Residence permit - family reunification

Apply for family reunification

Spouse reunification

Spouses can join Germans and immigrants with a residence permit or settlement permit. In principle, the spouse joining the family is granted a residence permit if both spouses have reached the age of 18. In addition, they must be able to support themselves and the spouse joining them must be able to communicate at least in a basic way in German (A1).

Reunification of children

Child reunification is possible for Germans and immigrants with a residence permit or settlement permit. It is limited to minor children.

Other regulations apply to family members of persons entitled to asylum and recognized refugees.

Labor market

A residence permit for the purpose of family reunification entitles the holder to pursue gainful employment. Access to the labor market and the associated conditions are set out in the wording of the residence permit.

Permanent residence permit for spouses

If a spouse already has German citizenship, a permanent residence permit in Germany can be issued after just 3 years. Various requirements are necessary for this, such as a residence permit for family reasons and sufficient knowledge of German.

All incoming applications will be reviewed without a personal visit.

Please send us the relevant application forms and all necessary documents either by post or electronically by e-mail to: antrag-abh@jena.de. Please do not send us any original documents.

We will contact you directly if we have any queries. Therefore, please make sure that you can be contacted by post or, if necessary, by e-mail or telephone if you have any queries.

If a personal appointment is necessary after final examination of your application, you will receive an appointment from us at short notice.

• completed application form
• Passport
• Proof of residence (tenancy agreement, in the case of a sub-tenancy agreement also a declaration of consent from the owner, in the case of use of own living space (property) extract from the land register)
• Proof of health insurance
• Proof of income (employment contract and payslips for the last three months / last income tax assessment of the applicant or spouse / registered partner)
• If applicable, recognized language certificate A1 (Telc, Goethe or ÖSD certificate)
• Marriage certificate for spouses, if applicable
• Birth certificate for children, if applicable
• School certificate if applicable (for school-age children)
• Signed instruction sheet
• If applicable, declaration of consent to the storage and use of your e-mail address and telephone number

• Law on the residence, employment and integration of foreigners in Germany (Residence Act - AufenthG)
• Ordinance on the Employment of Foreign Nationals (Employment Ordinance - BeschV)
• Residence Ordinance (AufenthV)
• Ordinance on the implementation of integration courses for foreigners and late repatriates (Integration Course Ordinance - IntV)