Bringing Your Family to Germany: A Guide for International Students

One of the biggest questions for international students heading to Germany is whether they can bring their familyโ€”specifically their spouse and childrenโ€”with them. The good news is that you can! Hereโ€™s what you need to know about the requirements and the application process for a Family Reunion Visa.
๐–๐ก๐จ ๐‚๐š๐ง ๐‰๐จ๐ข๐ง ๐˜๐จ๐ฎ ๐ข๐ง ๐†๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ฒ?
As an international student, you can bring your spouse and any children under the age of 16. This visa allows them to stay with you while you pursue your studies. Additionally, just like in Canada, your family members can work full-time during their stay in Germany, with their visa valid for the same duration as yours.
๐Š๐ž๐ฒ ๐‘๐ž๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐…๐š๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐‘๐ž๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐•๐ข๐ฌ๐š
To apply for a spousal visa under Germany’s Family Reunion Visa, you’ll need to meet several requirements:
๐š. ๐•๐š๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ: Your passport should be valid for at least 10 years.
๐›. ๐•๐ข๐ฌ๐š ๐€๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐…๐จ๐ซ๐ฆ:Complete the necessary visa application form.
๐œ. ๐๐š๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ-๐’๐ข๐ณ๐ž๐ ๐๐ก๐จ๐ญ๐จ๐ฌ:Provide recent passport photos.
๐. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ซ๐ข๐š๐ ๐ž ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ž: You must show proof of your marriage, which can include a marriage certificate and any other relevant documents.
๐ž. ๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ž ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ:Your spouse in Germany needs to have a valid residence permit.
๐Ÿ. ๐‹๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐ฉ๐š๐œ๐ž: You must demonstrate that you have adequate living space for both of you in Germany.
๐ . ๐…๐ข๐ง๐š๐ง๐œ๐ข๐š๐ฅ ๐’๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ: Show that you have sufficient funds to support yourselves during your stay. This typically means having an amount equivalent to the blocked account your spouse has set up.
๐€๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐ฅ ๐‘๐ž๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐ฌ
In addition to the basic requirements, there are a couple of important items you must address:
๐š. ๐“๐ซ๐š๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ ๐ˆ๐ง๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž: You need valid travel insurance covering your first 90 days in Germany.
๐›. ๐†๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ง ๐‹๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐š๐ ๐ž ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Proof of A1 level proficiency in the German language is necessary. A1 is the beginner level, and while it may take some effort to achieve, itโ€™s manageable with focused study over one or two months.
๐€๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ข๐œ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐ซ๐จ๐œ๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ
You must apply for the Family Reunion Visa from your home country. For example, if youโ€™re from India, youโ€™ll need to submit your application from there. Hereโ€™s a checklist of what youโ€™ll need:
a. Completed application form
b. Valid passport and passport photos
c. Marriage certificate
d. Proof of residence permit for your spouse
e. Evidence of living space
f. Financial documents
g. Travel insurance
h. German language certification (A1 level)
Once your application is submitted, you can expect a response within one to one and a half months. If approved, you can move to Germany, join your spouse, and work full-time.
๐‚๐จ๐ง๐œ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง
Many international students may not be aware that they can apply for a spousal or dependent visa in Germany, along with full-time work rights. This opportunity not only allows you to reunite with your loved ones but also helps them establish their lives while you pursue your studies. With the right preparation and documentation, bringing your family to Germany can be a smooth process. So, get started on your application and look forward to a new chapter together in Germany!