Subsequent immigration of parents at a glance
As a foreign parent, you have the option of immigrating to join your child living in Germany on condition that the following requirements are met.
The child you wish to join (reference person) must not have reached the age of 18 at the time of application.
If the reference person is an unborn child, it must acquire German citizenship at birth.
If you wish to immigrate to join a foreign child in Germany, you must present a German residence permit for the child. If your child has not yet been issued a residence permit in Germany, it must at least have a German visa for long-term residence or have already submitted a visa application.
If your foreign child is in Germany on humanitarian grounds, with subsidiary protection status or on the basis of a hardship regulation, it is only possible for parents to join them if there is no parent with custody rights in Germany.
Parents and parents-in-law can immigrate to join the foreign child if the child has a residence permit as a skilled worker. The age of the child is irrelevant in this case. However, the child’s corresponding residence permit must not have been issued before 1 March 2024.
In principle, you will need a visa to enter Germany to join your family. Information regarding possible exemptions from the visa requirement can be found on the Website of the Federal Foreign Office.
Applications for subsequent immigration that are governed by the European law on the free movement of persons can currently not be submitted online via the Consular Services Portal. Please contact your relevant German Mission in these cases.
Please note:
Some German missions abroad work together with service providers to check applications. These service providers help to ensure that applications are processed quickly and smoothly and may charge a service fee for this. You will find out during the application process whether the German mission or consulate responsible for you works with a service provider and what service fee is charged.
Online application for the visa for subsequent immigration of parents
Register on the Consular Services Portal and apply online for your visa.
Visa for subsequent immigration of parents
With a German child as the reference person: The child must be under 18 years of age.
With an unborn child as the reference person: German citizenship will be acquired at birth.
In the case of a child with a residence permit on humanitarian grounds or a child entitled to subsidiary protection as a reference person: The child is a minor and is staying in Germany without a custodial parent.
If the reference person is a foreign child who is gainfully employed as a skilled worker in Germany: The child’s residence permit must not have been issued before 1 March 2024.
Further information regarding the application
Please provide proof of parenthood for your child by the corresponding details on the birth certificate. If you are not registered as a parent on the birth certificate, proof of parenthood must be provided by other official documents, such as an extract from the civil status register or an acknowledgement of paternity with the mother’s declaration of consent.
In the case of a minor child as a reference person, proof must be provided that you have custody of the child. The provisions on custody generally depend on your child’s habitual place of residence. If your child lives in Germany, custody is generally governed by German law. Otherwise, the custody provisions of the foreign habitual residence apply.
If there have been no changes in the child’s custodial circumstances since the child was born, you can usually prove custody rights by means of the child’s birth certificate, a marriage certificate, an extract from the civil status register, a civil status certificate or a joint declaration of custody by both parents. Otherwise, further evidence may be required, such as a divorce decree or a court decision on custody.
Still have questions?
Frequently asked questions and answers with more information on how to use the Consular Services Portal and the online application process can be found in our FAQ section. Take a look and see if you can find the answer to your question.
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