Last checked against the official sources: 29 August 2026
The question is always asked the same way — “how long does family reunification take?” — but the number you are looking for does not exist in the statute at all. Section 30 of the Residence Act sets no decision deadline. The only real figures are the ones each embassy publishes itself, and they are waiting times for an appointment, not decision times — and the difference between the two is months.
What the missions actually publish
- Tunis — family reunification
- About 9 months for an appointment.
- Tunis — gainful employment
- About 12 months, including au pair, voluntary social year and vocational training.
- Tunis — study or language course
- ⚠️ Two official pages give 6 months and 9 months — we do not favour one; treat it as a range.
- Algiers — family reunification
- Up to 7 months for an appointment.
- Algiers — national visas generally
- About 10 months.
- What these numbers are
- All of them are waiting times for an appointment, published by the missions themselves and subject to change.
Three different durations that everyone conflates
First: waiting for an appointment. The longest of the three, and the only one the missions publish. It starts when you register in the appointment system and ends on the day you attend.
Second: examination of the application after filing. It starts on the day you hand in the file and ends with the decision. Most missions do not publish it, because it depends on your file being complete and on the approval of the foreigners’ office in Germany.
Third: the German foreigners’ office approval. In many reunification files the papers are referred to the foreigners’ office in the sponsor’s German city, and its speed is not the embassy’s business at all.
When someone says “my file took a year”, they are usually adding all three together. When an embassy publishes “9 months”, it is talking about the first alone.
How to actually shorten it
- Register for an appointment before your file is completeThis is the single most important step. The appointment queue runs in parallel with preparing your papers, so every day you delay registering is a day added to the nine months. Do not wait until you have everything.
- Register one appointment per personIn family reunification a separate appointment is needed for every applicant including children — the Algiers embassy states this expressly. A family of four needs four registrations, not one.
- Start the translations earlyThe certified translation and the language certificate are the two longest items in the preparation, and neither depends on the embassy. Begin with them, not with them last.
- Attend with a complete file the first timeAn incomplete file usually means a whole new waiting cycle rather than a delay of days. And since remonstration was abolished in July 2025, correcting a refusal is far harder.
- Do not ask for an expedited appointmentThe Tunis embassy states literally that no special appointment can be booked and that questions about expediting are not answered. The time spent asking is better spent completing the file.
- Follow up through the sponsor in GermanyIf your file is referred to the foreigners’ office, your relative in Germany is the one who can chase it there — a link many people neglect, and the one that lengthens files for no reason.
Why we do not give you one number: there is no one number. The duration differs by mission, by visa category and by the volume of applications that month, and every mission publishes and changes its own figures. Any article that gives you “the duration in Germany” as a single number is inventing it. Read the figure from the page of the mission competent for you, today — and do not build a financial or professional commitment on an appointment you have not received.
Official sources
Published waiting times — German Embassy Tunis · Reunification waiting time — German Embassy Algiers · Section 30 AufenthG
Please note: this page is general guidance, not legal advice. Reunification cases are assessed individually — consult a lawyer specialising in immigration law or a migration advice centre before any decision concerning your family.
Frequently asked questions
How long does family reunification in Germany take?
The statute sets no period. The only real figures are published by the missions: about nine months in Tunis and up to seven months in Algiers — and all of them are waiting times for an appointment, not decision times.
What is the difference between the appointment wait and the examination?
The appointment wait starts when you register and ends on the day you attend, and that is what missions publish. The examination starts when you hand in the file and ends with the decision, and it depends on your file being complete and on the German foreigners’ office.
Should I wait until my documents are ready before booking?
No — and this is the mistake that lengthens files most. The appointment queue runs in parallel with preparing the papers, so register first and prepare afterwards.
Is one appointment enough for the whole family?
No. The Algiers embassy states expressly that family reunification requires a separate appointment for every applicant, children included.
Can the appointment be expedited?
No. The Tunis embassy states that no special appointment can be booked and that questions about expediting are not answered. Any offer of an expedited appointment for money is a sale of something the seller does not own.
Why does the duration differ between countries?
Because each mission runs its own queue with a different volume of applications and different resources. That is why one person’s experience in one country does not transfer to another.