Applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany

Pre-requisites for Applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany:

• Before Applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany, you must be sure about your data, (name spellings on passport and birth certificate, your date of birth and every single other data of you and your spouse must match with each other) in case Government of Germany forbids, if any mistake found in verification it will cause delay or rejection

• Take all the original documents, although they are not taken by the embassy officials, but still they can ask you to show any of them at the time of interview, before applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany.

• ALL the pages of application, ALL the photocopies need to be in A4 size pages. Only they will be accepted, and ultimately they give a nice and decent overlook to your file.

• Make three photocopies of all the documents and three photos of you and three photos of your spouse with white background (not older than 3 months) are required.

• Arrange your documents and their photocopies in the order given below.

PREPARING & SEQUENCING YOUR DOCUMENTS:

1. Application Form:

You can download application form from website. http://www.pakistan.diplo.de/Vertretung/pakistan/en/06__Visa__Passport__Legal/2__visa__longterm/1__Visa__FZ__Seite.html

Complete it on own computer according to instructions given at the end of every page. First read them then enter you data. There are some sections which don’t need to be filled when application is made outside the Federal Republic of Germany. For instance, question number 15, 18 & 21 are to be left blank. The applicant’s photos are to be placed in the photo area of applicant, whereas the photo of spouse would be stapled below the applicant’s photo (in front of question 8). You are to take the print out of this application, and then get three photocopies of it. Sign the original and photocopies separately. And write your contact number below the line of applicant’s signature area.

2. Meldebescheinigung (Proof of Residence):

This paper is basically residence certificate which show the current residence of your spouse in Germany. Remember this document should be issued no longer than 6 months back.

NOTE: One should have a job of 1400 Euros for a couple and additional 250 Euros per Kid.  For Example if one has two kids than his job must bear 1900 Euros. Second way is through blocked account. One needs to block account for his spouse and himself worth 16000 Euros. Additional 2500 Euros per kid are required.

3. Applicant’s passport:

A copy of your passport from page 0-3. If you have a visa stamp of any other country make a photocopy of that also. If you have multiple passports, then get photocopies of pages 0-3 and all the pages on which entry exit stamps (of any other country you visited) are there need also to photocopied. As far as the sequence of these pages are concerned (as in my case I had 5 passports) I stapled each set of passport according to its pages and then placed the most recent on the top following the older, in the end the oldest one.

4. Applicant’s ID card:

A copy of applicant’s ID card attested by oath commissioner. You can get it attested easily from courts in your city by paying 20 or 30 rupees per document. Make the photo copy on one page, meaning both side of ID card should be on side of page. This document isn’t mentioned on embassy’s website (But it is should be attached at 4^th number, it is among the compulsory documents). Here I would like to quote suggestion given by A Candidate, please do your homework properly and apply with complete documents. It is better to spend 1 month in doing the home work instead of waiting for six months after applying with incomplete documents.

5. Applicant’s ID Translation:

You can get your ID card’s translation in courts. It is a very cheap service. I got it by giving Rs. 300 in my city’s court. Make it attested from oath commissioner. It is also a compulsory requirement. Place it on number 5, before applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany.

6. Spouse’s Passport:

Then comes the copy passport of your spouse in Germany. Copy the visa stamp pages also. Attach a copy of it. And if any visa stamp of any other country is on his/her passport copy that page also. If he/she has multiple passports, then get photocopies of pages 0-3 and all the pages on which entry exit stamps. Arrange them in the same sequence as mentioned above, i.e. from recent to old.

7. Applicant’s Birth Certificate:

Attesting it from Magistrate of first class/Nazim would be sufficient. Then place a copy of it in your documents. Recent birth certificates are in English and Urdu as well. But if your is not like that you can get it translated form courts. If you are Applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany at embassy, then English and Urdu are enough. But if you are applying in consulate then translate it German too. You can translate it from Goethe Institute for paying Rs. 4400/- for whole set of documents (nikah form, birth certificate, marriage certificate and FRC).

8. Spouse’s Birth Certificate:

Though it is not mentioned on website that birth certificate of spouse in Germany is required despite of that attach its attested copy magistrate/Nazim. It is an additional document, you can carry it with you to be on safer side.

9. Nikkah Nama & its translation:

Get it attested from Magistrate first class/Nazim of your city. As explained above if at embassy then English is enough but if at consulate then German as well. Attach a copy of it in you documents. Get its translation from the city’s court.

10. Marriage Registration Certificate:

You can get this document from the union council in which your Nikkah is registered. Its fee is Rs. 150. Get it attested from Magistrate first class/Nazim of your city. As explained above if at embassy then English is enough but if at consulate then German as well. Attach a copy of it in you documents.

Precautionary Step

Here is a precautionary step about nikah form. Embassy some time make an objection on nikah form after verification that it is not registered etc and blabla…… it is especially for MINORTY GROUP…..becoz I have heared their niakh are not registered in UC.

Attach following these two documents a stamp paper of this layout after Nikah form in your documents. This will left no room of ambiguity for embassy after this that Nikah is original and there is nothing fake in it. Remember this si a precautionary step..it is not mandatory but you will have plus point.

Following text should be on Simple A4 page and should be attested from oath commissioner. This form should be filled ny NIKAHKHAWAN.

Following text should be on Stamp paper of 20 or 50 rupees. And this will be filled by any witness of the nikah.

After these two papers no room for ambiguity will be left over to visa officer to your marriage. I did this on purpose and it gave me a lot support.

11. Family Registration Certificate:

If both you and your spouse have changed your marital status in the record of NADRA, then they would issue you your own FRC on one visit alone. But if anyone of you has not registered him/herself as married, then they won’t generate you FRC. However, under this document a spouse can attach Form B   of his family and translation of form B as well. Furthermore, if you have misplaced your form B or don’t have it at all, then make a visit to NADRA office of your locality. Take photocopies of NIC of all your family members (parents and sibling), and ask them to issue you FRC. This, too, you would get in one visit. Get it attested from Magistrate/Nazim. Make three photocopies, especially for applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany from Pakistan.

12. Language Proof:

Attach you German language certificate (Start Deutsch A1 OR Start Deutsch A2).

13. Applicant’s Declaration:

Then attach the declaration you made. You can download it from this link. Click here to DOWNLOAD. Fill both English and Urdu.

14. Security Questionnaire:

Attach security question’s form fill it. You can download it from this link. Click here to DOWNLOAD

15. List of children form:

Photocopier will give you a form at the spot and will ask you to fill it by hand. Attach it on end.

16. Extra 9 Forms:

You might be asked to fill another form of 9 pages on the spot. For this form you need complete details (i.e complete name, address, phone number, e-mail id etc.) of parents and siblings of both applicant and his spouse. Also you need two references of both applicant and his spouse which are not among the relatives. Take all the details i.e. complete name, address of both office and home, phone number, e-mail id etc. of the references. This is again pre-cautionary step, I wasn’t asked to fill any kind of forms in my interview.

17. Interview at Embassy:

The only thing I was worried about was INTERVIEW.  Key point is one only BE CONFIDENT. Pass smiles to visa officer. They will ask very basic questions. My interview started with easy questions in English (at least 15-20 of them). In the end, she looked at A1 marksheet and started asking very basic questions in German language.

• When did you get married?
• Was your marriage arrange marriage?
• Was your spouse present at the time of Nikkah?
• You were present at your nikah or not?
• What was you relation before marriage to your spouse?
• What is you qualification?
• What do you do?
• How much is your pay?
• Your previous passport is still valid, why did you change it?
• How much your spouse earns?
• When did your spouse left for Germany?
• When did s/he make the last visit?
• What is your spouse’ job?
• What is his/her qualification?
• What are the means of your communication with your spouse?
• How often do you talk in a week?

Then few questions in German and I was asked to get seated and wait.

I was called almost 1 and half hour later and asked to submit document verification fee.

18. Verification Fee:

Visa officer at counter asked me to deposit Rs. 30000. She asked me to sign on pages indicating that I had submitted my fee and that the entire information I have provided is true on the basis of my knowledge.

In addition to that, she gave me a bank slip of Standard Chartered bank of around 9000 Rs. and asked me to submit it on the same day. This bank is on a walking distance from the German embassy.

19. Process of Verification:

The verification of documents is done in two steps. One is by a lawyer in Pakistan who ask you to show the wedding photos, will ask many questions, will meet your family members even with neighbors to confirm that whether the applicant actually got married with his spouse or not?. In second step documents will be sent to Germany where the spouse of the applicant will have to prove that he has an accommodation, insurance and enough money to support the applicant for living with him.

20. Commonly Made Mistakes

If some friend is going to get married in Pakistan, please tell him/her about these issues. Simple looking mistakes can cause big trouble and delay later in family reunion.

About Nikah Registration:

Registration of Nikah involves three people:  NikahKhawan, Nikah Registrar and Union council. UC gives a register with 50 leaves to Nikah-Registrar. Each leave contains NikahNama “Form II” in quadruplicate. In one UC, only a single Registrar can have the register.  In usual case, NikahKhawan goes to Registrar (if he is himself not a registrar) and gets a Nikahnama Form II (which has fours copies). One copy each (filled and signed) is given to Dulha, Dulhan, Registrar and UC.

1. Take care that Nikah is registered at the same Union Council where Nikah has taken place. Address written on filled Nikahnama should be in the UC where Nikah is registered. Anything different than this created big problem for many, especially those who did Nikha in a Marriage Hall and brought Molvi sahib from some other UC. If you made this mistake, count a delay of at least 3 months. Embassy will raise objection as the lawyer sent for Marriage verification would like to see your Nikah registered at the same UC as address written on Nikahnama. You may be asked to change registration of your marriage from one UC to other through a court procedure in Pakistan.

2. Please closely check all the four copies of the filled Nikah-Nama for any mistake in names, ID card number, date of birth etc. Check that all signatures are there at right place and stamp of Nikah-Registrar is present. Many take things lightly in Pakistan while filling forms.

3. Telephonic Nikah is big no no. You must be present there as German Embassy/consulate now checks it from entry and exit stamps on your passport. If there are some unavoidable circumstances, give a written power of attorney which has legal value i.e. signed in front of Notary Public/judge or from Pakistani embassy/consulate (in case they deal with it) to your father to represent you during Nikah.  Better be present there. Your absence will complicate the matters and hence the delay/rejection as a consequence.

4. Carefully read the requirements of Embassy for Family reunion. If any question arises, call embassy to get an answer. Don’t rely blindly on the info collected from here and there.

5. Some people, I talked to have made mistake while getting online appointment. You made a mistake in name, passport number or email address than most probably you will not be able to submit documents on that day. In my experience, if you decide to take an appointment for family reunion, you normally get it after 4 to 6 weeks. So missing an appointment can be source of further delay, especially for applying for Family Reunion Visa for Germany from Pakistan.

6. The interview by lawyer or at embassy may involve basic questions from your spouse about you. Newly married; make sure he/she has all the basic info about you.

7. Spouse of a Blue Card holder is exempted from providing A-1 German language certificate. About this, don’t believe on what they say on phone :). If your spouse can’t manage to do a language course in Pakistan, present following reference of the concerned Law as proof on your appointment day:

http://www.bluecard-eu.de/eu-blue-card-germany/residence-act/spouse.html

http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/aufenthg_2004/__30.html

8. In some cities, there were cases when Ausländerbehorde (ABH) objected that the spouse in Germany is passing through the probation period of job.  In some cities, they ask for salary slips of 6 months while in others only for 3 months or just a job contract. Talk to other Pakistanis/Indians who have experience of dealing with the same ABH so that you can proceed accordingly.

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