Family Reunion Visa for Indians in Germany

Key Takeaways

• The legal rules for a family reunion visa are mostly the same for every nationality. For Indian applicants, the booking process and the document list are what differ.
• A family reunion visa application from India starts on the online Consular Services Portal. It ends at an in-person appointment, usually booked through VFS Global, for the German mission that covers your state of residence.
• German missions in India do not require an apostille or attestation of Indian documents for a family reunion visa. They accept originals or copies certified by a German authority.
• The income test for a family reunion visa has no fixed formula. The standard rates show the scale. They are €1,012 for a couple and €1,369 for a couple with a child under six, without rent and health insurance.

This is how you do it

Follow these steps to apply for a family reunion visa from India:

1. Choose the German mission that covers your state of residence.
2. Apply on the Consular Services Portal in your visa category, with your documents and, unless you are exempt, your A1 German certificate.
3. Book your VFS Global appointment under the correct visa category.
4. Attend your appointment and pay the visa fee, bringing your original documents.
5. Wait for the decision, then enter Germany on your D visa, the national visa for stays over 90 days.
6. Register your address at the residents’ registration office after you enter.
7. Apply for your residence permit at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde).

Table of contents

Family reunion lets a family member who lives in Germany (the sponsor) bring close relatives to join them. The core group is spouses and minor unmarried children.

Parents and other relatives qualify only in narrower cases under Section 36 of the Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz, AufenthG).

The law is the same for Indian applicants as for every other nationality. Only the logistics of the mission, the booking, the documents, and the waiting time change.

The same rules on eligible relatives and qualifying sponsor permits apply to Indian families.

What are the income and housing requirements for a sponsor in Germany?

For a sponsor in Germany, the income and housing requirements for family reunification are expressed as € figures that the Ausländerbehörde (local immigration office) assesses for your family. The law is the same for Indian applicants as for every other nationality.

Income

The Ausländerbehörde checks whether the family can cover its monthly living costs without public funds (§ 2(3) AufenthG). Contributions from family members can also count.

§ 2(3) AufenthG gives no formula for the family’s monthly need. The table below uses the 2026 standard rates of Germany’s basic income support to show the scale (Federal Government).

Each adult in a couple counts the same monthly rate (€506, as of 2026), and each child adds a rate that depends on the child’s age.

Household	Standard monthly need	How it adds up
Couple	€1,012	€506 + €506
Couple with a child aged 0 to 5	€1,369	€506 + €506 + €357
Couple with a child aged 6 to 13	€1,402	€506 + €506 + €390
Couple with a young person aged 14 to 17	€1,483	€506 + €506 + €471

Rent and health insurance costs are not part of these figures.

In some cases, the Ausländerbehörde also deducts amounts from the sponsor’s income. The deduction rules depend on the case.

Health Insurance

Sufficient health insurance coverage is also part of the income test (§ 2(3) AufenthG). According to the Federal Foreign Office checklist for joining a spouse, your health insurance must be valid from your date of entry.

Learn more about spousal reunification in Germany ->

One condition for statutory family insurance under Section 10 of the Fifth Book of the Social Code (Sozialgesetzbuch V, SGB V) is that the joining family member has a residence or habitual residence in Germany.

For statutory insurance, the checklist asks for

• Confirmation of the statutory insurance
• An “incoming insurance”, usually valid for three months

Housing

The family’s home must offer enough living space, but no more than a social housing tenant needs (§ 2(4) AufenthG).

Housing is not enough if it does not meet the legal rules on the condition of the home and on how many people may live in it. These rules apply to Germans too (§ 2(4) sentence 2 AufenthG).

If the sponsor holds an EU Blue Card or another permit that § 29(5) AufenthG lists, the living space requirement does not apply to the spouse and minor unmarried children.

The living space exemption in § 29(5) AufenthG ends on December 31, 2028 (Art. 12(7) of the Act of 16 August 2023, BGBl. 2023 I Nr. 217). It covers living space only.

Do Indian spouses need to pass the A1 German test for a family reunion visa?

Yes, a spouse from India needs A1 German before entry for a family reunion visa. A1 is the first level of the European language framework and covers simple everyday phrases.

However, there are exemptions for the AQ German requirement. Your spouse does not need to prove it in these situations, among others (§ 30(1) AufenthG):

• The sponsor holds an EU Blue Card or another skilled worker permit that the law lists.
• The sponsor’s nationality allows visa-free entry for a long stay under Section 41 of the Residence Ordinance (Aufenthaltsverordnung, AufenthV). However, the list doesn’t include India, so Indian sponsors do not qualify.
• The spouse cannot prove basic German because of an illness or disability.
• The spouse has a clearly low integration need.

The spouse should prove A1 German with a certificate from a recognized test provider such as the Goethe-Institut. The certificate only counts if the exam was less than one year ago.

Plan where to sit the A1 test in India and how long the booking takes before you book the visa appointment.

How do you apply for a family reunion visa for Germany from India?

A family reunion visa is a national visa (D visa), which you need for any stay over 90 days. You apply in two parts, first online and then at an in-person appointment booked through VFS Global.

1. Choose the German mission that covers your state of residence

Your state of residence decides the mission, not the location of your family. A resident of Delhi whose family lives in Mumbai still applies in New Delhi.

2. Apply on the Consular Services Portal

The Consular Services Portal (CSP) at digital.diplo.de handles most national visa applications. You must apply through the portal if it offers your visa type.

The CSP has three family reunion categories:

• joining a spouse
• children joining parents
• parents joining children

You upload your documents, including proof of A1 German unless you are exempt, and complete a pre-check. Only then does the portal give you a link to book your appointment.

You count as a “dependent” if both of these are true:

• Your spouse holds an EU Blue Card or an ICT Card, or is a scientist.
• You apply together with your spouse, or within six months of your spouse’s relocation.

Every other applicant uses the “family reunion” category.

If the CSP does not cover your visa type, you can book an appointment at your mission or the service provider’s visa application centre and apply on paper

3. Book your VFS Global appointment under the correct visa category

The German missions in India work with VFS Global, which handles appointment booking.

Make sure to check

• Which visa application centres are open in the VFS booking system
• Double-check your visa category. A booking under the wrong one becomes invalid.

For the Mumbai mission, national visa applications can only be submitted at the VFS centre in Mumbai (Mahalaxmi) and at the Consulate itself.

4. Attend your appointment and pay the visa fee

Bring your original documents or copies certified by a German authority. The visa fee depends on your age:

• Applicants over 18: €75.
• Applicants under 18: €37.50.

You pay the fee in rupees at the exchange rate on your appointment day. The mission does not refund it after a refusal or withdrawal.

VFS Global adds a service fee.

5. Wait for the decision, then enter Germany on your D visa

After your appointment, the mission decides on your application. You enter Germany only after the mission issues your D visa.

The D visa lets you enter Germany and is usually valid for 90 days up to a year. Depending on your purpose and length of stay, you then need a residence permit.

6. Register your address at the residents’ registration office

Register your address at the residents’ registration office after you enter Germany.

7. Apply for your residence permit at the local immigration office

Book an appointment at the Ausländerbehörde for your residence permit (Federal Foreign Office).

Which states does each German mission in India cover?

Each German mission in India covers these states and territories:

• German Embassy New Delhi: Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Minicoy, Amindive, and residents of Bhutan.
• German Consulate General Mumbai: Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
• German Consulate General Kolkata: West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Tripura.
• German Consulate General Chennai: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Puducherry.
• German Consulate General Bengaluru: Karnataka and Kerala.

Check the current document checklist for your own mission before you book.

Which documents do Indian applicants need for a Germany family reunion visa?

The Federal Foreign Office checklist for joining a spouse in Germany lists these documents to upload on the Consular Services Portal.

Upload these in every case:

• Valid passport, issued within the last 10 years, with at least two empty pages
• Passport of the sponsor, plus the sponsor’s visa if the sponsor has no residence permit yet
• Marriage proof for your marriage law. For a Hindu Marriage Act marriage, upload:
  • A registration certificate
  • A temple, Gurudwara, or priest certificate
  • A conversion certificate, if applicable
  • Photographs showing the essential rites
• Birth certificate issued under the Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1969
• Aadhaar card, or, if you are not Indian, your visa or residence permit for India

Upload these if they apply to you:

• A recognized A1 German certificate (e.g., from the Goethe-Institut, telc, or ÖSD), for an exam taken no more than one year ago, unless you are exempt
• Marriage certificate with apostille or legalization, only for a marriage not performed in India or Germany
• Divorce decrees or death certificates of former spouses, if they apply
• Certificate of residence (Meldebescheinigung) of the sponsor, not older than 6 months, if the sponsor already lives in Germany and is not moving with you
• Copy of the sponsor’s German residence permit, if the sponsor has one
• Proof of health insurance valid from your date of entry (the checklist lists this document as optional)

Required documents may vary depending on your German mission. Make sure to check your respective mission’s current checklist as well.

NOTE: Submit the original documents or copies certified by a German authority. The mission does not accept certifications by Indian authorities or notaries.

Does an apostille apply to Indian documents?

No, German authorities do not recognize apostilles or attestation of Indian documents, so Indian applicants do not need them for a family reunion visa.

How long does a family reunion visa from India take?

Appointment wait times range from 2 to over 52 weeks at German missions that report waiting lists (Drucksache 21/5984). The Federal Foreign Office gives no specific timeline for Indian spouses, only that processing may take several months.

Can you sue if your family reunion visa application from India is delayed?

Yes, you can sue if your family reunion visa application from India has sat too long without a decision.

You can file a lawsuit over a delayed visa decision (Untätigkeitsklage) once three months pass without a good reason for the delay. Section 75 of the Code of Administrative Court Procedure (Verwaltungsgerichtsordnung, VwGO) sets this rule.

NOTE: A successful lawsuit requires the German mission to decide on your visa. It does not guarantee approval.

FAQ

References

• Aufenthaltsgesetz (AufenthG)
• Federal Foreign Office India, National Visa FAQs
• Federal Foreign Office India, National Visa
• Federal Foreign Office, Consular Services Portal
• Deutscher Bundestag, Drucksache 21/5984