As part of my very popular series of legal FAQ, I now address a subject which I am personally completely opposed to: How to get married in Germany? My personal advice would be not to do it. Don’t throw away freedom like that! On the other hand, as a lawyer, I do of course know that sometimes marriage is the easiest way to get a residence permit for Germany.
Before asking a new question, please read through the many comments which may already answer your questions. And if you find these FAQ useful or if you ask a new question, it would be very nice of you to support this blog. Thank you!
1. What are the legal requirements to get married?
The requirements to get married in Germany are determined by the laws of the bride’s and the groom’s respective countries (Art. 13 I EGBGB). If requirements of a foreign law cannot be met, Art. 13 II EGBGB does however allow for exceptions in most cases and reverts to German law.
The requirements under German law are a minimum age of 18, that you are not closely related with each other, and that you are both single/widowed/divorced.
2. I don’t understand all this legal stuff. I just want to know what documents I need.
It doesn’t get much easier, unfortunately, because that too depends on the country of your citizenship. But generally, you need:
- a passport or an ID card,
- a birth certificate,
- a statement from your home country that you are eligible to marry under that country’s laws (“Ehefähigkeitszeugnis”) or, for countries that don’t provide such a document,
- proof that you are single, and
- a court order exempting you from the requirement of the “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis” (§ 1309 II BGB), which is much less complicated than it sounds.
Problems may arise if your home country is not cooperative or if documents have been lost/destroyed in a civil war or a war. Under these exceptional circumstances, required documents can be replaced by affidavits.
Notice that you do NOT need a residence permit for Germany. Even if you only have a “Duldung”, you are eligible to get married. However, in these cases it is often problematic to prove your identity and that you are single without providing further documents.
3. Heck, that’s complicated! You are known as a super-lawyer, don’t you know some tricks?
Honestly, in many cases it’s easier to get married in another country and then return to Germany afterward.
Within the EU, Denmark is known as the country where it’s easy and quick to get married. Sometimes, particularly when visas are not an issue, it’s also an option to return to the home country of the bride or the groom to get married there. – I am curious to hear about your experiences in other countries. If you have any, please leave a comment below.
Foreign marriages are generally recognized in Germany.
4. I live abroad, but I am engaged to a German. Will I get a visa to get married in Germany?
Usually yes.
Your future spouse would need to prepare all the documents and submit them to the local “Standesamt”. Once they have approved everything and given you an appointment for the wedding, you can apply for a visa to travel to your wedding. After that, you apply for a residence permit as the spouse of a German (§ 28 I no. 1 AufenthG).
5. I am only on a tourist visa, but I met this cute German guy. Can we get married right away?
You actually CAN get married while on a tourist visa in Germany.
The real problem however is that the 3 months are usually not enough to get all the paperwork from your home country together, to get it translated, recognized, filed and then to get an appointment for the wedding with the “Standesamt”. One pro-tip is to go to a smaller, non-touristy town where you don’t have to wait for months. And don’t insist on a weekend wedding. Huge weddings are overrated anyway.
6. I got married to a German outside of Germany. Can I move to Germany now?
Only if you move together. You cannot use your marriage to a German as a reason to move to Germany if he/she doesn’t move with you. By trying to do so, you would kind of show that you are not living together, which is the requirement to get a residence permit pursuant to § 28 I no. 1 AufenthG.
If your German spouse is already living in Germany, you can apply for a residence permit for the purpose of family reunion. You need to show a basic knowledge of the German language at the A1 level (§§ 28 I 5, 30 I 1 no. 2 AufenthG), with many exceptions for specific cases (§§ 28 I 5, 30 I 3 AufenthG) depending on the country of origin, the educational level or other personal circumstances of the applicant. – But the A1 level is really easy and if you ever want to apply for German citizenship, you need to speak German anyway.
There are NO financial requirements like minimum income.
Remember that you don’t need any visa or permit if you live in or move to another EU country together with your German spouse, which is a viable option in cases in which the German Consulate denies a visa.
7. Will I get German citizenship when I marry a German?
No.
But if you are married to a German citizen, you can apply for German citizenship after living in Germany for only 3 years. For more on German citizenship, please check my relevant FAQ.
8. You keep talking about brides and grooms. What about same-sex marriage?
Since 2017, same-sex couples can get married in Germany. All the previous and following answers, including the ones about immigration, apply equally to same-sex marriages.
If you got a same-sex civil partnership before 2017, you can now convert it into a marriage by simple declaration (§ 20a LPartG).
9. What about a religious wedding?
Whatever you do in your church/mosque/synagogue/temple has NO legal significance whatsoever. You can have a huge party, with lots of Bible, beer and brouhaha, but in the eyes of the law, you won’t be married.
In Germany, you can only get married at the “Standesamt” of your municipality. Well, I shouldn’t say “only”, because there is an exception in Art. 13 IV 2 EGBGB: Two foreign citizens living in Germany can get married in Germany by a person appointed by the country, of which at least one of the future spouses is a citizen. And that foreign country can also appoint religious figures for that purpose.
Remember that all of this pertains to getting married IN GERMANY. Whether a religious wedding performed ABROAD is recognized in Germany, that’s a totally different question. And sometimes a very tricky one.
10. You were right. Getting married was a mistake. Can I get an annulment or a divorce?
Please check my FAQ on divorce law in Germany.
The Happy Hermit 
Pingback: 10 FAQ on divorce in Germany | The Happy Hermit
An American, now married to a German, I was overwhelmed by the time (and costs!) associated with marriage in Germany….just to have a ceremony in the municipal building. In our town, they wanted a statement that I was not facing criminal charges, further, one from my town in the US, my State, and Federal Government. They wanted ALL of these to be dated no more than 30 days prior to date of marriage- which would be difficult to guarantee could happen- the State, for instance, had stated it would take 45 days. I was terrified someone would lose my request and therefore I couldn´t get married………not exactly ideal when planning to have family and friends travel in for the occasion. So, it was easier, less stressful and cheaper to get married in Vegas. We applied online for a marriage certificate, flew out with friends, and had a little vacation in the Vegas area. :)
I did have to wait to join my husband in Germany, as I had been told they needed an Apostile for the marriage certificate. Vegas had a wait time of 30 (or so) days. Annoyingly, when we registered me at the Rathaus, they never asked for the Apostile.
Exactly right. I usually tell clients that if they have a foreign option, it will usually be faster and easier. You may have to pay for a flight and a hotel, but at least you are not shuffling paperwork for weeks.
Regarding the apostille, in my experience, it’s rarely needed if the original marriage certificate is in English and if it comes from a country that the local “Standesamt” deals with regularly.
When getting married abroad and returning to Germany without the option for tourist visa, another option would be to return to a different EU country than the one of your EU spouse. Because then you fall under the EU freedom of movement and don’t need any visa, just the marriage certificate. Once in the EU, you can of course simply travel on to Germany within Schengen without any further passport checks.
You are (obviously) likely (VERY likely) right. I chose the safe option. Wait it out. But, thanks so much for the clarification!!! Especially for those who may now, or in the future, need the information. :)
With regard to the Apostile, they had actually told us it was 100% necessary to have…………….and then never looked at. The (Auslanderamt) knew what a US marriage certificate looked like (though they were the same ones who said we needed one!).
Thanks for your blog, and your beautiful pictures. :)
Thank you!
It seems to be a general problem around the world, government offices asking for documents and then never looking at them. Before going to South America, I paid a lot of money for vaccinations because the government websites of several countries stated that I need a yellow fever certificate. I crossed a lot of borders in the past 15 months and nobody ever wanted to see it. Well, at least I am not going to die from yellow fever…
My fiance is from Germany, who moved to the US for 10 years now. He basically does not know anything on how to get married in his home country! But I’m glad that I came across your article, my marriage will hopefully take place in Berlin!
Thank you!
In Berlin, you may have to wait a bit longer for a wedding date because it’s a rather popular city recently. But if you are not in a rush, everything should work out fine.
Good luck!
Also, take it as a good sign: if he doesn’t know anything about getting married, he was never interested in it before and YOU are the only one with whom he wants to be for all his life. :-)
Pingback: AllExperts is dead | The Happy Hermit
Good day. My girlfriend and I have been together for a few years and lived together in South Africa (i am South African), she has had to move back to Germany (she is German). We are expecting a kid in September too. We are not ready for marriage yet but is there any other visa I can get to go live with her for longer than 3months?
Absolutely.
You need to officially acknowledge paternity at the German Consulate and your girlfriend needs to sign a joint custody declaration either at the German Consulate or at the Jugendamt in Germany.
Then, you will receive a family reunion visa to be with your child (sec. 28 AufenthG).
Hi. I and my German fiancee are planning to get married in Germany but still waiting for his documents from Standesamt. I’ve been several times in Germany, last was last February and currently holding 3 months valid Schengen visa for 1 year. My question is. if everything goes well and we get his documents to get married, can we get married with my Schengen visa? we both living in Dubai and together for 9 years and will go to Germany to get married. Thanks a lot :)
Yes, you can get married while on the Schengen tourist visa.
Hi. I am a south african and my boyfriend is German.I will be visiting him for 3weeks and we planning to start a new life together in German.I have all the required documents for marriage in Germany .my question,is will it be possible to get married with that short period of time visa? wont i get deported before we finalise our marriage? what happened when you overstay the visa,while waiting for any paper work that needs to be complited?
thanks in advance
Did you already get an appointment for the wedding?
If that is at the beginning of your stay, you can then immediately apply for a residence permit.
If that won’t be issued in time, you can either overstay (you won’t be immediately deported, although you may have a problem getting a Schengen visa again) or wait in a non-Schengen country close by, like on the Balkans. That’s still much cheaper than flying back to South Africa.
Please I am married to a German and we live together for almost 2 years now but now living with her is dangerous because she keep fighting me all the time and since I don’t want to do anything that will bring in the police I have decided to move out.my questions is that if I ask for separation now that is 2 year am i going to loose my visa and my work permit? Though I have been working since the day I got my visa and the working permit.thank you.
That depends on your citizenship and your job.
I will be happy to answer your questions once I receive a donation to keep this blog going. Thank you!
How much time would it take normally for marriage process between non-EU and a German? And also my country is not giving me the letter of permission for marriage, too..
I would need to know what country you are from.
And I would appreciate a donation or a book from my wishlist. Thank you very much!
Dear Sir Madam,
Thank you very much!
For all the following important informations
I really appreciated your help!
My situation is very difficult I hope you can give me advice what to do and of course I follow your advices
I am from Afghanistan
Sense five years I am in relationship with a British woman
So of course we are I. Serious relationship and we want to get married as well
I am an Afghan I am holiday Italian subsidiary’s documents
Which has been issued for five years and It’s valid until August of 2019
I have my mother with me who has serious heart problem and she is over 70 years old
At the end of 2014 I come to Germany with my mother
Because in Italy it was not possible to leave life without any support etc
So I come to Germany and applied asylum applications but I told everything to the German immigration office
About my Italian documents
So I am really thanking Germany
Until now the supporting us and I live life with German duldung
So my question is that
Do I get married with my Italian documents or German duldung as well
If i get married in Denmark
I want to tell everything to the UK immigration office
I don’t have to hide or lie anything in my marriage visa application
If they find out any lies they will not issue any visas for 10 years
Please let me know what I have to do?
I really need your advice
Thank you so much in advance
Wali
For the marriage in Denmark, you should show the papers that show your true identity, otherwise you will run into problems later. If both the Italian and the German paperwork shows the same identity, you can present both.
Hello Sir, i am Indian and live in Germany since 2 years. I have “Duldung”can i marrie in Germany. My girlfriend is German and we living together.
Yes, you can.
Thank you so much Sir. Which documents i want for marriage and how can I apply for this.
See no. 2 of the above FAQ.
Hi Andres ~ i am currently living in HK and want to get married with my German fiance in oct 2018. THERE is so much paperwork!!!!! i am flying over to apply for our marriage in early April however, i didn’t get the proof of residency documents ready (or i maybe able to get it ontime but won’t have it Apostille on time, do you think it will matter? (should i bring along some bank statements proofing my residency in HK (the lady at the registration office said that would be sufficient, according to my fiance).
I will need the successful marriage application letter so that i can apply for my marriage visa
around mid April in order to move over to Germany by end of June. Would i be able to get such thing right after my marriage application?
Regarding translations, is there a list of certified translators or i just search online to find translation company to translate the documents? i saw somewhere that the translated documents will need to be signed by a notary to show the authentication of the translation. Is this necessary? Where can we find this person?
Thanks a lot for your post!!! it really helped me a lot and i will update you as to how it went with my applications!
Have you considered getting married in Hong Kong, if that is easier, or in Denmark, where it is definitely easier? With that marriage, you could then apply for the spouse visa if you want to live in Germany together.
unfortunately, we didn’t think it would be so complicated so we have already booked the venue and notified friends… luckily we still have time and we began the search early this year regsrding paperwork , so it should still be ok.
Just forgot to factor in Chinese New Year which delayed the approval of one of the applications><
You could keep the venue and have the friends show up there, just get the paperwork done before in Hong Kong or in Denmark. The act of getting married is just the two of you signing a paper and a municipal official registering it. I don’t think that’s the part that your friends want to watch (and if it is, just sign another document when they are there – nobody will notice the difference).
Hi Andreas, since we started the process, guess we will just have to go through with it.
So the question now is, when I apply for the marriage visa in HK, they need me to leave my passport with them. But I am planning to go to Germany because of his mothers surgery while the visa is being processed, do you think it will be a problem for me to use my other passport (British National Overseas) to enter and exit Germany?
A much bigger problem is asking lots of questions without sending a contribution for my blog. ;-)
already done
Thank you very, very much for your generous donation!!
You have two options:
(1) The easiest way is indeed to use your BNO passport, with which you can stay in Germany (or indeed in the Schengen area) for up to 90 days out of 180 days. There is no problem using one passport one time and another passport another time. But you need to stick to the Schengen time limits, because you are still the same person and are only allowed 90 days out of 180 days. (It could be that nobody will check at the border if they only scan the passport, but if they check for your name and DOB, they might find out.)
(2) You could also ask the German embassy/consulate to have your passport handed back if you can show the flight tickets. Obviously, you will only be issued the visa for Germany upon returning the passport. They can do that, but they won’t be very happy about the extra work.
So if your BNO passport is still valid and you haven’t used up the 90 Schengen days yet, I would use that one.
Hallo sir .. my name is Gurjeet .. I live in Germany .. I have a duldung .. I want doing marriage in Germany … My girlfriend is cortian .. she is live in Germany also .. can we do marriage Germany…
Yes.
Hi gurjeet contact with me
Greetings Herr Moser,
I have the following set of questions, hope you can help me.
I am mexican, but I have already gotten the Niederlassungserlaubnis. Now, my girlf friend and I are getting a baby and, thus, getting married. She is ukranian and close to end her Abitur and, thus, get back to Ukraine.
My question is: my Niederlassungserlaubnis is also extended to her if we get married? I have read that, if i were already married, my wife and children (if the case) will get that extended to them, but i haven’t found any information with regards the other case.
Also, I want to ask you if you recommend us to get married in Germany (in this case, Frankfurt), or rather go getting married in Denmark? Please, advise.
Thanks a lot for your time and kind consideration,
Sincerly yours, Leon
Hello Leon,
as to the second question: the marriage in Denmark is usually much easier, quicker and more straightforward. I would save myself the hassle of going through a two-foreigner wedding in Germany because you’ll be expected to provide tons of documents.
As Denmark is a EU country, the marriage is fully recognized in Germany.
For the first question, I would need to do some research, so I would appreciate a donation to my blog. What is the basis for your Niederlassungserlaubnis? Did you get a residence permit for Germany based on employment or as a student or some other reason?
Thanks a lot for your kind and quick reply.
How can i make a donation? I TOTALLY donate, totally worth it!!
I got my Niederlassungserlaubnis because of high specialized worker regime. I’ve been working/living here since 2013 but till now i shall “tie-the-knott”.
And, yes… i am of the mind of getting married in Denmark:faster, non-complicated and with not so much paperwork.
Again, thanks a lot and, for sure, i shall donate
Kind regards, Leon
There is a Paypal button on the right, but I think it’s sometimes not shown when accessing by phone or tablet. For a direct donation, the Paypal address is moser@moser-law.com.
Thank you very much already!
Dear Herr MOser,
I have made a donation, you’ll be notified of it. I wasa bit confused beacuse button says:”Would you like a postcard from Montenegro?”, hehe.
Again, thanks a lot for your kind support and your time and answers.
Kind Regards, Leon Z
Good day,please help.I am stranded. I am South African,came to Germany in tourist visa. My boyfriend and i decided to get married here in Germany (his German).We already have the date to get married this months but the problem is that the Auslanderbehorder is saying that after marriage i wont get a Visa instead i will get a Duldong because i came in Germany with a wrong Visa.Please help me, what can i do? if i go back to SA and apply for family reunion Visa theres noway im gonna get it,since my Visa has now expired. With the Duldong its temporary and has terms and conditions ,basically i cant work or do anything. I am based in Karlsruhe and im scared that i might be deported anytime from now because of that. we have decided to go ahead with the marriage but the problem is that i wont get Visa. on what grounds can i get a Visa after marriage even though i have broken the law?
It seems that there are two problems:
a) You came with a tourist visa instead of a fiancée visa. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem if you could show that getting married was a spontaneous decision and you didn’t have that plan when you applied for the tourist visa.
b) Your visa has already expired. That’s the much bigger problem because it will prevent you from ever getting a Schengen visa again. Luckily for you, any long-term visas for Germany are not Schengen visas, so Germany can still grant visas.
Normally, once you get married, you won’t be deported and things can be worked out. But my recommendation would actually depend on a lot of individual factors regarding you and your boyfriend, your qualifications (for possible other visa types), your income, the time frame (when was the wedding planned? why the overstay?). For such a full consultation, I charge 400 EUR. Usually, it would be an alternative option to get married in South Africa or indeed any other country, but as you already have the wedding scheduled for this month, that’s probably not worth it.
Hello
Since the law of Germany bans females under 16 to get married, If a young girl with nationality of Iran under 16 has been married in Iran according to the law of Iran (so in Iran her wedding is legit and legal), and after that migrates to the Germany with her husband, Is this marriage known as legal in Germany or not?
Thank you
Hello Sina,
actually, even the law for marriage within Germany has been changed in 2017: now, both partners need to be 18 in order to get married.
For foreign marriages, if one of the partners was younger than 16 at the time of marriage, the marriage won’t be recognized. You would need to get married (again) once you are 18 or older.
Hi; I have been living in UK for last 9 years and overstayed my visa for two years. My girlfriend moved to Germany after finding her dream job there. She is Polish national and used to live with me in England. I cannot travel legally to Germany as I am an over-stayer :( and she is too scared to come to my home country to marry me and she doesn’t want to come back to UK because she might lose her job.
Many Thanks and please help us, we are looking forward to hearing from you soon.
Without being in the same country, there is no way of getting married.
I don’t really see why your girlfriend would lose her job for traveling to the UK for a day or two. You just have to find a municipality in the UK where they will let you get married despite your immigration status, then you will schedule a date and she will know long in advance when to fly to the UK.
Or you can of course do it in your home country, but it sounds like it’s farther away, so the flight would be more expensive and more complicated, so she would be away from work longer.
Dear Andreas;
Thanks for prompt response. According to new UK laws, if a partner is from outside EU, all councils (Municipals) refer your case to Home Office who come over to your house in 60 days and if my fiance is not with me, they will deport me straight away and if she is with me, they will allow us to get married here but I’ll have to apply from my home country to be with my wife after showing the proofs that she has been working here in UK for at least 3 months if we want to stay in UK.
Can I get married in Germany if I am there illegally but with valid passport?
Well, staying in the UK doesn’t sound like an option anyway, if she is living and working in Germany.
In Germany, it’s possible to get married irrespective of the immigration status, but it’s quite complicated. And it may take a long time, during which the immigration authorities might be after you.
Within the EU, Denmark is the easiest country. No questions asked, quick and easy, and valid in all other EU countries.
What country are you from?
Pakistan. Do they not check your immigration status in Denmark?
In Denmark, they just check your identity.
Hmm, Pakistan is tricky because there are no cheap flights and she would miss work for more than a weekend. But at some point in time, she is going to have holidays.
Yes but she is quite reluctant to come to my country.
So if I can somehow get to Denmark with my passport, we get married there and on that basis I can apply to come to Germany to be with my wife?
After so many follow-up questions, I think it’s time to check my wishlist or to make a donation to my Paypal account (see button on the right).
Thank you so much for your responses. I have made a small donation. So would you be able to help me more?
Thanks for your donation!
If you manage to get to Denmark, you should be able to get married there with your passports and birth certificates only.
After that, you could simply move to Germany with your Polish wife under the EU freedom of movement, you wouldn’t even need a visa (although you can apply for a residence permit).
Please pardon me if I sound silly by asking this: Will I be able to work in Germany even without Residence permit after marrying ?
Yes.
I have linked to my FAQ on freedom of movement in the EU, which will apply after your marriage, in the reply above.
Hi;
My girlfriend has been to a lawyer who reckons I can travel to Germany from UK based on a permission letter issued by marriage office in Germany. Only problem is it can take up to 6 months after verifying all my details from my home country. Is that possible?
I don’t think that would work because the marriage office cannot issue visas. Only the German embassy/consulate in the UK could issue the visa, and they won’t do that if you don’t have a legal status in the UK.
And you will always face the issue of a possible border check by the UK police, who don’t need to give a damn about any German letter, even a visa. If they want to apprehend you, they can. So, the practical problems remain.
I have a question concerning marrying in denmark then coming back to germany. I read somewhere that if your partner visits you with a tourist visa in germany and gets married later on in denmark, the wife/husband is sent back to her home country because they think she faked her visa and had different intentions before flying to germany than to get married. Is that true? I wanted to marry my girlfriend in Denmark after she comes to visit me with a tourist Visa because it is much easier + we won’t get married in germany anyway this paperwork is just way too troublesome over here. I am now worried if our plan can work out at all. Plus to me in my personal opinion I am not officially engaged until I ask my partner face to face to marry me. But I am not sure if the government shares my believe and personal values and calls us cheaters of the system. Any advice? Are we at risk if we do this with a tourist visa and leave for denmark?
It actually depends on the citizenship of your girlfriend if she can convert the Schengen tourist visa into a German residence permit or if she would be asked to leave.
But in most cases, it’s no problem.
As to the engagement, legally you are engaged from the time you set the wedding date with the municipal office in Denmark. I don’t know how far in advance they are booked out, but I think if you pick a small town and are flexible, you might get an appointment on short notice. Then you could say that it was a spontaneous decision. (After all, you have 3 months on the Schengen visa.)
Last thing to remember: Even if your girlfriend/wife was asked to leave, you might be able to go to another country outside of Schengen, but nearby (e.g. in the Balkans), saving her a possibly expensive trip to her home country.
My son with Indian Passport , stays in Germany on work visa. He wants to marry a girl who is not yet gone to Germany anytime. She has also having Indian Passport . Whether they can marry in Germany ? If yes, what specific documents required ? Is there any professional who can do all the documentation/formalities on their behalf ?
If they marry in India whether she can join him immediately on tourist visa pending outcome of application of dependent visa or require 90 days time.
If they are both Indian and she is living in India, it’s much easier to get married in India.
After that, she can join him on the tourist visa and apply for a spouse visa (which usually requires German language knowledge at A1 level, although there are many exceptions).
Dear sir.
I had my fiance visa application submitted at the germany embassy including all the required documents. My fiancee is germany but we have never met face to face. We have been online for the past 3 year. She decided to register our marriage at the standesamt with the date of marriage already scheduled. What are the chances of my visa approval since i have never been to europe and havent met yet my girlfriend but presented print outs of our communication and skype screen shots to the embassy as part of proof for our relationship.
Thank you.
I don’t see any point in me speculating about this.
But it might be easier for you if your girlfriend comes to your country to get married there.
Hello
I want to ask about one serious question and I am really confused .
Well I m a refugee in Germany now . But before I was married with europion girl in Cyprus but I got the divorce in Germany . I m originally from Pakistan. I am a refugee with Duldung . I want to marry again and Standesamt told me that your documents will send to your home country for verification.
But my question is that I got divorce in Germany . Does Standesamt still need to
send my documents to Pakistan for verification?
And second question I have Duldung but I afraid to give my passport because Standesamt will inform the landrasamt and they can deport me easily .
Please give me reply
Hello Asif,
I will be happy to answer your questions once I receive a donation to my Paypal account or a book from my wishlist. Thank you very much already!
Hallo,
ich bin Deutsche, mein Freund kam mit Schengenvisum nach Deutschland, welches abgelaufen ist. Wir wollten gerne heiraten. Alle offiziellen Informationen sagen, er muss zurück nach Marokko und dort ein Visum zur Eheschließung beantragen. Jedoch liest man in Unmengen an Erfahrungsberichten, dass dieses häufig abgelehnt wird, bzw. die Wartezeiten derzeit mehrere Monate bis fast ein Jahr betragen.
Kann das Visum aufgrund geringem Einkommens abgelehnt werden?
Bei allen dänischen Publikationen findet man nur, dass man sich rechtmäßig in Dänemark aufhalten und dieses auch nachweisen muss. Für Belgien reichen meine finanziellen Mittel leider nicht. Vor kurzem habe ich von jemandem erfahren, dass er sich bei der Ausländerbehörde melden muss und angeben, dass er vorhabe zu Heiraten und ihm für dies eine Aufenthaltsgenehmigung ausgestellt werden könne. Jedoch denke ich, dass diese genauso gut abgelehnt werden kann, oder?
Ich möchte (aus persönlichen Gründen) nur sehr ungern nach Marokko zum Heiraten.
Gibt es noch irgend einen Ansatz, den wir außer Betracht gelassen haben?
Über eine Antwort freue ich mich und bedanke mich für Ihre Bemühungen.
Viele liebe Grüße
Sarah
Aus welchen Gründen möchten Sie denn nicht nach Marokko?
Das wäre nämlich wirklich am einfachsten. Es gibt günstige Flüge, und danach können Sie als Ehepaar über die EU-Freizügigkeit einfach die Fähre nach Spanien nehmen. Ganz ohne Schengen-Visum.
Hi Andreas,
I enjoyed reading your blog – very interesting and helpful. My situation isn’t very complicated, but maybe you know the answer. I have been living and working in Germany for two years on a residence permit. Next month I will marry my German fiancé in my US home state. It’s very simple for him: he only needs his passport. When we return to our home in Cologne, we will bring the certified marriage certificate and my certified birth certificate to the Standesamt. We don’t want to have an additional Standesamt wedding or anything. Are those the only documents we need for the marriage to be recognized in Germany? Do I need a “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis”? It’s not something that is provided in the US because it’s all in the system – they wouldn’t issue you a marriage certificate if you were still married or divorced less than six months. Thanks in advance.
Kind regards,
Kristen
Hello Kristen,
by getting married in the US, you are (smartly) avoiding all the fuss about the “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis”. The German Standesamt will recognize your US marriage (or that of your home state to be as precise as we lawyers should be ;-) ) and simply change your status in their records to married.
But, because you mentioned that all the information “is in the system” in the US, let me take a moment to explain what the “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis” is for. If two German citizens are getting married in Germany, they don’t need it either because all the information is in the system,
The point of the “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis” is to find out if someone is single/divorced/widowed and thus eligible to marry in ANOTHER country. And that information cannot be in the system of any country, for how would it be? How would Iowa or Alaska know if your fiancé has ever been married in Germany? Or in Tanzania? Or in Peru? (That’s why it’s easier to commit bigamy in the US than in Germany.)
The last point, however, shows the logical error behind asking for the “Ehefähigkeitszeugnis” from the country of citizenship. Because someone may be single in his country of citizenship, but married in a third country. The truth is, it’s impossible to ever find out about this.
Anyway, I wish you a nice trip and a happy wedding!
Hallo Herr Moser,ich habe eine Frage. Ich habe in Mexico geheiratet. Meine Freundin ist deutsch. Mein Heiratsurkunde von Mexico ist gültig in Deutschland?
Ja, da gibt es kein Problem.
Sie können die mexikanische Heirat beim Standesamt in Deutschland registrieren lassen, aber das muss nicht sein. Es gibt auch keine Frist dafür. Wenn es also irgendwann mal notwendig wird, können Sie das immer noch machen.
I am from Nigeria but seeking asylum in Germany, presently having my 3 months advice here, me and my german fiancee planning to get married so that we can live together, how can i go about it and what should we do to get married?
I think that’s answered in the above FAQ.
Dear Andreas,
I Live with My German Fiancee for the last 4 years in Dubai, we are wondering what is the best way to get married, it is quite complicated in Germany and she doesnt want to get marry under Dubai Rules, can we get married in German consulate since we are both residence of Dubai? I appreciate your kindest reply
Dear Hussam,
the German consulate does not perform marriages (anymore). And in any case, they would have asked for exactly the same documents as the registrar in Germany.
You can get married in any third country. Within the EU, Denmark is quite easy. I also know that a lot of people fly to Cyprus.
But your fiancée should know that even if you get married somewhere else and then continue to live in Dubai, she might (depending on Dubai’s international private law) still fall under Dubai law.
If there are particular concerns and you both are in agreement, you might want to conclude a prenuptial agreement, abrogating certain aspects of Dubai law. But you/we would also need to check if Dubai would respect such a prenup.
Hi Andreas,
Me and my girlfriend are Filipino and she’s in Germany on a Working Visa. I am planning to visit her by next year, and we’re wondering if we can get married during my visit? Thanks in advance.
Yes, you can.
You just need to prepare all the paperwork really well and contact the municipality where you want to get married in due time, so that your time in Germany will suffice.
Hello, I have asked questions before, so now I have finally got my marriage visa and will get married early oct! But what happens afterwards?! Because my marriage visa will only allow me to stay until December… The german consulate in hk just say I need to extend my visa by with what?! Thanks a lot for helping!!
Once in Germany and married, you will apply for a residence permit pursuant to § 28 I AufenthG (if you want to stay in Germany).
Hi Andreas,
I am from South Asia and getting married to my German partner in October. The Standesamt from his hometown has already issued us the bescheinigung über anmeldung der eheschließung. I am getting married on a tourist visa and have already disclosed this to the Embassy here. I am returning to my home country after the wedding. Am I required to disclose my purpose of visit at the airport should the officers ask ? How likely is it that they would refuse entry? From one of your posts, I gathered that one can get married on a tourist visa if they have the legal documents. I’d appreciate your clarification/advice. Many thanks!
SP
You are absolutely fine to get married on the tourist visa, but there is no need to mention it at immigration (they would have no way of knowing it). If you can, I would keep it simple there and only show the visa and proof of your return flight, sufficient funds and a health insurance. Anything beyond that is really none of the immigration people’s business.
Good luck on the trip!
Dear Andreas,
Great blog. I have a similar question. I came to Germany to visit my partner on a schengen visa (I’m from South Africa.)
We are considering getting married in Denmark, (but as it was not the original plan, I didn’t get a fiance visa. Would we run into trouble if we went ahead and came back to Germany to register the marriage? Out biggest fear is they sent me back to SA and make me apply for a spousal visa, as people in SA is currently waiting between 1 and 5 years for that visa due to our home affairs being slow. I have a A2 level in German so far. Any advice would be appreciated.
Also, can one hire you in case we need a lawyer?
If you get everything done within the time of your Schengen tourist visa, you should not run into any problem.
Hello. It is a really nice and helpful post. Well I got a question. Im a student, having a student visa and about to get married to a German citizen. Being from a non EU country, I gave up my studies 1 year ago but after the wedding, im going back to my home country since the student visa expires. Im then planning to apply for a family reunion visa. Actually scared of getting it rejected since I gave up on my studies, then got married.
Applying from Germany for a visa directly is asking me a proof of my studies during the past year which I do not have. But for family reunion visa, this is not required but Im not sure.
Will I get reviewed if I attended my studies or not? does it risk for me to never be with my partner ever again? I am really stressed :(
First of all, to anyone else reading this, please prioritize your studies over marriage! Don’t wreck your life like Kinsley did.
The family reunion visa is completely independent of any prior visas. However, if you violated the conditions of your prior student visa (meaning that you are now in Germany illegally), you might indeed face some tough questions.
But the fear of never being with your partner is certainly a bit over the top, because he could also move in with you in your home country. Or you could meet in any third country to which you both can travel.
Hello
If someone hides his first marriages and married to a German citizen..is there any penality..?
Yes, bigamy is a crime in Germany (§ 172 StGB).
Hi,
Could you please guide me about marrying a German citizen (Born in Iran) . She is a girl and I want to marry her. My sole purpose to move to Europe from Pakistan is to marry her. We are of same gender. Now I wanna know if I can marry her and live together in Germany on tourist visa. I also have admission offer from Hungarian university. it will be a one year residence permit in Hungry for studies, So can I marry her in Hungry or go to Germany and marry her there on my Hungarian residence permit which will allow me to travel b/w EU countries for maximum 90 days. Please note that my home country does not allow same sex marriage. thanks.
The easiest is to use your Hungarian residence permit to go to Germany for marriage.
Germany will ask for your birth certificate and for a statement from Pakistan that you are not married. (It doesn’t matter that Pakistan does not allow same-sex marriage.)
In Hungary, you could get a same-sex registered partnership, but not a marriage (although the partnership has mostly the same effects). If you do get married in Germany, Hungary has to recognize it.
Sir, I have a choice between hungry and germany for admission in university. Is it not better if get admission in germany and then register civil partnership there with my gf? Plus will German regulatory body inform Pakistan about my civil partnership at the time of seeking evidence of martial status etc or later? It will be a big issue for me.
Sorry for bothering you too much
Follow-up questions are always a good opportunity to send a donation to keep this helpful blog going.
Hi Andreas,
I am Australian (30) and my Daughter (6) are wanting to join my partner (not married) in Germany next year. My daughter is from a previous relationship and father is no longer in the picture.
We are trying to figure out what visa we can get to suit us as its very difficult due to the fact my daughter isn’t legally his and we are not married? If we decide to get to get married can we get a temporary visa to allow us to stay in Germany until we do?
Thank you so Much!!
My recommendation will depend on
– whether you have sole custody or not,
– your partner’s citizenship,
– and the plans for financing life in Germany are.
Please feel free to contact me at moser@moser-law.com with the details. I charge 200 € for such a consultation.
Hallo Herr Moser ich lebe seit zwei Jahren in Deutschland und habe Duldung. Ich komme aus Indien und meine Freundin aus Deutschland. Wir wohnen zusammen. Wir haben durch den Anwalt in Mexico geheiratet. Wir sind nicht nach Mexico geflogen. Auf meinem deutschen Ausweis meine Daten sind falsch aber auf der Heiratsurkunde sind die richtig. Weil die Daten von meine Heiratsurkunde sind,sie über mein Pass laufen. Meine Frage ist wie kann ich in Deutschland meine Heiratsurkunde registrieren lassen. Es wäre schön wenn Sie mir antworten. Liebe Grüße Mogli
Sie nehmen einfach die mexikanische Heiratsurkunde mit Übersetzung und Apostille und Ihren Pass zum Standesamt und lassen die Ehe dort registrieren.
Falls die falschen Daten in der Duldung auf Ihre Angaben zurückzuführen sind, bekommen Sie natürlich ein paar Probleme, aber da führt kein Weg daran vorbei. In Zukunft sollten alle Daten einheitlich und richtig sein.
Und dann beantragen Sie eine Aufenthaltserlaubnis nach § 28 AufenthG.
Vielen Dank Herr Moser sehr lieb von Ihnen.
Hallo Andreas,
Thank you for the 10 FAQs.
I am a South African citizen who lives in Austria on a student visa. My boyfriend is a German citizen and lives in Germany. We’re getting married in a few days in Denmark.
Q: To register for residency here in German, do I need to go to the German embassy in Austria or just go straight to our local Ausländerbehörder in Stuttgart? Do you know how long the processing time is because my visa will be Austrian visa will be expiring in 2 months, or will i get a temporary German visa?
Thanks in advance.
Because you are already in Schengen, it’s easier to go to the Ausländerbehörde in Stuttgart (if this is where you will live).
Two months is absolutely enough time to get the residence permit as a spouse (§ 28 AufenthG).
Good day. If I apply for a marriage visa for Germany and I travel to get married in Germany am I supposed to come back and apply for the family reunion visa or I apply for for the residence visa in Germany. I am South African
If you plan everything well (all documents ready, planning for enough time, getting the language test if applicable), you can stay in Germany in the meantime.
Hi Andreas, I am a non-EU with a Niederlassungserlaubnis living and working in Germany. My girlfriend, a non-EU currently studying in Spain, and I are planning to get married once she finishes her Master Studies in June 2019 and we plan to live together in Germany. Given she is still on a student-residence permit, is marrying in Denmark our best/fastest option for her to be granted a German residence Permit (based on my NE permit) ?
Many Thanks in advance.
Denmark is probably the easiest option in the EU. And as you can both travel there without any problem, it should be feasible to get married there.
Other than that, you can of course also get married in her or your home country, depending on the legal and bureaucratic requirements there.
Thanks for your prompt reply. After the marriage, does her application for a German residence permit take place via the German embassy in Spain or can she apply at the Ausländerbehörde at my city of residence in Germany (given she will still be on a Spanish student resident permit and she is not registered in the Stadt in Germany)?
Thanks
Follow-up questions are a good opportunity to make a donation to my blog. 😉
Did a small Donation to your Blog. Thanks in advance for your answers
Dear Hassan,
thank you very much for your donation, which was actually quite generous!
As long as your girlfriend/then-wife will continue studying in Spain, there is no urgency to change any of her paperwork. She can still remain on the Spanish student visa and visit you regularly in Germany. (Even she is staying in Germany longer, she could always say that she just arrived or that she has been back to Spain in the meantime. As you know, there are no border/passport controls for flights, trains and buses between Spain and Germany. The checks at the airport are only the ones carried out by the airlines, not by immigration.)
Because her student visa will probably expire after June 2019, it would make sense to get married some time before that, ensuring a seamless transition to a German residence visa.
As she cannot get registered at your place in Germany without a German visa, she would need to apply for the family reunion visa at the German Embassy or Consulate in Spain. They would want to see the marriage certificate, personal information about you both, maybe your lease contract to show that there is enough space for her to live with you (§ 29 I Nr. 2 AufenthG).
The last thing to check would be the language requirement. § 30 I 1 Nr. 2 AufenthG requires that she speaks German at A1 level (which is the very beginner’s level), but there are several exceptions, depending on your economic/professional status in Germany, her citizenship (for the countries listed in § 41 AufenthV) or her education. There is an exception for university graduates if they can be expected to find a job without German skills (which depends on the subject of the studies; Nr. 30.1.4.2.3.1 VV-AufenthG).
Because obtaining the German visa might take some time, I would advise to start the process as soon as possible, which means that you should also get married as soon as possible. And if Spain offers some visa for the time after graduation, I would recommend to apply for that, too, just to be on the safe side.
I wish you both all the best!
Me and my girlfriend are living together,we planned to marry then we met one advocate because of that I cancelled my student visa process from Poland,for marriage we met one advocate after that ,I got 6 months visa in Germany, now she said that she won’t marry me, because of her I did not apply for my student,my question is that is it possible to apply language visa now from berlin
Theoretically, it’s possible.
But I would want to get as far away as possible from that woman. Go for the studies that you originally wanted to pursue! Education will stay with you forever, girlfriends never do.
Hello, I am an American living and working in Germany, and my fiance is Iranian, living and working in Kuwait. We would like to ‘close the gap’ and marry soon, with our ultimate goal of him coming here to Berlin with me. (I have no intention of returning to the states. My work contract is indefinite) I was previously married in the states, with my divorce (with apostille) having taken place here in Germany. Most of the information I can find about non-citizen marriage seems only to address if there is one non-citizen, and the other is German. If we were to marry, would it be a difficult process at that point to join our lives? Would it be as just a ‘family reunification’ visa for him to apply for? Or are there different requirements since I’m not actually German? Thanks so much! We are trying to gather as much information as possible to make our future a reality!
Hello Liz,
it’s actually not that complicated as you are already living in Germany and your divorce is from Germany.
For the family reunion visa, the only thing that is different for spouses of foreigners is that you will have to show that there are enough financial resources and living space for the two of you. Until he will find employment in Germany, this will depend on your income.
He would need to provide paperwork from Iran showing that he is single (or divorced or widowed). Depending on how long he has been living in Kuwait, this doesn’t make sense, of course, but as he is an Iranian citizen, Germany will require something from Iran. (Art. 8 III of the German-Iranian Agreement from 1929 stipulates that Iranian family law is applied to Iranians in Germany.)
As to the logistics, I would like to know if he has been to Germany before, to know how easy it would be for him to get a visa (again). You could of course also get married elsewhere, but neither Iran nor Kuwait are very practical options.
Hello all , accidently camw across your blog and think its a great work you are doing here.
Have a big big problem myself here with no where to look for answers.
I am an afghan born German ( living in germany for 19yeas)
My fiance is a pakistani national living in South Africa. He has been married twice before – once with his then girlfriend ( south africa national ) in south africa and divorced there too .and second after 4 years with a pakistani national and divorced. He has all the doctumenrs to prove both. However now to get married to him,
would it be easier to get married in pakistan and then submit his papers or marry in germany ( firat all documents will be checked – which again i am unsure in which county and how long it will take etc ) if a lawyer would be easier to resolve this please asvice if you can take up the case and help . Thank you
Hallo Tia,
mein Ratschlag hängt davon ab, was logistisch am einfachsten zu bewerkstelligen ist.
– In Deutschland wäre es wegen der zwei Scheidungen deines Freundes eine ziemlich lange Prozedur, weil alle Papiere in den jeweiligen Staaten überprüft werden müssten. Und er bräuchte ein Visum zur Eheschließung.
– Als Deutsche brauchst du für Pakistan ein Visum.
– Für Südafrika benötigst du kein Visum. In Südafrika können auch zwei Ausländer heiraten. Allerdings müsstet Ihr bei den dortign Behörden erfragen, welche Dokumente Ihr benötigt.
– Nach der Heirat könnt Ihr dann entscheiden, wo Ihr zusammen leben wollt und den entsprechenden Visumsantrag stellen.
Eine Ergänzung zu Pakistan: Gerade habe ich gelesen, dass Pakistan die Visumspflicht für Deutsche aufhebt bzw. dass man das Visum einfach bei der Einreise erhält. – https://www.khaleejtimes.com/pakistan-offers-visa-on-arrival-to-tourists-from-24-countries-
Hi Herr Moser, ich bin Surinder Pal. Wir haben uns über YouTube geschrieben und Sie haben mir ein link geschickt. Ich bin 31 Jahre und meine Freundin 56 Jahre alt. Ich komme aus Indien und meine Freundin aus Deutschland. Wir wohnen zusammen Zeit 2 Jahren. Wir haben durch ein marrige Büro in Mexico geheiratet. Wir sind nicht nach Mexico geflogen. Jetzt haben wir die Heiratsurkunde mit Apostel von mexikanischer Behörden. Wie kann ich das in Deutschland Registrieren lassen. Können Sie das machen und was muss ich bezahlen. Vor 16 Monaten habe ich Duldung bekommen aber die Daten sind falsch im meinem deutschen Ausweis. Die Daten in meinem Heiratsurkunde sie sind richtig. Wenn Sie mir helfen können,wäre es sehr nett von Ihnen. Liebe Grüße Surinder pal 🙏🏾
Wenn Sie mir etwa 50 EUR über Paypal an blog@moser-law.com schicken, kann ich Ihre Fragen gerne beantworten.
Hallo,
mein Freund (Marrokaner) und ich (Deutsche) wollen in Hongkong heiraten. Dann möchte er mit einem Touristenvisum nach Deutschland einreisen und dort einen Aufenthaltstitel beantragen. Ich weiß natürlich, dass man normalerweise kein Touristenvisum in einen Aufenthaltstitel umwandeln kann. Jedoch laß ich auch, dass er auf keinen Fall ausgewiesen werden darf, wenn er mit mir verheiratet ist. Man müsse also nur einen Anwalt anstellen, der sich um die Umwandlung in einen Aufent.Titel kümmert. In der Zeit, wo der Prozess läuft, bekäme er eine Duldung.
Meine Frage nun:
Dürfte er mit dieser Duldung schon Arbeit finden, da sowas ja auch mal 6 Monate dauern könnte?
Würde ein A1 Deutschzertifikat den Prozess positiv beeinflussen, sowie eine Summe um die 7.000 EUR gespartem auf seinem Konto?
Wieviel würde der Anwalt ca. kosten, der sich darum kümmern würde?
Tausen Dank im Voraus,
Clara und Anas
Es gibt auch im Falle der Ehe keinen hundertprozentigen Ausweisungsschutz, vor allem nicht, wenn es es sich um ein nahe gelegegenes und sicheres Herkunftsland wie Marokko handelt und wenn die Ehe erst seit kurzem besteht. Es ist zwar ein Abwägungspunkt (§ 55 I Nr. 4 AufenthG), aber das Gericht würde auch wissen wollen, wieso Anas nicht in Marokko einen Antrag auf Familienzusammenführung nach § 28 I AufenthG stellen kann (v.a. wenn er schon das A1-Zertifikat hat) oder wieso Sie in der Zeit nicht nach Marokko reisen können, wo Sie sogar visumsfrei für 3 Monate bleiben können.
Mein Ratschlag würde sich nach Ihren ganz persönlichen Umständen richten. Je nachdem, wo in Deutschland Sie leben bzw. was Sie dort machen, könnten Sie auch in ein EU-Nachbarland ziehen und von der EU-Freizügigkeit für Drittstaatsfamilienangehörige profitieren. Dann bräuchte Anas überhaupt kein Visum (siehe meine FAQ hierzu: https://andreasmoser.blog/2014/09/22/freedom-of-movement-eu/ ).
Vielen lieben Dank für die schnelle Rückmeldung! Das wissen wir extrem zu schätzen!
Leider kann ich nicht so einfach in ein anderes EU Land ziehen, da ab Oktober mein Studium beginnt, und ich dieses natürlich sehr gerne wahrnehmen möchte.
Würde ein „Ausweiseschutz“ besetehen, wenn er in der Zeit seines Touristenvisums einen Job findet, ich bereits eine eigene Wohnung anmelde ODER ein ärztliches Attest über Depression oder dergleichen meinerseits vorliegt, das bestätigt, dass ich meinen Ehemann an meiner Seite brauche, um mich zu unterstützen?
Für den Fall, dass das klappen würde, würde er dann einen vorläufigen Aufenth. Titel bekommen, mit dem er auch arbeiten könnte?
Ich bin Ihnen wirklich sehr, sehr dankbar und würde mich gerne erkenntlich zeigen.
Wie und wo mache ich das am besten?
Danke nocheinmal im
Voraus!
Clara
Vielen Dank!
Dazu eignet sich entweder mein Paypal-Konto blog@moser-law.com oder meine Bücherwunschliste, wobei ich auch um gebrauchte Bücher sehr dankbar bin.
Ich würde gerne helfen, müsste dazu aber so viel mehr wissen (finanzielle Verhältnisse, voraussichtliche Arbeit, Wohnverhältnisse, warum die Heirat in Hongkong, wieso kein Antrag aus Marokko, Möglichkeit des Studentenvisums für Ihren Freund, u.s.w,), dass wir das eigentlich telefonisch besprechen müssten, um wirklich alle Aspekte zu beleuchten. Dafür muss ich dann aber leider 200 EUR berechnen.
Grundsätzlich ist die Kombination aus Studentin, die gerade erst das Studium beginnt, und gerade erst geschlossener Ehe keine gute Ausgangslage für einen Abschiebeschutz, weil sie (falls keine Gegenargumente vorliegen) zuerst einmal gemeinsam nach Marokko ziehen könnten und von dort aus das Visum nach § 28 AufenthG beantragen könnten. Sie verlieren ja anscheinend dadurch keinen Job und werden nicht einmal aus dem Studium gerissen. (Ich will hier nicht zu negativ rüberkommen, aber das sind genau die Argumente, die Sie sich vor Gericht anhören müssten. Und ich habe ein bisschen den Eindruck, dass Sie alles versuchen wollen, um eine Situation zu schaffen, von der Sie wissen, dass sie schwierig ist, anstatt ganz regulär den Antrag auf Familienzusammenführung zu stellen. Und so teuer sind die Flüge zwischen Deutschland und Marokko ja auch nicht, Sie können sich also regelmäßig sehen. Ich glaube, davon haben Sie mehr, als wenn Sie all Ihr Geld für Anwälte und Gerichte ausgeben.)
Hallöchen,
Da wir leider einige Horror stories gehört haben was die Familienzusammenführung (z.B. dass es manchmal bis zu 1,5 Jahre dauern kann) gehört haben, haben wir davon erstmal Abstand genommen. Zumal es alleine schon 3-4 Monate dauert überhaupt einem Termin dafür in der dt. Botschaft in Marokko zu bekommen (das ist echt ein Saftladen da.. Verzeihung.)
Und auch bei der Familienzusammenführung schaut sich die Ausl. behörde ja an, ob ich bspw. Genug einkommen habe, meinen Mann mit krankenzuversichern. Als Student habe ich das sicher nicht.
Eine Konsultation Ihrerseits hört sich gut an, ich muss aber erstmal heraus finden, welchen Weg wir denn nun einschlagen, bevor ich diese 200€ investiere.
Hier eine andere Idee, nachdem ich Ihren Eintrag über das Freizügigkeitsgesetz in Europa laß:
Wenn wir beide aus Marokko gemeinsam zB nach Holland einreisen, braucht Anas kein Visum, lediglich mich an seiner Seite & marriage certificate?
In Holland könnte er dann diese EU card beantragen (weiß man, wie lange das dauert?)
Und dann gemeinsam mit mir nach Deutschland kommen und dort auch arbeiten mit EU card?
Tausend Dank!
Paypal Überweisung ist raus (bitte sein Sie uns nicht böse, dass der Beitrag nicht so hoch ausfällt; wir sind grade nur Englischlehrer in Vietnam.)
Liebe Grüße
Clara und Anas
Angenommen wir reisen
Hallo Clara,
vielen Dank für die Spende!
Dass die deutschen Botschaften und Konsulate (die anderer Länder übrigens auch) ewig lange brauchen, stimmt schon oft, aber vor Gericht geht es auch nicht schneller. Und wie gesagt, Sie können ja in der Zeit in Marokko wohnen oder regelmäßig dorthin fliegen. Notfalls verschieben Sie halt das Studium.
Ich will echt nur vermeiden, dass Sie sich in eine Lage manövrieren, in der Sie dann mehr Probleme und Kosten haben als notwendig gewesen wären.
Wobei das mit dem Einkommen wahrscheinlich das größte Problem ist. Denn wenn Sie neben dem Studium arbeiten und ausreichend verdienen, machen Sie sich nur den Bafög-Anspruch kaputt. (Deshalb meine Idee, dass Anas ein eigenes Studentenvisum beantragt.)
Am einfachsten ist aber tatsächlich die EU-Freizügigkeit. Tatsächlich ist es so, dass Sie mit der Heiratsurkunde in jeden Staat der EU (außer nach Deutschland) zusammen ohne Visum einreisen können.
Um die EU-Aufenthaltskarte zu beantragen, müssten Sie als die EU-Bürgerin aber in den Niederlanden oder einem anderen EU-Land leben, gemeldet sein (falls dort eine Meldepflicht besteht) und unter die EU-Freizügigkeit fallen, also arbeiten, studieren oder eine selbständige Tätigkeit ausüben. Deshalb hängt eben viel von Ihren persönlichen Voraussetzungen ab. Vielleicht können Sie Ihr Studium in einem anderen EU-Land beginnen? Vielleicht finden Sie wo Arbeit? Aber Sie brauchen eine Adresse dort. Sie können auch ein Gewerbe anmelden und selbständig tätig sein; in dem Fall wird innerhalb von Schengen niemand merken, wieviel Zeit Sie in welchem Land verbringen und Sie können währenddessen in Deutschland studieren, insbesondere wenn die Universität grenznah ist (allerdings könnte es Probleme mit dem Bafög geben). Die EU-Aufenthaltskarte wird in Deutschland aber nicht gelten, weil innerhalb Deutschlands das Aufenthaltsgesetz vorgeht (weil Sie als Deutsche in Deutschland keinen Anknüpfungspunkt für das EU-Recht bieten).
Letztendlich ist die Entscheidung eine Frage nach den Prioritäten. Ist es wichtiger/dringender, zu studieren (und wenn ja, wieso unbedingt in Deutschland), so viel Zeit wie möglich zusammen zu verbringen oder in Deutschland zu leben? Wenn man nicht alles sogleich erreichen kann, muss man die jeweiligen Wünsche ein- und evtl. unterordnen.
Hi, thanks very much for all the info!
One question remaining unclear to me is, I (mexico) and my girlfriend (Romania) are getting married in Denmark. We are both students, so I currently have a Student residence permit. Once we marry is it possible to change my permit to a EU-spouse one? Or do I have to go to Mexico to do this? Should I wait for my permit to expire or can I do it before?
PS we plan this so my stay after my studies is more seamless.
Thanks very much!
Hola Diego,
bienvenido en Europa!
The answer depends on the country that you live in and on whether you will graduate at the same time, or if you or your girlfriend/wife will graduate/work first, as well as whether you plan to stay in the same country as now or move elsewhere.
Once I have that information, and maybe a donation to my blog or a book from my wishlist, I will be happy to point out all the options for you.
Hello sir,
I am on student visa in germany from india but due to some health issues it taking so long to complete.On the other side,i got married in denmark last month with german citizen as its a family accepted marriage and in our religion too.
we already decided to live together in one state and i am thinking of taking neben wohnung near my university in other state.
It would be then possible that i apply for familiennachzug 28 to join my wife?
i wanted to tell the authorities that i still want to study but it takes time.As it is 200 kilometers distance within germany form university place to my hauptwohnuung now.It can easily be managed by train,bus or mitfahrer.
Do reply at the earliest sir.
Thanking you,
Singh
Hello Singh,
you can apply to change to the residence permit in accordance with § 28 AufenthG any time. And then, you will have plenty of time to complete your studies.
All the best!
Hello!
I am a non German, non EU citizen. My husband is German. We married in November 2018. I had a full time job with an unlimited contract in Berlin and was on a 5 year work visa. Since we got married in Denmark, I informed the Auslanderbehorde who changed my aufenthaltstitel to a 3 year one.
Its now time to do our taxes so when my husband called Finanzamt to inform them our change in tax class, they told him that we need to register our Danish Marriage at the Stadesamt in Berlin. I spoke briefly with an immigration lawyer who said we didn’t need to register anything with the Standesamt and just letting the Burgeramt and Finanzamt would be sufficient. But Finanzamt doesn’t seem to understand this. It doesn’t seem intelligent to get 2 marriage certificates done, does it? We both are busy working professionals and we simply don’t want to waste our time in the mess of German bureaucracy. Any advice on how we can tackle this? Thank you so much in advance for your help.
I love it when two “busy working professionals” don’t want to waste their time, but then ask a second lawyer to give an opinion on what a first lawyer said, without any intention to pay the second lawyer, apparently.
Do you think we lawyers have too much time?
Hi!
I am from Mexico and my girlfriend is German. We live together. I have an Aufenthaltserlaubnis since 2017 that allows me to live here for two years as Selbstständiger (it expires in August 2019), with the option of extending it depending on how my business is going. Since I am not making enough money, I believe they will ask me to go back to Mexico. We are trying to avoid that and we are considering getting married before the expiration date.
I have B1 certificate + Orientierungskurs, so language should not be an issue.
My questions are:
1.- Would you say that getting married in Denmark is the easiest/fastest thing to do? I don’t want to have to go to Mexico and get the documents that prove I have never been married before. (I have never been married before and it is too expensive to travel to MX just to do that).
2.- Assuming that we do get married, since I have already been living in Germany for 2 years, how long would I have to wait to be able to apply for citizenship? My dream is to, eventually, have a German passport. My ancestors come from Germany, so I am connected to this beautiful country in many ways. <3
3.- If we do not get married and I am sent back to Mexico, would the two years that I lived in Germany be lost forever when it comes to applying for permanent residency (6 years) or citizenship? (7 years)?
Thank you in advance!
Oops. I noticed I made a mistake and omitted something:
Question 3 implies that we don’t get married, I go back to Mexico and come back some months later with a freelance visa or any other type of visa.
Also in question 3, the years I mention are wrong. I believe for citizenship you must be in the country for 6 years, and to apply for nationality, it’s 7, assuming you took the Das Leben in Deutschland test, which I did.
Thanks!
By the way, I sent a small donation. =)
Hello Kervin,
thank you for the donation!
1 – Denmark is usually the easiest and fastest option. As it is an EU country, the marriage is fully recognized in Germany.
But you probably wouldn’t have to travel to Mexico to get the documents, you could do that by mail or by giving power of attorney to somebody in Mexico.
As time is running out, I would opt for Denmark, though. Better to have some time left to change your residence permit to § 28 AufenthG.
2 – Once you are married to a German citizen, you only need to have lived in German for 3 years. But the other requirement is that you have been married (and living in Germany together) for 2 years, so you will be able to obtain German citizenship 2 years after the marriage.
As you mention your German ancestors (I noticed it in your name, too), you may already be German, depending on the line of ancestors. If this doesn’t go too far back, it may be worth looking into.
3 – Even if your stay in Germany is interrupted, the previous stay can be counted towards the residence requirement for citizenship (§ 12b II StAG).
Viel Glück y suerte con todo!
Lieber Herr Moser,
Danke für die Antwort.
Ich habe mein Studium leider schon um ein Jahr verschoben (dieses wollten wir nutzen um erstmal gemeinsam in Vietnam zu leben weil wir eine Fernbeziehen + Klimabilanz wg. etlicher Flüge satt hatten). Dieses Jahr wollten wir auch nutzen um einen Plan zu schmieden endlich gemeinsam in Deutschland zu leben. Ein zweites Jahr kann ich leider mein Studium nicht aufschieben und will es keineswegs aufgeben, da es sehr schwer war an diese Uni angenommen zu werden und dies schon immer mein Traum war. Eine Studentenvisum für Anas haben wir jetzt auch näher ins Auge gefasst. Er hat jedoch schon einen Master und ein Diplom und würde einfach gerne arbeiten.
Deswegen meine Frage: wie leicht kann man ein Studentenvisum in ein Arbeitsvisum umwandeln, wenn er dann innerhalb der ersten sagen wir mal 1-2 Monate einen Job in Deutschland findet? Oder stellen sich die Behörden da quer..?
Haben Sie Eine Ahnung wie realistisch es ist, dass er als Student angenommen wird OBWOHL er schon einen Master hat?
Dankeschön im Voraus!
Das Studentenvisum habe ich vorgeschlagen, weil es neben dem zur Familienzusammenführung eigentlich das leichteste Visum für Deutschland ist.
Bei mehr als 100 Universitäten und Hochschulen in Deutschland findet man eigentlich immer etwas. Bereits bestehende Abschlüsse sind kein Problem, die Hochschule entscheidet nur, ob man die Voraussetzungen erfüllt. (Ich bin jetzt auch schon in meinem dritten Studium. :-) ) Die größere Einschränkung stellt sich durch die Sprachkenntnisse.
Die zweite Voraussetzung für ein Studentenvisum (neben der Annahme an der Hichschule) ist die Finanzierung durch Ersparnisse oder ein Stipendium.
Mit dem Studentenvisum selbst kann man bis 120 Tage Vollzeit oder 240 Tage Teilzeit im Jahr arbeiten.
Das Studentenvisum kann nur in Ausnahmefällen (§ 16 IV 2 AufenthG) in ein Arbeitsvisum umgewandelt werden. Es hängt von Anas’ Qualifikationen und den möglichen Berufen ab. Grob gesagt: je mehr Fachkräftemangel besteht und je höher die Bezahlung ist, umso besser die Chance.
Bei ökonomisch gut verwertbaren Qualifikationen käme auch die Blaue Karte in Betracht.
Aber wie Sie sehen, müsste ich einfach viel mehr über Sie beide wissen, um eine auf den Einzelfall zugeschnittene Beratung geben zu können. Und wenn man keine Lust auf ein Studium hat, ist das wahrscheinlich nicht die beste Lösung.
Ich würde immer noch dem Antrag auf Familienzusammenführung nach § 28 I 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG den Vorzug geben. Das ist schließlich das, was Sie wirklich wollen. Und dieser Aufenthaltstitel enthält eine unbeschränkte Arbeitserlaubnis.
Die einzige Hürde hierbei ist die finanzielle, aber das ist keine unüberwindliche Hürde. § 28 I 3 AufenthG stellt klar, dass bei Eheschließung mit einer Deutschen eine Ausnahme von § 5 I Nr. 1 AufenthG (der Sicehrung des Lebensunterhalts) gemacht werden kann, ja sogar soll, wenn die Ehe nicht zumutbar im Ausland geführt werden kann. Wenn Sie für einen schwer zugänglichen Studiengang angenommen wurden, wäre das ein ziemlich guter Grund. Und je nach Anas’ Qualifikationen können Sie auch schon bei der Beantragung des Visums nach § 28 I 1 Nr. 1 AufenthG darauf hinweisen, dass er in Deutschland Arbeit finden wird.
Bedenken Sie, dass Sie auf die Familienzusammenführung wegen des verfassungsrechtlichen Schutzes für Ehe und Familie (Art. 6 I GG) gewissermaßen einen Anspruch haben, das Ermessen der Behörden also zu Ihren Gunsten eingeschränkt ist. Das gilt für Studenten- oder Arbeitsvisa nicht.
Lieber Herr Moser,
Wir haben uns nun auf diverse Studienplätze quer durch Deutschland beworben. Wir hoffen aber nach wie vor, dass er innerhalb der ersten 2-3 Monate ein Jobangebot bekommt und dieses dann nutzen kann um das Studentenvisum in eine Arbeitserlaubnis umzuwandeln. Nun sagten Sie, dass dies nur in Ausnahmefällen möglich wäre. Natürlich ist Anas keine Pfelgekraft und füllt deswegen nicht den Fachkräftemangel. Was wäre aber wenn er im customer service etwas findet, wo sie eben genau Französisch und Arabischsprachige Menschen benötigen..? Wäre das Grund genug?
Wie sieht es des Weiteren mit einer Heirat auf Studentenvisum aus? Müsste er dann Familienzusammenführung trotzdem von Marokko aus beantragen?
Danke im Voraus noch einmal!
Clara
Die Umwandlung von Studentenvisum auf Familienzusammenführung ist kein Problem, weil er während der Dauer dieses Verfahrens weiter Student und in Deutschland bleibt.
Jobs, bei denen weder Mangel an Arbeitskräften besteht noch ein hohes Einkommen generiert wird, fallen kaum unter die Ausnahme. Es geht nicht darum, ob der Bewerber Qualifikationen hat, die gebraucht werden, sondern ob der entsprechende Job nicht mit anderen Bewerbern gefüllt werden kann, die schon in Deutschland leben und eine Arbeitserlaubnis haben.
Hello Andreas, Thank you for all your suggestions on this. My question is that my fiance is living in Germany and he have a permanent residence permit but he is not a citizen yet & I am living in Africa. we would like to get married and be together in Germany. Can he apply for fiance visa in order to get married in Germany? What will be the easiest way for us to re-unite? Please I would like to know your advice?
The easiest way would be for him to fly to your country, you get married there, and then you apply for a family reunion visa.
Me and my partner are getting married in Germany. My partner is a German citizen and I am Indian citizen on a tourist visa. Is it possible to apply for residence permit after getting married in Germany?
Yes, but depending on your professional qualifications, you may have to pass a basic German language test (A1 level).
If I am having a tourist visa and wanted to get married in Germany with my fiance, what is needed from us to get married there?
That depends on the countries that you are from.
Can I still get a marriage visa if I met my fiance online and never met in person?
It’s possible, but not guaranteed.
But why doesn’t your boyfriend come to you and you get married there? That’s usually much easier.
Hello, i am a French citizen. My boyfriend is a non eu citizen. As i leave in Germany we want to be together here but he needs a visa. We were planning to get married few months after his arrival. But what could be our best options please ?
Thank you so much for your answers and help.
Depending on where he lives, your easiest option could be to get married there.
Once you are married, he doesn’t actually need a visa to live in Germany with you because you will both be covered by EU freedom of movement: https://andreasmoser.blog/2014/09/22/freedom-of-movement-eu/ (At the end of no. 7, I coincidentally address exactly your case.)
Hi Andres!
I have a question, am a swedish citizen and my fiancé is an asylum seeker in germany.
Is it possible for us to get married without his passport since he don’t have it?
what he has is, drivers licens from iran , ID card from Iran and a photocopy of his passport.
That should work (although it might need some convincing), because the documents are enough to prove (a) his identity and (b) his citizenship.
If he could still get his birth certificate, mailed from his family in Iran for example, that would also help.
Hi I am a South African whose got a fiancé in Germany and we are planning to get married this year and I’ve got children that I want to move them with , what are the requirements to bring them to Germany
It depends on the age of the children, their citizenship, whether you have sole custody or shared custody for them (in the latter case it also depends on whether the other parent is cooperative or not), what type of residence permit you will have in Germany, and lastly on your financial circumstances once you will be in Germany.
Because these are very personal and specific points, it’s probably best to e-mail me at moser@moser-law.com with all the information. I will charge 200 EUR for such a consultation.
Hi Andreas,
I’m a Turkish citizen and have lived in Paris France for 9 years on student and now entrepreneur resident permits. I have a German fiancé and a couple of months ago I came to Germany and moved in with him and we did my Anmeldung here. I knew it was important that I did my registry to require the necessary marriage documents (still, I was partly here, partly in Paris because I’m still working through France, paying my taxes there etc and I have travelled there on occasion).
I was planning on applying for a resident permit after the marriage from here, booked my A1 exam as well. Since I have my 90 days in total of cumulative stay rights as a non-eu citizen with a eu resident permit (or thats what I thought) to demand a spouse resident permit, we had to do things very quickly, yet we didn’t manage to get a wedding date before 12th of February.
I thought going back and forth to Paris was giving me enough time and the 90 days were cumulative and not consecutive. I was clearly wrong.
I was told by the lady at the Standesamt is that my 90 days are apparently counted after my Anmeldung. So my 90 days expire on the 28th of January, (in a week) so I have about 12 days between my marriage day and the 90 day expiration.
Should I just leave for the UK or go back to Turkey and come back? Would that work?
Should I de register myself immediately and re register later after the marriage? Wouldn that annull the documents we already gathered for the marriage?
Should I just go back to Turkey and try to get a fiancé visa in 3 weeks time?
Help!
I’m so sorry for this long convoluted case of mine but I’ve been going crazy. Any advice would help.
Hello Zeynep,
I am not sure why you would have needed to register for getting married as long as you can use your French residence permit. In Germany, you can also get married as a tourist.
But anyway, here we are. I see several options, but they depend on both your circumstances, the plans for the wedding and the paperwork you were asked to provide.
It would really be best to speak about this by phone with you or both of you. I would need to charge 100 € for that, but there will definitely be at least one solution, probably several ones.
Hi Andreas,
Thank you for your quick reply. I was informed that I should register myself within the first week of arrival (keep everything legally sound) because I wanted to apply for a spouse residence permit right after the marriage from here in Germany.
Sadly after several trips to Auslanderamt, I was told I should go back to Turkey or France? (they had little to no knowledge regarding cases like mine) to apply for one. It made no sense to me since I was already here legally through my French resident permit yet they didn’t treat it as such.
In the meantime, most of the documents we needed to provide for the marriage were from the Turkish consulate, things like “marriage license” etc. and with them as well, I moved my address from Paris to Aachen so they can give me the necessary documents here without me having to go to Paris each time I needed a document.
Soo as you can see, I tried to do everything by the book, and in the process, sort of put myself in a corner. Not registering would’ve been the best thing to do but like you said, here we are.
The wedding is already planned for the 12th of February. Friends coming, parents flying so as you can see we’re in a bit of a pickle :)
I would love to talk to you over the phone about this, preferably today. How should we proceed?
Then let’s speak tonight!
I saw your donation yesterday after replying to your comment, so I have your email. I will contact you there.
Hallo,
l am a refugee in Germany and waiting for an answer from the Auslanderbehörde. My boyfriend and l are planning to get marriede. He lives in Finland. I went to Standesamt and was told l have to wait for 4-6 weeks to receive a letter with the required documents.
Is there a way l can marry in Finland or l have to wait and process the marriage here since l am a refugee in Germany?
NB***The Auslanderbehörde have my passport
and my birth certificate.
Do l also need a lawyer during this whole case?
Thank you.
What is your boyfriend’s citizenship? Can he travel to Germany?
If you manage to travel to Finland, it will depend on Finnish law what the requirements for marriage are. I could find out, but I would appreciate a donation of around 50 € to my PayPal account.
I came on a student visa and 3 months before it expired, we began the paperwork for the marriage with my boyfriend. The paperwork is crazy and even though we are still not done, my visa has expired and I am not sure whether to leave or wait out our marriage which is next month in April. What should I do?
That depends on both your citizenships and your other options (e.g. getting married in your home country or a third country).
Am a Kenyan but my partner is a German,he wants us to get marriage in Germany what can I do to get the Visa
To prepare the wedding and once you have a date, preferably far in the future to allow enough time, you will apply for a visa for that purpose with the German consulate/embassy.
But it might be much easier if your partner comes to Kenya and you get married there.
If I marry a woman that is in Africa, will her 4 years old kid automatically become part of the family?
I ask this because 2 friends of mine had a strange issue. She is African and he is German and she was already living in Germany with a temporary permit. They got married here and she filed a family reunion visa for her minor kid in Africa. It took 3 years to complete the process and her husband had to adopt the kid.
I am always happy to help once I get a small donation to keep this blog alive. Thank you!
Hello, well my case is a bit complicated. I came here as a student but I didn’t pass the entry exam, and so I had one more try. The Corona situation began and things became complicated. My boyfriend and I began the marriage process but it’s been three months and we’re missing one document, the Ehefähigkeitzeugniss, which has still not been sent to us. I applied for it in March this year and got a bestätigung saying the processing has began and they’ll send me the document through post. Now my next exam is this month and I’m not sure if I’ll pass or not. If not, I don’t know if they’ll send me back to my country or not. Given the situation with the travel ban right now and also that my visa is dangerously close to expire. What should I do?
I would need to know what country we are speaking about.
And then I would appreciate a donation to my blog.
But first, I would focus on the exam.
Hello ! Thank you for this very informative blog.
I am German and my partner is South African. We have been together for 8 years now and are currently in the process of looking to get married. Originally we were going to get married in Denmark however I read somewhere that if this is done on a Student visa, he would have to go home to SA in order to get the spousal which we would like to avoid :
1. We are both masters students here and I know one of the requirements is that I need to provide a statement showing that I am financially stable. We do have savings and do working student jobs but I don’t know if this is enough to show in terms of support. Obviously, the goal is for him to get the spousal so that he can find work here more easily. Do you know how much we are required to show? I am a shareholder in my mother’s hotel could this make a difference?
2. Can we get the spousal here on his student visa or does he need to go back to South Africa to do so?
3. Is it possible to get married in Denmark on his student visa and then apply for a spousal here without having to return to SA.
3. Is the letter of non impediment , unabridged birth certificate the only document that needs to be apostled ? and do these all have to be translated?
Any help or suggestions would be so appreciated 🙏🌸
– Donation sent !
Sorry correction the visa was made into Aufenthaltitel
Hello Dominique,
thanks for your donation, although 5$ for a ton of legal questions is maybe a bit paltry.
Hence, I’ll just answer one question for now.
1. You need to show that you have been and are able to survive without recourse to welfare. If you have savings or if your mother supports you, you don’t need to have any or much income from employment.
I know the hotel business is bad right now, but not having any shares in any hotels is even worse. So once you or your mother can spare a bit more, I’ll be happy to answer the remaining questions.
Hello Mr Andreas Moser,
Thank you so much for making this blog, prior to my questions I was tried to make a donation several times but something went wrong the donation could not be processed. I was told to try again later.
I have been in a relationship with my girlfriend for 7 years. I met her during my university studies in Turkey, after my studies in 2017 I returned to Haiti. Now we are planning to get married next year. I am Haitian and I am working in Haiti, my girlfriend holds a German passport but she didn’t live in Germany for long, her parents moved to Turkey with her when she was 3 years old, then she only travel there on holidays. Now she is studying in Turkey and she will graduate next year.
Here is our plan. After graduating, she will move to Germany and get a master’s degree. While she is studying we will get married either in Germany or in Turkey or in Haiti. She prefers getting married in Germany.
Where do you think it will be easier and better for us to get married?
Is it better to ask for a fiancee visa and get married in Germany? Or get married in Turkey or in Haiti then apply for a family reunification visa. ? Note that it’s easy for me to get a Turkish visa. I usually travel to Turkey to visit her.
Will there be any inconvenient to join her while she is studying in Germany since she didn’t live there for a long period of time?
Also, since I am the one who will be working, she will be studying by that time, at least how much money I should have to prove that we will have enough money to support ourselves?
Thank you in advance for your answer!!!
Cordially,
I finally send the donation :-D
Hello Mr Moser,
It’s been a while since I send the donation but it seems that you didn’t receive it. Please let me know if you didn’t receive it so that I can ask my bank about it.
PS: I made the donation on 24th July 2020 using a credit card with the name Y..n. D……v..
Hello, I just got married few days ago in Germany to a german girl. We were living in Spain and moved here altho I’m non eu passport holder, after marriage what is the next step of me obtaining working permit?
Hello,
at the moment, I have quite a backlog of questions to answer (and yet more articles to write about new developments in German law), so I can only prioritize questions by readers who are regular Patreons or other supporters of my blog: https://andreasmoser.blog/2020/05/11/patreon/
Sehr geehrter Herr Moser.
ich bin Deutsche, mein Partner Inder. Ist es möglich, dass er mit einem Touristen Visum nach Deutschland reist, wir in Dänemark heiraten und er, ohne vorher nach Indien zurück zu kehren, in Deutschland seinen Visa Status / Aufenthaltsgenehmigung ändert und bei mir bleiben kann?
Vielen Dank für Ihre Hilfe,
mit freundlichen Grüßen
Hello Mr Moser.
I am an American Citizen. I met my girlfriend when she was in America studying at a University. I never been to Germany before. We are planning on getting married. But all of what we have read online and on the Embassy pages, goes against what you are saying. I am confused. On one part, you say that you can get married in Germany on a tourist Visa. Well, I am a US citizen and can stay in Germany for 90 days without a Visa. But the laws we were reading, says that in order to get married to a German Citizen, I would have to have lived there for a minimum of 21 days and that you cannot get married on a Visitor’s (Tourist) Visa.
another question: Does the United States Citizens need a Ehefähigkeitszeugnis? I have never heard of this before.
Hello William,
I’ll be happy to help, but I would need a few more pieces of information:
– What US state are you from?
– In which state in Germany would you get married?
– Is it an option to get married in the US?
– How long could you stay in Germany? (Not regarding the visa, but regarding your vacation time, flight, etc.)
– Lastly, I would appreciate a donation to keep this blog going of at least 50 $, for which I thank you very much already.
Dear Andreas:
Thank you for posting such informatics articles. I hope you and your family are fine in this pandemic. I am from Pakistan and want to marry a girl in Germany and I have never met her. I have few questions it would be so nice of you if you could help. As in my case I can not visit the local immigration consultants because it would be the same sex marriage and consultants in Pakistan in this case would freak out because it is illegal and majority are homophobe here. I am an Engineer and would give any German Language exam if required. She, my partner is student and German national and got financial help from government 750 euros monthly through Bafög and earn nothing. I got some savings too. I want to go and get marry to her. Kindly tell me which type of visa is suitable for me to apply. I can not go on Student Visa because it requires at least 5000 euros to submit in blocked account which we do not have right now. I have the following questions:
-Please tell me the cheapest and valid Visa type to go to Germany and get married with her?
-Could I be able to do full time job or study after marrying her.
-As in Pakistan they do not recognize same sex marriage so is the documentation would take the same time or less.
-Can she invite me as a friend and after that we will marry?
-How much money she needs to invite me for Friend Visit Visa cause she is a student and she gets financial help from government through Bafög?
-Would I get residence Permit Visa after spending 3 years with her?
Its ok if you could not answer all the questions I can understand but please answer some of them. It would be so helpful. And if there is someone who could help me regarding my situation kindly connect me with them.
Once again I would like to praise your article. Thank you so much for reading.
Hello Bushra,
Thank you very much for your kind words!
these are quite a lot of questions, so I would appreciate a donation to my blog of around 100 €. Thank you very much in advance!
OK. But Kindly tell me some other source of donating because we do not have Paypal in Pakistan neither do I have a credit card. I would see if I could use my friends Credit Card but acknowledge me with other options too.
I can not pay from Pakistan even I would use credit card. Kindly let me know some alternative please.
Thank You
Dear Andreas:
I need to know the Recipient’s City, Address, Postal Code because I am sending through Tranferwise. If you could send me the mentioned information it would be so helpful.
Sure, my address is at the bottom of this post: https://andreasmoser.blog/support-this-blog/books-my-wishlist/
But wouldn’t it be easier if your friend in Germany made the transfer? I don’t even have Transferwise and have no idea how it works.
mein Freund und ich sind vor einigen Tagen auf ihren Blog gestoßen, als wir auf der Suche nach Informationen bezüglich einer Heirat zwischen einem Deutschen und einem Nicht-Deutschen waren. Vielleicht könnten Sie uns, falls Sie die Zeit und Muße haben, einen Ratschlag geben. Um Ihnen etwas mehr Info zu unseren Personen zu geben, mein Freund, Emilio, ist 19, US-amerikanischer und mexikanischer Staatsbürger, spricht Deutsch und lebt seit letztem Jahr in Deutschland, als er hier einen Kurs zur Studienvorbereitung angefangen hat. Ich, Luca, 23, bin Deutscher. Emilios Traum war schon immer, in Deutschland zu leben, zu studieren und zu arbeiten, aber dieser Traum ist momentan etwas in Gefahr, denn im Januar hat er seinen eigentlich einjährigen Vorbereitungskurs nach der Hälfte der Zeit abgebrochen, da es ihn weder fachlich, noch in Hinsicht auf die Chancen, an einer deutschen Hochschule zu studieren, so sehr weitergeholfen hätte, wie anfangs gedacht. Sein Plan war dann eigentlich, einen Minijob zu finden, und sich an einer Hochschule in den Niederlanden einzuschreiben, jobmäßig kam dann allerdings die Corona-Pandemia dazwischen, wie Sie sich sicher denken können. In Maastricht wurde er zwar angenommen, die Schule erwartet allerdings eine horrend hohe Bürgschaft eines US-amerikanischen Verwandten/Bekannten, Emilios Familienangehörige besitzen allerdings nur die mexikanische Staatsbürgerschaft. Lange Rede kurzer Sinn, im Moment hat er leider weder einen Job, noch einen Studienplatz und ist seit Januar mehr oder weniger illegal hier, da sein Visum ja nur solange galt wie er den Kurs absolvierte, allerdings hat sich auch noch niemand von offizieller Seite bei ihm gemeldet.
Wir sind fieberhaft auf der Suche nach einer Möglichkeit, dass er doch noch hier in Deutschland bleiben kann, die Suche nach Studienplatz oder Job gestaltet sich aber auch schwierig, hinsichtlich der Frage nach seinem Visum. Nun denken wir also ernsthaft über die Möglichkeit einer Heirat nach und natürlich wissen wir, dass auch das kein schneller Prozess ist, der und noch einiges an Zeit, Geld und vor allem Nerven kosten kann. Würden Sie allerdings sagen, dass unser Vorhaben überhaupt Sinn macht? Ist es möglich für uns zu heiraten, mit seinem abgelaufenen Visum? Wir haben über die Heirat in Dänemark gelesen, ist das für uns eine Option? Außerdem haben wir natürlich auch nicht viel Geld, ich verdiene nicht viel nebenbei und er hat den größten Teil seiner Ersparnisse schon für die Reise nach Europa, eine Wohnung hier und natürlich vor allem den Vorbereitungskurs an einer privaten Hochschule ausgegeben. Unsere Eltern sind leider auch nicht reich, er hatte für sein Erspartes selber hart in den USA gearbeitet.
Wir würden uns wirklich riesig freuen, von Ihnen zu hören, und uns ist bewusst, dass Sie kein Experte im Familien- oder Einwanderungsrecht sind und dass Sie natürlich jede Menge andere Sachen zu tun haben. Aber ein kleiner Rat und etwas Klarheit könnte uns wirklich bei unserer Planung helfen, so wie es Ihre Blogeinträge zum Thema auch schon getan haben, wir sind uns nur in unserer speziellen Situation ziemlich unsicher. Wir sind wirklich sehr beeindruckt von Ihrem toll geführten Blog, Ihren interessanten Reiseberichten, ihrem Werdegang und wie bereitwillig Sie anderen Leuten Ihre Hilfe anbieten. Nachdem ich diese Mail abgeschickt habe, sende ich Ihnen schon mal eine kleine Spende via PayPal, damit Sie sehen dass wir es ernst meinen, und werde Ihnen gerne noch einmal mehr schicken (und/oder ein Buch von ihrer Liste bestellen), falls Sie die Zeit finden, uns zu antworten und den ein oder anderen Hinweis zu geben (wie gesagt haben wir aber leider wirklich nicht viel Geld, ich hoffe, Sie haben Verständnis).
Vielen Dank im Voraus, beste Grüße aus Deutschland und bleiben Sie gesund,
Emilio Basabe und Luca Vary
Dear Andreas Moser,
Thank you for your time and all the information here!
I came to Germany with 3 months temporary family visa and now waiting for an appointment next month at the immigration for the permit card. I can’t find any information on what type of permit that would be? I’m looking for information on language courses and unemployment government fund if there are any offered. Could you please help out with this and share with us if there is a website on this title?
Many thanks in advance!
hy sir
how are you i want information i was married with german citizen and now we are fast 2 year and more then 9 months togehter.if i my relationship have now problem can i get new visa easly or can u send me information thanks.
Hello Ali,
I receive so many questions that I can only answer those of readers who are regular supporters of this blog.
But you are very welcome to join this club:
https://www.patreon.com/amoser
Hi sir
I am non EU citizen and my girlfriend is Guatemalan. i am residing in Germany as student. My girlfriend can visit in Germany as tourist and stay for 3 months. Can we get marry and is it possible she will stay with me as my spouse with spouse visa?
if yes , what are the documents required for ending the process smoothly within three months?
is it compulsory to arrange big weeding ceremony to get married?
Can my spouse get spouse visa within 3 months before tourist visa end?
Hello Hasan,
I receive so many questions that I can only answer those of readers who are regular supporters of this blog.
But you are very welcome to join this club:
https://www.patreon.com/amoser
Is it possible to marry in denmark with a German spouse when you are an asylum seeker in germany and without the original of your passport but copy?
Wish I’d seen this before we started the German process lol! Ah well, it has begun…
Well, this year it’s trickier to travel to another country with an easier process, anyway.
And if you have time, it will happen eventually. :-)
Hello,
Me and my boyfriend will get married. After registering out marriage in Germany can we have different addresses in the same city? We want to live together but we also want to keep the other apartment. We are EU citizens and both work in Germany for a couple of years now. Thank you
Hello Anca,
that’s no problem at all!
As you are both EU citizens, none of you “needs” the marriage for residence purposes, so the immigration office won’t care where you live.
All the best to you!
Hello Sir,
Happy New Year.
I hope you are well and safe.
I got married since 19 Feb 2019 and living in Germany since 5 years .Before marriage i was on student Visa and now on residence visa based on Marriage with German citizen.I am working full time since July 2019.Can i apply for German passport after 2 years based on Marriage? Or it should be complete 3 years ?
Thanks in advance
Kind Regards,
Satbir
Hello Satbir,
a happy new year to you as well!
I’ll be happy to look at your situation once I will have received a little bit of support to keep this blog going:
Thank you very much already!
Thanks for writing such an informative blog. It would be really helpful if you could share your though on my situation. I’m from Pakistan and on an EU Blue Card. I’m about to marry an American who is currently living in Pakistan for 10 years now. Could you share how complicated the marriage process get, it terms of time? If you could share how loong could this process take? Is it even worth the effort? For reference, if I start the process in Pakistan today, it would take about 18 months for the German Embassy in Karachi to certify the marriage.
I have also looked into the possibility of a marriage in Denmark and know a few exceptions (when both the spouse are not Germans) where the marriage was not accepted by the Ausländersamt. Have you also heard of such cases? Want to get an idea of how often such rejections take place.
Any other suggestion or comments (things that I did not ask and might be important to consider) would be highly appreciated. Looking forward :)
Thanks
Hello Markus,
I’ll be happy to help once I get some support to keep this blog alive:
Thank you very much already!
Hello Andreas,
I already contributed some bucks to your account today.Could you please advise on my query ?
That would be appreciated.
Thanks once again
Hello Sir,
Happy New Year.
I hope you are well and safe.
I got married since 19 Feb 2019 and living in Germany since 5 years .Before marriage i was on student Visa and now on residence visa based on Marriage with German citizen.I am working full time since July 2019.Can i apply for German passport after 2 years based on Marriage? Or it should be complete 3 years ?
Thanks in advance
Kind Regards,
Satbir
Hello Satbir,
thank you very much for your donation and for making sure that this blog can stay alive!
If you are married with a German citizen, you need to meet two requirements:
– The marriage must exist for at least 2 years.
– And you must have been living legally in Germany for at least 3 years.
So, you can apply for German citizenship now. Or in two weeks, to be exactly. ;-)
All the best to you!
Hello Moser,
I am glad that i read your blog. I have some legal questions as I am planning to get married in Germany.
First to provide you with some background. Me and my partner are Indian nationals.
My partner is working in sweden with a work visa for almost 3 years now and myself working in Germany with blue card visa almost for 1 year now. We both do not have PR from the respective countries yet. In this case are we eligible to get married in germany and if so what are the documents that we would require in order to do marriage in standesamt.
Thanks & Regards
Vikashini Gopalakrishnan
Hello Vikashini,
the first answer is simple:
Yes, you can get married in Germany. You wouldn’t even need any residence for that. In Germany even tourists can get married (and some do spontaneously).
The second answer is a bit more complex:
As you are both Indian, Germany will make part of the paperwork dependent on Indian law.
I know that India has different marriage laws for different religions, but I am not sure if the requirements differ in any meaningful way in your case.
If you let me know under which of the marriage acts you fall, then I can send you a list with all the documents you need.
The main requirement will be to show to the German municipality that you are both single and eligible to marry under Indian law.
If that procedure will turn out to be too complicated/time-consuming/expensive, you may also want to consider marriage in Sweden (about which I know nothing) or in any other EU country. Regardless of where you will want to live, any EU country recognizes any other EU country’s marriages.
My experience with foreign marriages in Germany is that in the end, it always works (I have even had asylum seekers without passports get married), but it may not be the fastest procedure, to put it mildly.
Hello Andreas,
I am on a permanent residence PR visa as of now. My partner and I are Indian, plan to get married in August in India and she plans to get an A1 level of German (Never been to Germany) by then. Is it possible that she can come with me in August on a Tourist visa and that her visa can be converted to a residence permit (Dependent visa/Spouse visa/family reunion visa) once she arrives here ??
Thanks and regards,
Vishesh
Hello Vishesh,
I’ll be happy to answer your question once I’ll get a donation to keep this blog alive, or a few books from my wishlist.
Thank you very much!
My Fiancee (Syrian) living in Turkey (freelancer) and I (German) was living in Turkey and I moved to Germany (working), started working on the papers to get married in Germany in June 2020 and this took too long for the papers to be ready because he needed to legalize his papers from the German Embassy in Beruit, Lebanon. Now that I received and prepared all the documents needed and applied for (Standesamt) on April 2021, the officer informed me that we will get an appointment between 2-6 weeks. Then she informed me that my finance should apply for (Familiennachzug) and not any other visas.
During that long process from 2020-2021, we felt that this is taking too long that my fiancee applied for a master’s study in Germany and got an acceptance letter in March 2021. But now that we got informed that we will receive the marriage appointment, my fiancee is thinking still to come on a student visa because it’s faster based on what we searched and we think Familiennachzug will take too long. So the question is: If he came on a student visa and we got married, can he shift his student visa to a resident permit (in case he doesn’t want to continue his studies)? Or he needs to go back to Turkey (if his permit residence still active) and apply for a Familiennachzug Visa?
Based on our situation what do you recommend is faster and easier, student visa or Familiennachzug?
Thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy the donation.
Hello and thank you for the donation to the blog!
You are in the lucky position that you have two avenues to choose from.
As you have been promised a wedding date that is not too far off, and assuming that the student visa would be for the fall semester beginning in or around October, I would focus on ‘Familiennachzug’ for now.
You will most likely have this completed long before the university course would start.
Also, ‘Familiennachzug’ is usually easier because there are no financial requirements to be shown and because you are entitled to it under Art. 6 of the constitution, whereas a student visa can be denied even if the applicant meets all the requirements.
Lastly, the family reunion visa comes with a full work permit, whereas a student visa only allows a limited amount/time of work.
It would be possible to arrive as a student, get married thereafter and then apply for a residence permit based on the marriage, but for the reasons outlined, I don’t see any necessity to go that complicated way.
I wish you both all the best!
Dear Mr.Moser,
I know this question got repeated but allow me to give you more info to my case
I am already married to an EU Citizen (Marriage held in Egypt), and currently I am on a tourist Visa in Germany and want to stay there with my wife without needing to apply for a reunion visa which takes ages.
How is this possible?
It depends on the citizenship of your wife and her status in Germany.
Also, I would appreciate a donation for this blog or a book from my wishlist before I delve into your question. Thank you!
Hi Andreas,
Firstly, thank you for all the great info, it has already helped a lot. I am a British citizen living in Germany with an Aufenthaltsdokument-GB. My girlfriend, who I met here but now resides in Russia, and I would like to get married so that she can join me and start a life together. On some sites I read that considering we are getting married after I received my Residence Permit, we may have to wait up to 2 years after the issuance date of my residence permit for her to move here. Would you be able to shed some light on that? Additionally, I was wondering how much in savings I will need to present the immigration office in order to show that I can support her financially.
Thank you again,
Sam
Hello Sam,
thank you very much for your kind words!
Because everything is special for you extra-complicated Brits now ;-) , I would actually need to do a bit of research on those questions.
Thus, I would appreciate a donation to the blog of at least 50 €. Thank you very much!
I assume your girlfriend has Russian citizenship?
Hello, greetings please I need help I’m from Nigeria live in Italy and I have residents permit of stay for 5 years called Sussidiaria also have Carta di identita italian which is an ID given to me by the commun in which I live in Italy also have travelling document called Titolo Di viaggio but my problems are I have a girlfriend from Germany we have been together for 1 year now and we have decided to get married but I don’t have country origin passport which is my Nigerian passport because I’m not allowed to obtain it from my embassy also I’m not allowed to go to my country home because of my resident status i also have affidavit of marital status and birth from my home country but only my problems now are country origin passport what should I do please I need help I’m also have a statement from my embassy stated that I can’t obtain Nigeria passport unless I go back to Nigeria which I can’t what should I do or do you know if Standesamt will get us married without my country passport? Thanks
Hello. I am a foreign student in Germany and wanna marry my boyfriend who has an Ausbildungsduldung. my question is that if we marry together, could he receive an ordinary aufenhalt and change duldung condition because of marrying me? does it work like zusammenführen?
Hello,
I’m from Iran and have been studying in Germany for more than three years. I will be finished next semester with my studies. My German boyfriend and I want to get married in a month. If we want to get married in a short time what would you suggest?
– Have all the paperwork ready.
– And be flexible as to date and venue. Small municipalities often have more slots available than large cities. And even when weekends are booked out for months to come, they may still have a slot open on a Tuesday morning.
Please why is it that they say 6 months or within 6 months after providing every documents but it takes more than 6 months , please what could be the delay.. thank you
Hi Andreas,
I apologise if this question has been answered before. I reside in South Africa, and my boyfriend is German (lives in Germany). If we get married in Denmark, (me on a Schengen visa), do I need to return to South Africa and apply for a Spousal visa, or is there some way for me to stay in Germany without having to return to SA?
I would appreciate your feedback. Many thanks.
And I would appreciate a donation to my blog or a few books from my wishlist:
Thank you very much already!
Dear sir.
My fiancé and I met on a dating site he is from Germany and I’m from Nigeria. Our first meeting was in Kenya. Now he decide we should get married in Germany but I told him Nigeria but he insist in Germany b.cos he said Nigeria is complicated and takes much time to get a visa. He has decided to register our marriage at the registry office. Is this a good idea? Is Germany marriage visa easy to get?
thank you
If you already can’t agree on where to get married, maybe the whole marriage thing isn’t such a good idea?