Germany Marriage Visa 2026: Enter, Marry, and Stay

"Marriage visa" does not appear in any statute. The official procedural handbook calls it the cumbersome "Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem Daueraufenthalt" (visa for marriage registration with subsequent permanent residence)1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt — and that name is actually more precise. You marry in Germany (not abroad) and want to stay afterward. The Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) has no dedicated permit for this purpose. The legislature pushed the purpose under the catch-all provision of § 7 para. 1 sent. 3 AufenthG2§ 7 AufenthG — AufenthaltserlaubnisBundesministerium der Justiz. This has one important consequence: there is no legal entitlement. The embassy decides at its discretion whether to grant the visa — and it will only decide positively if the application is operationally well prepared.

This guide walks through the process in the order you actually have to follow it: first the distinction from the Spouse Reunification Visa, then the requirements (A1, minimum age, proof of subsistence, health insurance), the mandatory registry office registration, the immigration office's involvement, the four-step application procedure, and finally the special cases — marrying an EU citizen, Turkish nationals under ARB 1/80, and country-specific pitfalls.

Marriage Visa vs Spouse Reunification Visa — the distinction that decides everything

The most common source of confusion on this topic: the marriage visa and the Spouse Reunification Visa are not the same procedure. The official handbook treats them in two separate chapters with different legal bases, different legal character, and different rules on subsistence and language proof. The choice between the two paths depends on a single question: are you marrying in Germany or abroad?

• Marrying in Germany → Marriage Visa (this guide).
• Marrying abroad → Spouse Reunification Visa (§ 28 for marrying a German national or § 30 AufenthG for marrying a foreign national residing in Germany — see the pillar guide on family reunification).
• Coming to Germany briefly for the wedding and then returning abroad → Schengen visitor visa (see the section at the end).

The matrix below shows where the two procedures diverge.

Legal basis and character — discretion, not entitlement

The Residence Act has no dedicated paragraph for the situation "I enter Germany, marry here, and stay." The visa handbook states this openly:

This is the legal construction: the catch-all provision in § 7 para. 1 sent. 3 AufenthG allows the authority to issue a residence permit in "other justified cases" — and the marriage visa purpose falls under this clause in administrative practice1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. The actual visa is then a national visa under § 6 para. 3 AufenthG3§ 6 AufenthG — VisumBundesministerium der Justiz — a D-visa for longer stays, not a Schengen visa for 90 days of tourism.

In practice, this means three things:

• No enforceable entitlement. Unlike with the Spouse Reunification Visa for a German national (§ 28 para. 1 AufenthG: "shall be issued"), you cannot rely on the authority being required to grant it. The authority may grant it — and it will do so when the application is thorough.
• Discretion means preparation. Clean registry office registration, plausible genuine intention to marry (no sham marriage indicators under § 27 para. 1a AufenthG), fulfilled requirements from §§ 28, 30 — this is the granting formula.
• D-visa, not Schengen. A Schengen visa allows 90 days within 180 days and no conversion to a residence permit from within Germany. Anyone who enters on a Schengen visa and marries here generally cannot obtain a residence permit without first leaving and then returning on a new D-visa.

Requirements that the embassy checks incidentally

The visa handbook is explicit here: for the marriage visa, "the general requirements for issuing a residence permit for spouse reunification under §§ 28, 30 AufenthG are to be checked incidentally"1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. In plain terms: the hurdles are the same as for spouse reunification, but they apply earlier — already before the wedding.

Minimum age for both engaged persons — 18 years

Both engaged persons must have reached the age of 185§ 30 AufenthG — EhegattennachzugBundesministerium der Justiz. The relevant point in time is the visa decision by the embassy — not the date of application. There are no exceptions downward, not even in hardship cases. The rule has a clear background: protection against forced and child marriages.

A1 German proficiency for the incoming fiancé/fiancée

The fiancé/fiancée travelling to Germany must be able to communicate in German at level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages9Nachweis einfacher Deutschkenntnisse beim EhegattennachzugBAMF. The following certificates are accepted6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau:

• "Start Deutsch 1" — Goethe-Institut or telc GmbH
• "Grundstufe Deutsch 1" — Austrian Language Diploma (ÖSD)
• "TestDaF" — TestDaF-Institut e. V.
• "ECL Prüfungszentrum"

The certificate must generally be no older than one year at the time of application. Allow two to four months of preparation time if you have no prior knowledge.

A1 exceptions — the complete list

§ 30 para. 1 sent. 2–3 AufenthG plus the BAMF brochure "Proof of basic German language skills"9Nachweis einfacher Deutschkenntnisse beim EhegattennachzugBAMF list the following exceptions — they apply to the marriage visa by analogy. If you fall into one of these groups, you do not need an A1 certificate:

One final note on the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte): the Opportunity Card itself (§ 20a AufenthG) is not listed among the permits in no. 5 — it is a job-seeker card, not a skilled worker title. Only after switching to a § 18a/b/c title does the A1 exception apply for your future spouse.

Proof of subsistence — stricter than for spouse reunification after marriage to a German

Here is an important peculiarity that many overlook1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt:

In plain terms: for spouse reunification after marrying a German national, the proof of subsistence requirement may be handled "as a rule, deviating" from § 5 para. 1 no. 1 AufenthG — the constitutional anchor in Article 6 of the Basic Law protects the existing marriage. For the marriage visa, this relaxation does not apply because the marriage does not yet exist. § 5 para. 1 no. 1 is fully checked.

The benchmark is the Bürgergeld means-test threshold. In 2026 — due to the "zero round" — the 2025 levels apply unchanged10Nullrunde beim Bürgergeld — Regelsätze 2026 bleiben unverändertBundesregierung:

The standard rates remain at 2025 levels in 2026 — Federal Government decision of September 10, 2025, approved by the Bundesrat on December 19, 202510Nullrunde beim Bürgergeld — Regelsätze 2026 bleiben unverändertBundesregierung. In practice, this means: the income of the fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany must cover the needs of a couple (2 × €506 = €1,012 standard rate plus warm rent plus a reasonable health insurance contribution) without top-up. Realistically, depending on region, you end up between €1,700 and €2,200 net per month.

Enter your figures below and see immediately whether the authority can give a green light on the numbers.

Formal declaration of financial sponsorship under § 68 AufenthG

If your own income is not sufficient, the route via a formal declaration of financial sponsorship remains: a third party (parents, employer, or another financially capable person) assumes under § 68 AufenthG8§ 68 AufenthG — Haftung für LebensunterhaltBundesministerium der Justiz full liability for all public funds — Bürgergeld, medical costs, accommodation, deportation costs — for the duration of the stay.

The Federal Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) has an important additional requirement: the fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany must provide a written declaration that the costs arising until the wedding within the meaning of §§ 66 to 68 AufenthG will be covered6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau. This declaration may be informal — but the fiancé/fiancée should check in good time with the locally competent immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) whether it requires an official declaration of financial sponsorship for processing the application. Which of the two routes applies depends on the specific immigration office.

Health insurance — the EU requirement

The marriage visa creates a coverage gap: upon entry, no marriage exists yet, so there is no family membership in statutory health insurance. GKV entry is only possible after the wedding and registration with the residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt). For the gap — typically 4 to 10 weeks between entry and GKV enrolment — the Federal Foreign Office requires private health insurance, preferably an incoming insurance policy6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau.

Before you move on to the step-by-step sequence: take a moment to check whether you qualify in principle.

Registry office registration — the mandatory prerequisite

The visa handbook is unambiguous here:

This means: before you even book an appointment at the embassy, the fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany must have approached the registry office (Standesamt) at the intended wedding location, submitted documents, and registered the marriage1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. Only the registry office certificate confirming that all marriage requirements are present makes the matter visa-ready.

What the registry office checks in detail:

• Capacity to marry (Ehefähigkeit) of both engaged persons under the applicable personal statute.
• Impediments to marriage — existing marriages elsewhere, too close a kinship, legal incapacity.
• Completeness and authenticity of civil status documents (birth certificates, any divorce judgments with finality notation, any death certificates of previous spouses).
• Separate hearing of both engaged persons where a sham marriage under § 27 para. 1a AufenthG is suspected (§ 13 para. 2 PStG).

Both engaged persons should register jointly and in person. In practice, however, it is harmless if only one partner registers in person, provided the other, unavailable partner has authorised them by a "declaration of accession" (Beitrittserklärung)1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt.

Two hard deadlines to keep in mind:

• The registry office certificate loses its validity six months after the date of issue1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. This is the most important deadline in the entire procedure: anyone who waits too long before filing the visa application must renew the registry office registration.
• Foreign civil and court documents generally require an apostille (Hague Convention) or — for non-Hague countries — legalisation by the German embassy in the home country. The apostille must be placed on the original, not on a copy6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau. German translations are required for all non-German-language documents; translators sworn in Germany do not need additional certification, but translators from abroad generally do.

Immigration office involvement — § 31 AufenthV

This is the second mandatory station and the point where many applications take longer than necessary1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt:

§ 31 AufenthV7§ 31 AufenthV — Zustimmung der AusländerbehördeBundesministerium der Justiz governs the immigration office's (Ausländerbehörde) consent requirement for visa issuance. The immigration office focuses its review on:

• Proof of subsistence within the meaning of § 5 para. 1 no. 1 AufenthG.
• Adequate accommodation — formally binding only for the follow-on residence permit after marriage, but pre-reviewed for the marriage visa.
• Declaration of financial sponsorship under § 68 AufenthG, if own income is insufficient.
• Indicators of a sham marriage — where there are anomalies, the immigration office can offer a separate interview of the engaged persons1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt.

Once the immigration office consents, it sends the go-signal to the embassy. The visa can then be issued.

Application procedure — the 4-step sequence

The order is not arbitrary — it is set out in the visa handbook and derived from the registry offices' review programme1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. Ignoring the order creates risks of rejection and delay.

Step 1 — Registry office registration in Germany

The fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany (or both together, if possible) contacts the registry office (Standesamt) at the intended wedding location — usually the place of residence of the German fiancé/fiancée11FAQ — Ausländische/r Ehepartner/inAuswärtiges Amt. The registry office specifies which documents the foreign fiancé/fiancée must provide — the list varies significantly by country of origin. The documents (with apostille or legalisation and German translation) are then submitted, the marriage is registered, and the registry office issues the certificate confirming that all marriage requirements are present. This certificate is the entry ticket to step 2.

Step 2 — Visa application at the German embassy

The incoming fiancé/fiancée submits the visa application at the German embassy or consulate in their home country. The Federal Foreign Office operates separate appointment booking systems for each embassy; at many posts there are noticeable waiting times of several weeks to months before an appointment is available.

Where to submit the application? You apply at the German embassy or consulate responsible for your place of residence. Some of the most frequently used posts:

• German Embassy Bangkok (Thailand)
• German Embassy Moscow and the Consulate General St. Petersburg (Russia)
• German Embassy Ankara, the Consulate General Istanbul and the Consulate General Izmir (Turkey)
• German Embassy Manila (Philippines)
• German Embassy Hanoi and the Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
• German Embassy Rabat (Morocco)

If your place of residence is not listed: the authority finder lists all German embassies and consulates that issue national marriage visas.

Step 3 — Processing by the embassy and immigration office

The embassy formally and substantively reviews the application and forwards it — unless prior consent from the immigration office is already in place — to the competent immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) in Germany. The immigration office checks proof of subsistence, accommodation (in advance), the declaration of financial sponsorship, and any sham marriage indicators1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. After consent, the embassy issues the visa.

Processing time: no nationally uniform statistics are published. Based on experience with comparable national visas:

• Standard cases without complications: approximately 3 months.
• With document verification (authenticity check of birth, marriage, or divorce certificates at posts in countries with unreliable civil registration): at least 12 months.
• With prior immigration office consent: noticeably shorter — in favourable cases under 8 weeks, since the embassy no longer has to forward the application to the immigration office.

Step 4 — After entry: wedding and follow-on residence permit

The visa is typically valid for three months1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt. Within this window, four things must happen:

1. Wedding at the registry office — the appointment is usually already arranged in step 1.
2. Registration with the residents' registration office (Einwohnermeldeamt) at your place of residence within the statutory deadline (generally within two weeks of moving in).
3. Application for a spousal residence permit at the competent immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) — § 28 AufenthG4§ 28 AufenthG — Familiennachzug zu DeutschenBundesministerium der Justiz when marrying a German national, § 30 AufenthG when marrying a foreign national residing in Germany.
4. Transfer to statutory health insurance as a family member — possible once the marriage certificate and residents' registration are in hand6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau.

After three years of marital cohabitation in Germany — when married to a German national — and on meeting the general requirements, you can upgrade to a settlement permit (Niederlassungserlaubnis) (§ 28 para. 2 AufenthG).

Special cases

7.1 Marrying a non-German EU citizen

Where the fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany is an EU citizen but not German (for example an Italian in Berlin or a Pole in Hamburg), two special rules apply1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt:

• Non-discrimination principle. The third-country national fiancé/fiancée may not be treated less favourably than the fiancé/fiancée of a German national. The legal basis remains § 7 para. 1 sent. 3 in conjunction with § 6 para. 3 AufenthG.
• No A1 language proof required. The visa handbook is explicit here: "In these cases, however, no language proof is required (cf. § 30 para. 1 sent. 3 no. 4 AufenthG)." You do not need a Goethe certificate.

However: proof of subsistence remains required — the Article 6 Basic Law relaxation in § 28 AufenthG relates to spouses of German nationals and does not apply in EU-citizen constellations. Immigration office consent, registry office registration, and the imminent nature of the wedding remain unchanged requirements.

7.2 Turkish nationals under ARB 1/80

A specific constellation that the visa handbook does not address directly, but which has been clarified by the highest courts: where the fiancé/fiancée residing in Germany is a Turkish worker within the meaning of the EEC-Turkey Association Agreement (ARB 1/80), the incoming Turkish fiancé/fiancée cannot be required to provide an A1 language certificate.

The argument runs through the standstill clause of Article 13 ARB 1/80: the A1 obligation introduced in 2007 in § 30 AufenthG constitutes a "new restriction" on freedom of movement and thus violates the standstill obligation vis-à-vis Turkish workers in Germany. This was first decided by the ECJ in C-123/17 of August 7, 2018; the Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) applied it in German law in 1 C 40.18 of June 25, 201912BVerwG 1 C 40.18 — Sprachnachweis und ARB 1/80Bundesverwaltungsgericht.

In practical terms: if you are a Turkish national and your fiancé/fiancée in Germany is a Turkish worker falling under ARB 1/80, the embassy cannot require the A1 proof. All other requirements (minimum age, proof of subsistence, registry office registration, immigration office consent) continue to apply.

7.3 Country-specific hurdles

At some posts, the marriage visa procedure is noticeably slower or more formal:

• Thailand. Thailand has been a member of the Hague Apostille Convention since February 2025 — birth, divorce, and death certificates therefore only need the Thai apostille, no legalisation anymore. The A1 provider in the country is the Goethe-Institut Bangkok. The German Embassy Bangkok operates its own appointment waiting list with waiting times of several months in some cases. Build in buffer time.
• Russia. The German embassy and consulates are operating under sanctions conditions with reduced staff. Apostille on Russian documents plus notarially certified German translation is mandatory. For current information, check russland.diplo.de.
• Non-Hague countries (e.g. Vietnam, Iran, Cameroon). Instead of an apostille, the legalisation procedure by the German embassy applies — with its own review steps, longer processing time, and additional translation and certification steps. Allow an extra quarter.

Common rejection reasons — and how to avoid them

Distilled from the visa handbook1Visumhandbuch — Eheschließung bei anschließendem DaueraufenthaltAuswärtiges Amt and the Federal Foreign Office information sheet6Merkblatt — Visum zur Eheschließung mit anschließendem DaueraufenthaltDeutsche Botschaft Moskau — the top-6 pitfalls seen repeatedly in practice. For a deeper look at remedies against rejections: Visa refused — what to do.

1. Incomplete documents. "Incomplete applications can lead to refusal of the visa application." A single missing apostille stamp on the divorce certificate is enough. Work through the 12-point checklist above point by point.
2. Registry office certificate older than 6 months. The six-month deadline is hard. Anyone who only gets an embassy appointment months later may need to renew the registration. Secure the embassy appointment first, then initiate the registry office registration.
3. Sham marriage indicators under § 27 para. 1a AufenthG. No common language of communication, no plausible mutual knowledge, no shared life plan. The immigration office can demand a separate interview. Those who prepare honestly have little to fear — but contradictions between interviews are fatal.
4. Proof of subsistence not secured. The embassy calculates backwards: needs of a couple plus warm rent plus health insurance. Anyone falling short of the threshold without a third-party sponsor falls through the net. Arrange the declaration of financial sponsorship under § 68 AufenthG early.
5. A1 certificate missing or invalid. Older than one year, not from an accredited provider (Goethe, telc, ÖSD, TestDaF, ECL), or fraudulent. "Start Deutsch 1" at the Goethe-Institut is the standard route. Allow 2–4 months of preparation.
6. Health insurance concluded outside the EU. "Only health insurance policies concluded within the EU are accepted." Travel health insurance from your home country will be rejected, even if the coverage is equivalent in substance. Choose providers headquartered in Germany (Care Concept, Hanse Merkur, MAWISTA).

Bonus: What about a pure wedding-visit visa?

If you only want to come to Germany briefly to marry and then return abroad afterward, the marriage visa is not the right visa. You then need a Schengen visitor visa with a marriage notation — a different procedure, different requirements (no A1 obligation, no proof of permanent residence intent), but a maximum of 90 days within 180 days and no conversion to a national residence permit within Germany. Anyone who enters this way, marries in Germany, and wants to stay after all will generally first have to leave and then obtain a D-visa. This guide covers only the visa with subsequent permanent residence.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)