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1. The letter from TK should be enough to show that he will have health insurance once he arrives in Germany.
2. German language skills are only required to join German spouses. This does not apply to you.
3. Your blue card is your visa for Germany, so that should be sufficient. If not, they will ask you to submit further documents.
Be prepared for a looong processing time (3-6 months, depending on how busy your local Ausländeramt is).

Hello @beppi,

Thank you for your reply.  Then I guess the letter from TK is enough now.  I hope everything goes well.

Kind regards.

This is an update.

My husband finished his visa interview on Feb 7th. Yes, it was scheduled for Feb 5th. But when he went to the German embassy, he was sent back telling the embassy was closed because of government holiday (Chinese new year). 

We booked the slot last year December and during that time, slots were open for Feb 5th and 6th. Wherein, when we checked the website for embassy's holiday list after being sent back,  Feb 5th and 6th are listed as holidays. They could have updated or at least they could have sent an update via email.  Many candidates were sent back on that day. 

So, My husband went on Feb 7th to ask about this. But,  he was given appointment immediately and he finished his visa interview. 

Here are the documents he was asked to submit (other than his documents)

1. A copy of my passport
2. A copy of my EU blue card residence permit
3. A copy of my work permit (the green paper)
4. A copy of my house contract in Germany
5. A copy of the confirmation letter from my German health insurance provider
6. A copy of our marriage certificate (with apostille from Indian ministry)
7. A copy of my work contract

The visa officer told that he need not submit A1 language certificate because of my blue card residence permit. 

( In the confirmation letter from my health insurance provider it is mentioned that my husband (along his name and date of birth) will be given health insurance as part of family health insurance once he arrives Germany and get registered in the Rathaus (local city town hall).)

And now we have to wait for the long visa processing time. I will keep the thread updated.

Sejan: Thanks for your update - and good luck!

Thanks for your response. Many people pose questions here but then one never hears from them again. Nice when people share their actual experiences.

I would suggest that you both enroll in German classes despite not having needed it for the visa. Yes, one can survive with English but getting along in German will be the key to happiness in both private and professional life. Otherwise one is always at a disadvantage and misses out on so much. Many foreigners tend to feel isolated and lonely if they fail to learn the language. There are many language schools and the community college known as Volkshochschule in every mid to large sized German city and evening courses for working people should be available.

Thank you.  Sure, I will update.

Thank you for the suggestion. You are right,  both of us have to learn German for the pleasant living experience in Germany.

Even though the current job task of mine doesn't require German language skills, certain other day to day factors such as searching for a house,  signing contracts with electricity, internet and many other things required me to speak in German. I finished those with the help of a German speaking friend. But,  I realized I can't keep relying on others since it became frustrating when I couldn't even make a call to my internet provider to file a complaint. (I ended up without internet for 2 weeks until I asked my friend to help :-| )

I tried registering in the Volksschule but it is full.  So, I have started to learn German by myself since I have basic knowledge.

Also,  learning a new language is a good thing only.

Oh yeah,  I forgot one more thing.

The visa officer who was interviewing my husband asked him to mail him my visa reference number. He said he needs that to link it with my husband's visa. 

The visa reference number is the one which is given in the acknowledgement receipt when you submit your passport for visa stamping at your home country. (I think so 🤔)

Unfortunately, I don't have it now.  I applied for work visa from India before two years without having any future plans of staying long time in Germany. Later, I extended if to blue card permit with my new job contract in Germany itself.  So I don't have the reference number for that also. So, my husband mailed the officer he doesn't have it and we are waiting for his reply.  We don't know what kind of issue it will bring. 

So,  anyone who is reading this post, please save your visa reference number whether you intend to stay longer or not, whether you are married or not,  just keep it,  it maybe useful anytime. Lessons learnt

Hi Sejan,

Interesting to see your post. I am in a similar position with my wife applying for Family Reunion from USA, and me holding a Blue Card and working in Cologne.

I had a couple of questions for updates to your process, if you don't mind.

Has your husband finally received his visa approval and already in Germany?

If yes, how long did it take for the approval to arrive?

Did you have to submit additional documents in Auslanderbehörde of your city?

Did marriage verification take place in your case? If yes, how long did this take?

Thanks for reading this. The process for my wife was initiated 2 months ago, and the local foreigner's office in Cologne has told me that they haven't received the original documents yet. This process has rendered me desperate. Appreciate any time taken to respond. Thanks.

Kind regards,
Shrikant

The time it takes depends on the workload of the individual embassy and local Ausländeramt. They all tend to be short on staff, so 3 - 6 months is common.

Hello Shrikant,

My husband applied for family reunion visa from Singapore German Embassy.  Since we have Indian marriage certificate, he had to submit our marriage certificate with an apostille from the Indian ministry.  I don't know if a separate verification happened in India during visa process. But, he received his visa in 6 weeks of his application. 

For some it has taken 8-12 weeks and for some less.  It also depends on the officials who are processing our applications. Since the visa officials at cologne mentioned that they have not received proper documents,  I would suggest you to ask them if they need any documents from your side, such as,  your payslips, your house rental agreement etc.,

Or if they are waiting for documents from India,  then we don't have other choice than waiting. Hopefully, it will be done soon since its been 2 months already.

I hope this answer helped you in some way. 

Best regards,
Sejan

And yeah,  I submitted copy of my 3 months payslips, house rental contract which my husband already submitted during his visa interview.  Still,  I submitted it once again in the local AusländerBehörde also.  Actually, I mailed them.

Hi Sejan,

Thanks a ton for your prompt response. I'm happy for you that your husband has joined you.

Have a nice sunny day.

Kind regards,
Shrikant

Hello Shrikant,

Thank you.  I hope you get the visa soon. 

Kind regards,
Sejan

Hi Sejan,

Good news. My wife got the visa and she is here in Germany as well. Just summarising the events the way it happened, for others who may need it.

8th April - Submitted visa application from the Consulate in San Francisco.
15th April - San Francisco consulate creates the application in their system.
31st May - No updates till here. Original documents received by the Cologne Foreigner's office.
3rd June - Received an email from Foreigner's office for submission of additional documents.
4th June - Submitted all documents via email
5th June - Wife receives confirmation for approval of visa.

My experience between 8th April to 2nd June May was very testing, with absolutely no updates and no progress. However, once the documents were received in Cologne, the process just sped through.

Thanks again, Sejan, for sharing your experience in the first place.

Kind regards,
Shrikant

Hi Shrikant,

That's very nice. 
Finally your waiting is over. 

Happy for you and your wife. Wish you both a memorable and happy stay in Germany. 

Cheers.

Best regards,
Sejan

Congratulations, im due to travel this week. I also received my national visa. Did you purchase a oneway or return ticket? I want to buy a one way but not sure if i will have problems.

Lelo2468 wrote:

Congratulations, im due to travel this week. I also received my national visa. Did you purchase a oneway or return ticket? I want to buy a one way but not sure if i will have problems.

if it is a long-stay visa, then one-way ticket is enough.

Thanks.

Hi

Could you please let me know how you got marriage certificate with apostille. My spouse is in Singapore and we have an Indian marriage certificate.

With a Singapore marriage certificate, you need to first visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) to get it certicied, and then the German embassy to get the legalization.
Since MFA probably does not certify foreign documents, you might need to visit the Indian Foreign Ministry (or possibly the Indian embassy?).

We have an Indian marriage certificate. How to get apostille for it in Singapore since I will be applying for spouse visa from Singapore

rb860322: Try your country's embassy!

(Edited to add: Please dont post the same message several times! I have removed the other one, since you already got a reply here. If in doubt, please read the forum rules!)

Dear all

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