Family-reunification navigator — 2026

Bring your spouse, child, or parents to Germany

Your permit × your relative → the exact statutory requirements, the document checklist, and realistic embassy wait times for India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Educational self-check based on §§27–36a AufenthG — not legal advice.

Your situationdeine Angaben

Modedetail level

Your status in Germany (the sponsor)

Who do you want to bring?

They apply fromdrives embassy + document rules

A real route exists

Meet the requirements below and this is a standard, well-trodden visa category.

§30(1)1 Nr.3d/e + §29(5)

What you must show

Secure income

Required

Sponsor's income must cover the whole family's needs without recourse to public funds (Bürgergeld-level needs + housing + insurance) — §5(1)1 + §2(3). Kindergeld/Elterngeld count AS income (not 'public funds' in the harmful sense, §2(3) S.2). Rule of thumb: net income ≥ SGB-II need of household + warm rent.

Sufficient living space

Required

Rule of thumb: 12 m² per person aged 6+, 10 m² per child 2–6, children under 2 not counted; ~10 % shortfall tolerated.Your household → ≈ 24 m² (tolerated minimum ≈ 21.6 m²)

German A1 (spouse)

Exempt

No A1 certificate needed — §30(1) S.3 Nr.5. Blue Card = YES, exempt. §18a/§18b skilled workers = YES, exempt.

Health insurance

Required

Adequate health coverage for every incoming member (§5(1)1 via Lebensunterhalt definition §2(3)). Spouse/children of employees join statutory family insurance (Familienversicherung) free of charge → usually trivial. Parents (§36) CANNOT join Familienversicherung → private/incoming insurance needed (major practical blocker).

Minimum age

Required

Both spouses must be at least 18 years old.

Fine print for your case

Income + housing usually unproblematic at Blue-Card salaries.
⚠ Some ABHs apply the §29(5) waiver of Wohnraum for Blue Card families — mission practice varies (unverified).
Spouse gets immediate unrestricted work access (§27(5) — 'Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt' by law).
Priority processing at missions (family of skilled workers is a prioritized category).

Embassy reality — Pakistan

last checked 2026-07-19

Where + how to apply: Embassy Islamabad = ALL national visas; consulate Karachi does not process family-reunion national visas (⚠ verify current scope) — Since 2026-01-15 ONLY via Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de); old email/appointment waiting list discontinued
Appointment wait: Historically ~18 months via the old waiting list (⚠); CSP intended to shorten this — too new for reliable ranges
Processing after submission: ~6–12 months typical incl. verification
Document-verification fee: PKR 75,000 (embassy may demand it + second doc set after submission)

· Embassy leaflet: 'Processing time: several months'.
· Document verification is the main driver of the 6–12-month processing.

Don't apostille your documents — verify them

Do NOT buy an apostille for German use — German authorities reject apostilles from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (Germany formally objected to all three Apostille-Convention accessions, so the Convention does not apply). German-embassy legalisation is also suspended for all three. Budget for the authority-initiated verification fee and months of verification time instead.

Pakistan path: MOFA attestation + embassy-initiated field verification of NADRA/union-council records (marriage: NADRA marriage-registration certificate + Nikah Nama with certified translation; births: NADRA birth certificate).

Verification cost: PKR 75,000 embassy verification fee.

Document checklist

Passport (valid ≥ 3 months beyond visa) + 2 copies of data page
2 × application forms (now via Consular Services Portal https://digital.diplo.de/visa-fz) + 2 biometric photos (< 6 months)
Marriage certificate (attested/verified per country rules); for IN often + marriage registration extract
Birth certificates (children; Bangladesh: Government Form / online BRIS certificate)
Sponsor side: copy of passport + residence title, employment contract, last 3 payslips, Mietvertrag stating m², Meldebescheinigung, health-insurance confirmation covering the family
Fee: €75 national visa (children €37.50); + country verification fee where applicable
For §36(3) parents: proof of health insurance for the parents + kinship proof (verified birth certificates)

Keine Rechtsberatung — general information from official sources only, no individualized legal advice (RDG). Missions and Ausländerbehörden decide each case; for your specific situation consult a licensed Rechtsanwalt or an authorized Migrationsberatung.

Annahmen · Stand 2026

Rules encoded from the literal statute texts (§§27–36a AufenthG) plus the VwV-AufenthG 2.4.2 living-space rule of thumb (12 m² per person ≥ 6 y, 10 m² per child 2–6 y, ~10 % shortfall tolerated).
Subsidiary-protection reunification (§36a) is suspended 24 Jul 2025 – 23 Jul 2027 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 173).
§36(3) parents-of-skilled-workers route re-confirmed in force, but the 2025 coalition agreement announced the intent to abolish it — apply early if you qualify.
Embassy wait times are honest ranges from official mission notices — volatile; each card shows its last-checked date.
Germany rejects apostilles from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (formal objections) — the only accepted path is authority-initiated document verification.

Quellen: AufenthG §§27–36a · VwV-AufenthG · Consular Services Portal · HCCH status table — zuletzt geprüft 2026-07-19. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr.

Information about German law — not legal advice. This page summarizes publicly available rules from official sources such as Make-it-in-Germany, BAMF, and state portals. Rules change frequently; thresholds, fees, and documents may differ by embassy, state, or case. This is not individualized legal advice within the meaning of the German Rechtsdienstleistungsgesetz (RDG). For advice on your specific situation, consult a licensed Rechtsanwalt or an authorized Migrationsberatung service. GermanDost accepts no liability for decisions you make based on this content.

Last updated: 2026-07-19

Your exact scenario travels in the link.

Family-reunification navigator — 2026

Bring your spouse, child, or parents to Germany

Your situationdeine Angaben

Modedetail level

Your status in Germany (the sponsor)

Who do you want to bring?

They apply fromdrives embassy + document rules

A real route exists

Meet the requirements below and this is a standard, well-trodden visa category.

§30(1)1 Nr.3d/e + §29(5)

What you must show

Secure income

Required

Sufficient living space

Required

Rule of thumb: 12 m² per person aged 6+, 10 m² per child 2–6, children under 2 not counted; ~10 % shortfall tolerated.Your household → ≈ 24 m² (tolerated minimum ≈ 21.6 m²)

German A1 (spouse)

Exempt

No A1 certificate needed — §30(1) S.3 Nr.5. Blue Card = YES, exempt. §18a/§18b skilled workers = YES, exempt.

Health insurance

Required

Minimum age

Required

Both spouses must be at least 18 years old.

Fine print for your case

Income + housing usually unproblematic at Blue-Card salaries.
⚠ Some ABHs apply the §29(5) waiver of Wohnraum for Blue Card families — mission practice varies (unverified).
Spouse gets immediate unrestricted work access (§27(5) — 'Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt' by law).
Priority processing at missions (family of skilled workers is a prioritized category).

Embassy reality — Pakistan

last checked 2026-07-19

Where + how to apply: Embassy Islamabad = ALL national visas; consulate Karachi does not process family-reunion national visas (⚠ verify current scope) — Since 2026-01-15 ONLY via Consular Services Portal (digital.diplo.de); old email/appointment waiting list discontinued
Appointment wait: Historically ~18 months via the old waiting list (⚠); CSP intended to shorten this — too new for reliable ranges
Processing after submission: ~6–12 months typical incl. verification
Document-verification fee: PKR 75,000 (embassy may demand it + second doc set after submission)

· Embassy leaflet: 'Processing time: several months'.
· Document verification is the main driver of the 6–12-month processing.

Don't apostille your documents — verify them

Verification cost: PKR 75,000 embassy verification fee.

Document checklist

Passport (valid ≥ 3 months beyond visa) + 2 copies of data page
2 × application forms (now via Consular Services Portal https://digital.diplo.de/visa-fz) + 2 biometric photos (< 6 months)
Marriage certificate (attested/verified per country rules); for IN often + marriage registration extract
Birth certificates (children; Bangladesh: Government Form / online BRIS certificate)
Sponsor side: copy of passport + residence title, employment contract, last 3 payslips, Mietvertrag stating m², Meldebescheinigung, health-insurance confirmation covering the family
Fee: €75 national visa (children €37.50); + country verification fee where applicable
For §36(3) parents: proof of health insurance for the parents + kinship proof (verified birth certificates)

Annahmen · Stand 2026

Rules encoded from the literal statute texts (§§27–36a AufenthG) plus the VwV-AufenthG 2.4.2 living-space rule of thumb (12 m² per person ≥ 6 y, 10 m² per child 2–6 y, ~10 % shortfall tolerated).
Subsidiary-protection reunification (§36a) is suspended 24 Jul 2025 – 23 Jul 2027 (BGBl. 2025 I Nr. 173).
§36(3) parents-of-skilled-workers route re-confirmed in force, but the 2025 coalition agreement announced the intent to abolish it — apply early if you qualify.
Embassy wait times are honest ranges from official mission notices — volatile; each card shows its last-checked date.
Germany rejects apostilles from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh (formal objections) — the only accepted path is authority-initiated document verification.

Quellen: AufenthG §§27–36a · VwV-AufenthG · Consular Services Portal · HCCH status table — zuletzt geprüft 2026-07-19. Alle Angaben ohne Gewähr.

Last updated: 2026-07-19

Your exact scenario travels in the link.