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Family reunification: spouse to a spouse living in German

22.02.2024 - Article

Please make sure that you present all the documents applicable as per the checklist when taking your appointment at the Embassy. Failure to do so may result in our inability to process your application and you having to book a new appointment.

  • Valid passport (issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least another year as of date of visa application), passport must have at least two empty pages
  • Application form, declaration form and contact information form duly filled & signed
  • Copy of the first and last page and all pages containing entry stamps/visas to Germany of your passport (A4 size copy)
  • Copy of the first and last page/ data pages and all pages containing entry stamps/visas to Cambodia of your spouse’s passport (A4 size copy)
  • Certificate of residence (“Meldebescheinigung”) of the spouse living in Germany, not older than 6 months OR/AND Copy of spouse’s residence permit (“Aufenthaltstitel”), if applicable
  • Proof of marriage:

a) if the marriage took place in Cambodia:

- legalized Cambodian marriage certificate

b) if the marriage or civil partnership ceremony took place in Germany:

- German marriage or civil partnership certificate

c) if the marriage did not take place in Cambodia or in Germany:

- marriage certificate with apostille/ legalization, if applicable

  • Applicant’s Birth certificate
  • Proof of residency in Cambodia
  • Divorce judgement and decree of all former marriages of both spouses, if applicable, German divorce judgement with “Rechtskraftvermerk”, which confirms that the judgment is final
  • Certificate of death of former spouse, if applicable
  • Proof of German knowledge (A1 level): “Start Deutsch 1” from Goethe-Institute or “Start Deutsch 1” of telc GmbH (The European Language Certificate) or “Grundstufe Deutsch 1” of the Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD)

Following Sub-Categories DO NOT need A1 certificate: Spouses of Blue Card holders / visas § 18b II AufenthG, ICT Card holders / visas § 19 AufenthG, Scientists § 18d AufenthG, Students § 16b AufenthG, Personnel exchange § 19c I AufenthG in conjunction with § 10 BeschV, Self-employed § 21 AufenthG regardless of time of marriage, Skilled workers § 18b I AufenthG, IT professionals § 19c II AufenthG in conjunction with § 6 BeschV, Workers in special positions § 19c AufenthG in conjunction with § 3 BeschV, as well as Niederlassungserlaubnis § 9 AufenthG on basis of one of the aforementioned legal grounds.

  • 2 passport pictures according to biometric specifications, not older than 6 months
  • Visa fee

Please prepare one application set consisting of copies of the above-mentioned documents and bring all your original certificates along. Please DO NOT staple any documents.

  • In case a document is not set up in German or English, it has to be submitted together with a notary attested English or German translation.
  • Please note that the German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents or to initiate a further investigation of certificates.
  • As your application will also be forwarded to the competent immigration authorities in Germany, processing will take at least three months. Please be informed that regular status enquiries during the first three months after submission of your application will not be answered.
  • Please ensure that you have family health cover through your spouse. Until health cover has been established you might want to take a travel health insurance.

Submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee that a visa will be granted.

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