Family Reunification
Do you live and work in Germany and want to bring your family over?
It is generally possible to bring family members to Germany. The requirements and whether a visa is required for family reunification depend primarily on the nationality of the family members joining you.
Spouse Reunification
Does the spouse joining you have citizenship of a member state of the European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland?
Then the right to freedom of movement applies. This means that the spouse joining you does not need a visa and can live and work in Germany without restrictions. Only a valid identity card is required for entry. The right of free movement applies regardless of the spouse's nationality in Germany.
Does the spouse joining you have the nationality of a third country?
If the spouse joining their partner already has a residence permit from another EU country, they can enter Germany without a visa. Otherwise, a visa for spouse reunification is required to enter Germany.
The visa can be applied for if all of the following requirements are met:
- You have a residence permit, a settlement permit or an EU Blue Card for Germany for your stay in Germany.
- You have sufficient health insurance cover and can cover the living costs for your family.
- Your spouse is at least 18 years old.
Your spouse must apply for the entry visa in person at the relevant German diplomatic mission in their home country. All German missions abroad can be found on the Federal Foreign Office's website. The relevant German mission abroad can inform you which documents are required for the visa application (e.g., a valid passport, proof of marriage, birth certificate).
Once your family members have arrived in Germany, they must register at the Residents' Registration Office.
In addition, a residence permit must be applied for at the relevant immigration office before the visa expires. This also applies if your spouse has citizenship of an EU or EEA member state in Germany.
Wichtiger Hinweis
With the residence permit, the spouse who has moved to Germany is granted the unrestricted right to pursue gainful employment in Germany.
Joining a registered Civil Partnership
Unmarried civil partners can also join their partner in Germany if they meet the requirements for spouses to join their partner. It is important that:
- the civil partnership is registered in the respective country, i.e. the partnership declarations are certified in official files or registers
- and the civil partnership has legal effects and obligations.
This also applies to civil partnerships between two persons of the same sex.
Bringing Children to join you
If children hold citizenship in a country in the European Union or the EEA, they can enter Germany without a visa and live and work here without restrictions.
If the children are nationals of a third country, they usually need a visa to enter Germany. All of the following requirements must be met for a visa to bring children to join you:
- The child must not be married, divorced or widowed.
- The child must not have reached the age of 18.
If the parents have a valid residence permit in Germany, their children up to the age of 16 will receive a residence permit for family reunification purposes (§ 32 AufenthG). Special requirements apply to children over the age of 16. You can find out about these at the relevant German embassy.
Wichtiger Hinweis
Once a child reaches age 18, they must usually apply for their own residence permit.
As a single parent, you can also apply for a visa for your child. However, you will need the consent of the other parent who has custody for this child.
Bringing Parents to join you
If you received your visa or residence permit for employment purposes for the first time on or after 1 March 2024, you can also bring your parents or parents-in-law to Germany on a permanent basis. You can find out which regulations apply to bringing parents to join you from the relevant German embassy or the immigration office responsible for you in Germany.