as correctly as possible and do everything so that the migration service does not doubt the applicant’s positive intentions.
Nuances to Know
By law, only a person who has received a German visa has the right to family reunion in Germany. Moscow or any other city and country of residence does not matter. Moreover, by law, a visa at the time of application must be valid for at least three months.
Also, the migration service draws attention to whether a person has his own housing in the country, and whether he has a stable income.
As for a residence permit, it can be issued both unlimited and with certain validity periods.
For refugees, legislation does not always allow their entire family to be transported.
An exception
Foreigners who may be in the country until their status is clarified have the right to see their families. This applies to family reunification in Germany from Kazakhstan and other countries. These people do not need to observe the number of square meters per person. They do not need to prove the legality of their income.
Housing
In addition to all bureaucratic steps, it is very important to comply with housing standards.
The living space must be suitable for living. To prove this suitability, it will be enough to provide paper confirming the rental of the house.
Attached to this paper is a description of the living space, which includes the number of rooms and their footage. The paper is signed not only by those who rent housing, but also by those who rent it.
According to German law, an apartment or house of at least forty-eight square meters is suitable for living.
Consular fee
A national visa is issued only at the embassy, so the applicant pays only the consular fee. By the way, this fee is paid only by citizens of our country, as citizens of Ukraine and Belarus are exempt from it.
An adult Russian will pay seventy-five euros, and a child who has not reached the age of eighteen will pay almost thirty-eight. If you have an open Ukrainian or Belarusian visa, but the person is not a citizen of these countries, you still have to pay the consular fee.
Getting a visa
An application for a visa is considered no more than eight weeks, but the migration service reserves the right to extend the time. That is, it turns out that it is better to submit documents much earlier than the due date.
As soon as a positive decision is issued, you can immediately receive a document.
It is important to know that when crossing the border you need to take all the documents that were prepared for the visa with you. The Border Guard reserves the right to verify all of them.
Failure Actions
We have already said that refusal can be appealed, but did not explain how.
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Conclusion
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To exclude a refusal, it is necessary to carefully check all the documents and, when preparing them, check against the requirements of the law of the country. Only such meticulous accuracy will help you to get a national visa and stay with your family without any problems.
Remember that you cannot go to Germany without money. Firstly, there is a different standard of living, which means different prices. Secondly, in the absence of a sufficient amount of finance, you are unlikely to approve a visa. And thirdly, even if, by our standards, relatives in Germany are very wealthy, it’s not a fact that they have enough income for their country. Therefore, it is better to go in order to really be near relatives and loved ones, and not to solve your financial problems at their expense. Be happy!