General information

If you wish to join your spouse/child/parent in Germany for a long-term stay you are required to obtain a residence permit in form of a national visa. This visa must be issued before you enter the country.
Please ensure that your application documents are complete! Incomplete applications can cause delays or may result in rejection of the visa application.

This checklist is regularly updated but makes no claim to be complete.
Further documentation can at all times be requested or provided by the applicant, in support of the application.

Prepare your application

Please do not staple the documents and renounce paper clips.

• original duly completed visa application form and Declaration in accordance with Section 53 and 54 of the Residence Act -
  

The following documents need to be presented in original and 1 copy:

• passport (at least 2 free pages, not older than 10 years)
• for non-Singaporeans: proof of legal residence in Singapore (e.g. EP;DP; Student Pass), incl. printout of your current Singaporean residence permit validity (no QR-Code)
• recent passport photograph (not older than 3 months) according to biometric specifications (see sample photos below)
• health insurance (travel health insurance) valid at least for the first 3 months of the stay
• Invitation letter
• Certificate of marriage, foreign documents must incl. Legalization/ Apostille/ Certification
• Passport copy of spouse
• Certificate of registration (“Meldebescheinigung”) OR employment contract, of spouse in Germany
• Evidence of the basic command of German (Goethe Institut level A1 or any language certificate based on the standards of the Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)). Information on German language requirements for spouses: Leaflet from BAMF
  • Curriculum vitae and degree certificate, if applicable (s. leaflet from BAMF above)
  • The application documents must include a language certificate based on a standardised language test according to the standards of the “Association of Language Testers in Europe” (ALTE). This is currently true of the following language certificates: “Start Deutsch 1” of the Goethe Institute or of telc GmbH, “Grundstufe Deutsch 1” of the Austrian language diploma (ÖSD), “TestDaF” of the TestDaF Institute, not older than 12 months at the time of application.
• fee for the processing of the visa application is the equivalent of EURO 75.00 to be paid in SGD, either by cash or credit card (Visa- and Mastercard only)

In addition for applications of minor children:

• Certificate of birth, foreign documents must incl. Legalization/ Apostille/ Certification
• Marriage certificate of parents
• If a parent is abroad: consent letter with signature verified by a German mission or German Aliens Authority
• If application is filled by a single parent: the court decision on sole care and custody
• Copy of the passport or residence permit of the applicant`s parent in Germany (original not required)
• Certificate of registration (“Meldebescheinigung”) OR employment contract, of parent in Germany

Information on the visa process

Please do not send unrequested documents to the Visa Department, especially not before applying for the visa, as those cannot be kept. Please submit all documents when applying in person at the Embassy.
Foreign documents issued in other languages than English or German have to be submitted with an official Translation.
Foreign public documents need to be duly legalized by the competent German Embassy in the issuing country, or, if applicable, provided with an Apostille. For documents from some countries, individual document verification might be necessary, that process would require more time and an additional fee.
The processing of the visa application is usually 6-8 weeks, upon submission of complete documents, ometimes longer.
You will be contacted as soon as the application has been decided on. Please note that questions regarding the status of your visa application cannot be answered.
It is recommended that at no time, a flight ticket should be purchased until a visa has been granted.

Book your Appointment

To submit your application, please book an appointment and appear in person at the Visa Department.

There your complete application documents including the visa fee will be accepted, a short interview will be conducted and biometric data registered.

The appointment needs to be booked through the appointment system of the Embassy.