Germany Reunification Visa Questions

[Sal1994]

I am a British citizen relocating to Germany with my German wife, who currently resides with me in the UK. I have been advised to apply for the Type D family visa at the German Embassy in London, as this may expedite the process compared to applying within Germany after arrival. I understand that applying within Germany without prior application from the UK may prevent me from working until I obtain a residence permit, which would subsequently impact my ability to secure health insurance, accommodation, and a bank account.

I would be grateful if anyone could answer the following questions:

1. What is the typical processing time for a Type D family visa application submitted at the German Embassy in London? I am particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has recently gone through this process.
2. If my Type D visa application is approved by the Embassy, will I be permitted to work immediately upon arrival in Germany?
3. Will I be eligible to apply for health insurance for myself and my family immediately upon arrival in Germany, after receiving visa approval from the Embassy?

[alterhase58]

Re. Health Insurance - there are different rules for EU and non-EU citizens, also relating to working or non-working.
Please refer to this link for non-EU citizens for details: https://www.health-insurance.de/living/non-eu-citizen/
There's no NHS-type or UK National Insurance type system in Germany.

For visa details others may be able to comment.

[Angel99]

Hi @Sal1994

It will be easier to apply for the Aufenthaltserlaubnis when you are already in Germany because all what you will need is proof of your marriage and proof of sufficient funds(Either your spouse is employed or have enough savings). Depending on the place of residence you can get instant approval. Your spouse is the sponsor so in the beginning she needs to show she can support you. After you get the Aufenthatstitel whether she works or have sufficient funding will be irrelevant so far as you work or have financial backup.
You will also deal with the Ausländerbehörde direct.

If you apply outside Germany you will need Verpflichtungserklärung for long stay from your wife to get the type D visa. She will need to show proof of funds and residence address in Germany to get you the
Verpflichtungserklärung. The embassy will just be the middle man between you and the Ausländerbehörde in Germany. This takes time for approval. Can take 3 months or more.

You can work with the type D visa for sometime then you need to convert it into Aufenthatstitel.

**If you apply in Germany they will issue you a Fiktionsbescheinigung or Bescheinigung at the spot which you can use to work until you receive your Aufenthatstitel.


Regarding the health insurance. If you are applying in Germany and your wife works, she can put you on family insurance. You will pay nothing until you start working. If your wife doesnt work she must apply for voluntary health insurance and put you on family insurance. This quite expensive because you will pay premium.

[Sal1994]

Thanks for your response @Angel99.

The problem is my wife is a student doing Masters degree at an online university in Germany, so does not have any income atm. This is why we want to get my permit before going to germany as it'll be hard to get accomodation or anything else without any income from within Germany. essentailly i will be the one with income to support us in the time being.

[Angel99]

Thanks for your response @Angel99.

The problem is my wife is a student doing Masters degree at an online university in Germany, so does not have any income atm. This is why we want to get my permit before going to germany as it'll be hard to get accomodation or anything else without any income from within Germany. essentailly i will be the one with income to support us in the time being.

She will need to be a resident in Germany if you want to apply for visa. Since she is a student you could be the main financial provider for both of you if you have sufficient funds.

The above also applies if you should submit the application in Germany
..

[Sal1994]

Thanks for your response @Angel99.

The problem is my wife is a student doing Masters degree at an online university in Germany, so does not have any income atm. This is why we want to get my permit before going to germany as it'll be hard to get accomodation or anything else without any income from within Germany. essentailly i will be the one with income to support us in the time being.

She will need to be a resident in Germany if you want to apply for visa. Since she is a student you could be the main financial provider for both of you if you have sufficient funds.

The above also applies if you should submit the application in Germany
..

Thanks again Angel99. The good thing is my wife is still registered in Germany in her family's address despite being with me in the UK for a couple of years now. She does go very frequently and still studies there, along with my job relocation offer i am hoping these things will help my application at the embassy.

[Angel99]

Is the job offer willing to sponsor you for an Aufenthaltserlaubnis or they're waiting for you to get your own?. Thus do you or can they provide you a work contract now if you should accept the offer?



Do not apply at the embassy. Your best bet is applying for direct residency in Germany.

[Sal1994]

Is the job offer willing to sponsor you for an Aufenthaltserlaubnis or they're waiting for you to get your own?. Thus do you or can they provide you a work contract now if you should accept the offer?



Do not apply at the embassy. Your best bet is applying for direct residency in Germany.

They are currently finalising my offer, but it will essentailly be a continuation of my current role just in a different branch. I do not believe any sponsorship will be provided as i did not ask for one.

My only worry if i am applying in Germany is the waiting time, i was told Dusseldorf can take very long to get an appointment let alone a decision. We are expecting a baby in the second half of this year, so i want all paper work to be completed and allow me to work and get health insurance for the whole family when i arrive in Germany. additionally, the housing situation will be difficult if i am applying within Germany without a residence permit and my wife being a student, this is why i decided to do the embassy route.

We do not want to be in limbo while there and expecting a baby.

[Sal1994]

Just want to add a clarification regarding the job part. I will be relocating within my current employer from the UK to the DE branch.

[Angel99]

Even if you should get the D visa you will still need to convert it to Aufenthatstitel at Dusseldorf Ausländerbehörde. You can only use the D visa for few months. Yes it's a major city so normally it takes months to get appointment. In some cases it can take few weeks.

Maybe best option is get apartment in Mülheim an der ruhr or Mönchengladbac and you and your spouse should reregister there as couple then apply for your residence permit there. It will be faster than Dusseldorf. Later you can move to Dusseldorf.


If you want to apply at the embassy you will need

* Your spouse meldebescheinigung
*Proof your spouse is a student in Germany
*Evidence you can support your family
*If you have the offer letter you can add this too
*Proof of basic German language

Normally after your application is approved, *Private health insurance for only you (When you start working you can switch to public health insurance and add your spouse to family insurance)

***If your spouse is still resident in Germany it's mandatory for her to pay health insurance or she should be under some form of family insurance from her parents. Else she will have to pay all the years she hasn't be under insurance.



All this method also applies if you should submit your application direct in Germany.


****Just make sure she doesn't go for welfare payments since she is pregnant until you have your Aufenthatstitel.

[Sal1994]

Thanks again, i appreciate your advise, did you go through this process yourself?

Regarding the list of docs, i have them all except for the contract which i will reach out to HR about to speed up.

lastly, why would she need to pay for the past years she was living in the UK? she was only registered in her parents address in Germany and only visited for some days in the past 2.5 years. She did inform Barmer her insurance provider who cancelled her insurance.

***If your spouse is still resident in Germany it's mandatory for her to pay health insurance or she should be under some form of family insurance from her parents. Else she will have to pay all the years she hasn't be under insurance.

[Angel99]

I am very familiar with German immigration law and lived there for a decade.
Your spouse if registered in Germany regardless where she lives is obligated to be under health insurance. You can't cancel your insurance and still be resident in Germany. Normally the Insurance will ask for your abmeldung from the Einwohnermeldeamt (deregistration certificate) to sign you off.

So if you try to add your spouse to family insurance or she tries to get an insurance on her own they will first ask for her meldebescheinigung and evidence she previously had/cancelled her old health insurance. This will pull out her records and she will be questioned from the day she wasn't under insurance. There is a penalty and normally you will pay a premium to cover those years.

Regarding your visum, you don't necessarily need your new work contract but it can play a major role since it will show you will have 2 secured finances.

[Angel99]

Following up to the message i just sent above,
Last thing avoid Dusseldorf for your residency.


You will need your Steuernummer and Sozialversicherungsnummer to work. You can't start work without this.

You can only get this after you do your Anmeldung at the Einwohnermeldeamt/ Bürgerbüro/ Rathaus

Try Mönchengladbach, Hagen(most preferred), Dinslaken(**), Mülheim an der ruhr, Witten or Krefeld. The smaller the town or city the better. After you get your meldebescheinigung and Aufenthatstitel you can relocate to Dusseldorf and just do a change of address.

Those places above can have even appointment for Anmeldung next day or a week. Some Ausländerbehörde are also walk in or application via post then you are given Bescheinigung to work and appointment date for fingerprint and order residence permit card.

You first need to do a combined Anmeldung with your spouse before they will send your info to the Ausländerbehörde then you can apply for the Aufenthaltserlaubnis.

Some of the cities will first request non EU foreigners to preapproval with the Ausländerbehörde first before you can even do Anmeldung and appy for Aufenthaltserlaubnis. This can take some time.




I think I have advised you enough. All the best and safe delivery to your spouse.

[Sal1994]

You have indeed. Thank you very much!

[Sal1994]

I wanted to post an update for my journey so far.

I have successfully obtained the Type D Family Reeunification Visa (Familiennachzug) from the German Embassy in London only 1 month after applying. I must say the application process was super smooth and list of required documents was shockingly small. Here is a list of documents i provided:

• Application Form

• German wife's passport

• Marriage certificate (we were married in Germany so no translation required)

• Exempt from German Language requirmenet due to holding a Bachelor degree from a University in the UK, so i provided my graduetion certificate

• Proof of wife's residence registration in Germany

Neither my wife or I had to provide evidence of employement, income or any proof of sufficient funds.

I am now in proces of relocating to start the process of obtaining RP in Germany.