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Family reunion

Familie

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06.05.2021 - Article

General information

Spouses, parents (custodians) and underage children of foreign or German nationals living in Germany can join them under certain conditions. Other relatives (e.g. children of full age or their parents, siblings, grandparents, ...) can generally only obtain a visa for family reunion in cases of exceptional hardship.

Prepare your application

You should start preparing your application as soon as you have plans for your long-term stay in Germany. Prepare your application according to the following list and submit the documents with 2 copies when applying for a visa:

  • copy of valid passport (including all pages that are not blank)
  • One set of copies of a completed and personally signed national visa application form (please use the online application form VIDEX)
  • declarations according to § 54 (2) no. 8 in conjunction with § 53 of the German Residence Act, duly signed
  • 2 recent biometric passport photos (not older than 6 months)
  • Bahrain CPR or Bahrain visa & entry stamp
  • visa fee in the amount of 75 EUR, to be paid in BHD

For family reunion with the spouse:

  • marriage certificate (in addition: if the marriage has been solemnized by representatives - power of attorney from the fiancé(e))
  • proof of basic knowledge of German at level A1
  • passport or identity card and registration certificate of the spouse residing in Germany (not older than six months).
  • if applicable: residence permit of the spouse living in Germany
  • if applicable: excerpt of the family register
  • in case of previous marriages: divorce deed or death certificate

For family reunion of children and parents:

  • birth certificate
  • identity card or passport and registration certificate (“Meldebescheinigung”) of the parent(s)/children living in Germany (not older than six months).
  • if applicable: marriage certificate of the parents
  • if applicable: excerpt of the family register
  • if applicable: residence permit of the parent(s)/children living in Germany
  • in case a child applies for family reunion and one parent stays abroad: notarized declaration of consent, custody judgment or death certificate of that parent

Additionally for children older than 16 years:

  • proof of knowledge of German at level B2

Before the visa can be issued, the embassy will request a valid “Incoming” health insurance for Germany.

All documents are to be presented in original or certified copy along with two sets of copies.

Foreign documents issued in other languages than German have to be submitted with an official translation.

The embassy reserves the right to request additional documents.

Important notes on the visa procedure

Please do not send unrequested documents to the embassy, especially not before applying for the visa, as those cannot be kept. Please submit all documents when applying in person at the embassy. Incomplete applications will be rejected or denied.

Foreign public documents need to be duly legalized by the competent German Mission in the issuing country, or, if applicable, provided with an Apostille. For documents from some countries, individual document verification might be necessary, that process would require more time and an additional fee.

Processing

The processing of the visa application usually takes at least three months, often longer.

The embassy decides on your application based on the provided documents. You will be contacted as soon as the application has been decided. Please note that questions regarding the status of your visa application cannot be answered. Due to data protection regulation, no status updates can be given via phone.

Book your appointment

To submit your application, please book an appointment and appear in person at the embassy. The embassy will accept your complete application documents including the visa fee, will conduct a short interview with you and register your biometric data.

Applicants are kindly requested to book an appointment through the online system of the Embassy in Bahrain.

Further information

For information on language courses and examinations please see the webpage of the German Embassy.

If you have any additional question that has not been answered in this article, you can contact us. Please refrain from questions that are explained on this Website.

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