The complete reunification document list: each paper and the fact it proves

Last checked against the official sources: 29 August 2026

The document lists circulating online are copied from site to site without a source. The sounder way is to read them backwards: the statute requires facts, and a paper is only a means of proving one. Whoever understands which fact each paper proves knows what to do when that paper is not available in the expected form.

The papers, ordered by the fact each one proves

To prove the marriage: the marriage certificate, in sworn translation, legalised in the form your competent mission requires. Missions differ in what they accept, and the right course is to ask yours rather than reason from someone else’s.

To prove identity and nationality: a valid passport, a birth certificate, and whichever civil-status extracts the mission asks for. Section 5 does not prescribe a particular paper — it requires that identity be clarified, which is why additional documents are sometimes requested in some countries.

To prove livelihood: the employment contract and payslips of the person in Germany, or their equivalent. Remember that this requirement falls away entirely on certain routes, so do not exhaust yourself on it before you know which route is yours.

To prove language: a certificate from a recognised institute — unless you fall within the seven exemptions, the broadest being your relative’s EU Blue Card or one of the skilled-worker permits.

To prove accommodation: the tenancy agreement and the size of the dwelling. This requirement falls away for the family of a Blue Card holder under Section 29(5).

The children’s paper everyone forgets: the consent declaration

Where custody is joint and the child travels to only one parent, Section 32(3) provides that the permit should be granted where the other parent has declared their consent to the child living in Germany, or a legally binding decision of a competent body exists.

This is the single paper that most often delays a children’s file, because it is the only one issued not by an authority but by a person — who may be distant or uncooperative. Start with it, not with anything else.

And one age condition gets overlooked: a child who has turned 16 and does not move together with both parents must master German or appear assured of integrating on the strength of their education and circumstances so far. That condition has express exceptions — among them that a parent holds an EU Blue Card or one of the skilled-worker and researcher permits, and that they held one immediately before receiving a settlement permit.

The procedural trap: the deadline that voids your paper

Section 82 of the Residence Act places the duty to produce evidence without undue delay on you, not on the authority. It allows the authority to set a reasonable deadline. Then comes the sentence most people do not know: circumstances asserted and evidence produced after the deadline may be disregarded.

So a correct paper submitted late may simply not be read. In practice that makes the deadline date more important than the content of the paper itself. And if the foreigners authority suspends processing because of missing or incomplete particulars, it is obliged to set such a deadline and to name the particulars still needed — so ask for that in writing if it does not reach you.

The same provision obliges you, on request, to supply a current photograph and to cooperate in the taking of fingerprints. These are not optional courtesies but stated duties.

The right order of assembly

1. Start with what does not depend on you: the other parent’s consentIf the file involves children under joint custody, this is the longest and hardest paper, and the only one issued by a person rather than a body.
2. Then the language certificate — after checking you are not exemptSection 30 lists seven exemptions, the broadest being the Blue Card and the skilled-worker permits. Do not pay an exam fee before reading them.
3. Then sworn translations and legalisationsAsk your competent mission which form of legalisation it accepts specifically — missions differ.
4. State everything material in the visa application itselfSection 5(2) requires the material particulars to have been given in the visa application. An omission there is hard to repair later.
5. Diarise every deadline you receiveAnything after the deadline may be disregarded. And if your application is suspended for incompleteness, you are entitled to have the missing particulars named and a deadline set.
6. Keep a complete copy of everything you hand inSince remonstration was abolished in July 2025, the route to correcting a refusal is judicial — and a court starts from the papers, not from memory.

Frequently asked questions

Which documents are required for family reunification?

The statute lists facts, not papers: secured livelihood, clarified identity and nationality, no expulsion interest, and a valid passport. The usual documents — marriage certificate, birth certificates, employment contract, tenancy agreement, language certificate — are means of proving those facts, and some fall away depending on your route.

Is a national identity card enough instead of a passport?

No. Section 5 requires the passport obligation under Section 3 to be met.

My child is under joint custody — what extra paper is needed?

A declaration by the other parent consenting to the child living in Germany, or a legally binding decision of a competent body. Section 32(3) provides that the permit should then be granted even for reunification with a single parent.

My daughter is over 16 — does anything change?

Yes. A child who has turned 16 and does not move together with both parents must master German or appear assured of integrating. There are exceptions, among them a parent holding an EU Blue Card or one of the skilled-worker and researcher permits.

What happens if I submit a document late?

Section 82 allows circumstances and evidence submitted after the set deadline to be disregarded. A correct but late paper may simply not be read, so the date matters as much as the content.

Must I state everything in the visa application?

Yes. Section 5(2) requires the material particulars to have been stated in the visa application itself, alongside entry on the correct visa.

Are a photograph and fingerprints required?

Yes. Section 82 states the duty, on request, to supply a current photograph and to cooperate in the taking of fingerprints.