Family in Germany — the complete map (2026)
Everything a South-Asian family needs in one place: the reunification visa, the spouse's A1 requirement, Kindergeld and Elterngeld money, and how Kita and school actually work.
The visa is step one. The life is steps two through ten.
Family and partner reasons are the #1 reason immigrants leave Germany. Usually not because the visa failed — because nobody explained the A1 exam, the Kindergeld, the Kita list, the school tracks. This is the map.
of emigrating immigrants name family/partner reasons — the #1 reason to leave
39%
A family that lands well stays. This pillar covers the four things that decide it: getting them here, the language requirement, the money you're entitled to, and childcare + school.
1 · Bring them here
The reunification visa (§§27–36a AufenthG) is a matrix: your permit type × which relative. A Blue Card holder bringing a spouse plays on easy mode (no A1, preferential processing); a student bringing the same spouse plays the hardest common case; subsidiary protection is legally suspended until 23 July 2027.
Read next: the step-by-step process guide — including why you must NOT apostille your documents.
2 · The A1 requirement
Most spouse visas require A1 German before the visa is issued — but spouses of Blue Card and §18a/§18b skilled-worker holders are exempt. If yours is required, the exam seat (Delhi, Mumbai, Karachi, Lahore, Dhaka) is the slowest thing you control.
Start here: the A1-for-the-visa track · deep dive: spouse visa A1 guide.
3 · The money
259 €
Kindergeld / child / month (2026)
until 18 — or 25 in education
65–100 %
Elterngeld replacement rate
of pre-birth net · 300–1,800 €/mo
12 + 2
Elterngeld months
2 extra only if the partner takes them
Model your own split in the Kindergeld & Elterngeld calculator, then read the Kindergeld guide and Mutterschutz & Elternzeit.
4 · Kita and school
You have an enforceable legal claim to a childcare place from age 1 — but what you pay ranges from 0 € (Berlin) to several hundred euros a month (Baden-Württemberg). School is compulsory (homeschooling is illegal), starts around age 6, and splits into tracks after Grundschule.
Know before you go
- Kita claim from age 1 is enforceable against the Jugendamt
- Kindergeld + Kinderzuschlag can stack to 556 €/child/month
- School is free, including for foreign-national kids — no residence-status condition
Common surprises
- "Free Kita" still charges food money (~23–80 €/month)
- Waitlists mean you apply for Kita during pregnancy, not after birth
- In Bayern the Grundschule's track recommendation is binding
Deep dives: the Kita system · the school system by Bundesland.
The order of operations
Check your reunification case
todayRun the navigator. If A1 is required, everything else waits on it.
Start A1 + gather documents in parallel
months 0–4Certificates, verification (not apostille!), fresh NADRA/BRIS documents timed to submission.
Apply via the Consular Services Portal
months 3–6Then the embassy wait: India ~2–6 months processing, Pakistan ~6–12, Bangladesh ~12–16.
Arrival month: Anmeldung → insurance → Kindergeld
week 1–4 in GermanyFamily GKV insurance is free for spouse + kids; Kindergeld application goes to the Familienkasse online.
Kita application (or during pregnancy)
ASAPLists are long everywhere. Apply to several, in writing, and keep proof — that's your Jugendamt leverage.
Last updated: 2026-07-20