Visa for the purpose of familial/spousal reunification
Residents of the following provinces must submit their visa application to the German Embassy in Pretoria:
- Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West
Residents of the following provinces must submit their visa application to the German Consulate General in Cape Town:
- Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape
We request that you take advantage of our Online Appointment Booking System. Applications must be submitted in person and may not be submitted by courier, regular post, fax or e-mail.
The fee for a residence permit is the equivalent of 60 Euro. The fee must be paid in cash, in South African Rands upon application. For spouses of German or EU-citizens or to the parent of a German or EU-minor the visa fee is waved.
Please note that only complete applications will be accepted. In order to ensure that your application is processed without delay, please submit the following documents (in original and two copies as indicated below). Unfortunately, copies cannot be provided by the German Missions.
Required Documents |
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Original documents required for: |
- Two duly completed Application forms "Application for a Residence Permit“ (please ensure that you sign the form)
- A valid passport with at least two blank pages and valid for at least another six months (please ensure that your passport is signed)
- Two recent passport photograph according to biometric specifications
check here for further details regarding biometric specifications of photos [pdf, 550,79k]
- Two Declarations of True and Complete Information in accordance with §55 Residence Act, signed and dated
Declaration §55 [pdf, 117,52k]
Original + two copies required for: |
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- An unabridged marriage certificate stamped with an Apostille of the South African High Court/Foreign Affairs i.e. a valid marriage certificate accepted by the German legal system
- Language Certificate A1 („Start Deutsch 1“) from the Goethe Institute or any other language certificate issued by the 'Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)' (In South Africa the competent authority is the Goethe Institute or a university degree)
- Police Clearance Certificate (not older than three months). Please note it can take up to ten weeks from application for this clearance certificate to be issued
- Proof of health insurance valid from date of arrival (German Statutory/National or Private health insurance)
If your spouse/family member residing in Germany is German:
- Copy of the passport or ID
- Copy of the rental contract of the spouse living in Germany
- Proof of how the spouse will earn/make a living in Germany (e.g. Work contract, scholarship,bursary, etc)
If your spouse/family member residing in Germany is not German:
- Copy of the passport with a copy of the Residence permit
- Copy of the rental contract for the fiance/spouse living in Germany
- Proof of how the fiance/spouse will earn/make a living in Germany (e.g. Work contract, scholarship,bursary)
Subsequent immigration of family members:
- Marriage certificate of parents - An 'unabridged marriage certificate' stamped with an Apostille i.e. - German marriage certificate
- Birth certificates of children - 'Unabridged birth certificate' stamped with an Apostille i.e. German birth certificate
- Copy of the parents passports with a copy of the residence permit
- Copy of the rental contract of the parents living in Germany
- Proof of how the parents earn/make a living in Germany (e.g. work contract, scholarship, bursary, etc)
- If applicable – proof of custody from the court/certified consent of legal guardians to travel
- If applicable – acknowledgement of paternity
- If applicable – proof of a valid adoption in process (in the German legal system)
Please note that each visa application is reviewed individually. Therefore, the requested documents may vary. The German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents. The submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee the issuance of a visa. Applicants may, at any time, be asked for a personal interview. Submission of incomplete documentation or refusal to attend the mandatory visa interview will result in a refusal of your visa application. Once a visa has been issued, the purpose of the trip may not be altered.
The German Missions require approximately two to three months to process your visa application. We strongly recommend that you do not purchase an airline ticket unless the visa has been granted. We kindly ask that no status requests on the visa application be made during the first two months. We will notify the applicant on any change of status or progress of the application as soon as possible and whenever the need arises.
