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Joining a parent or both parents as a minor (unmarried)
This visa enables you to travel to Germany and apply to the local immigration office (“Ausländerbehörde”) for a residence permit in order to join your parent/s.
General information
This information is designed to cover a wide range of individual and different cases and is therefore provided as a guideline only. Particularly in the case of children joining parents, the law provides for a multitude of different requirements depending on a number of criteria such as age, German language skills as well as current and previous custody Arrangements.
Applications for a minor must be filed by all parents/ guardians. The minor and all parents and guardians need to be present for the application. Should one or both parent/s and/ or guardian/s be unavailable/ overseas at the time of application we will require a “declaration of consent”, notarised by a notary public in Qatar or any EU member state or any German mission overseas. A notarisation by a foreign Notary Public might be sufficient in some cases.
The following is a rudimentary standard list of requirements for an expat family with children under the age of 16 years relocating together to Germany.
Processing period
The processing period may take 2-3 months. During the processing period you cannot inquire about the status of your application. Upon expiry of the processing period only the applicant, his/her legal representative or persons holding an authorization letter from the applicant may inquire about the status of the visas.
Fees
The fee is 75,00 €, payable in QAR cash or by international credit card in Euro (Mastercard, Visa). Euro cash, checks or debit cards are not accepted. The application form can be downloaded for free.
Necessary documents
Please bring the following documents in the mentioned order to your appointment at the Embassy. Additional documents may in some cases be requested. Documents sent in advance will not be archived.
Please complete the online application form (application forms are required for each applicant separately; all children require separate forms) and bring the printed and signed form including the barcodes to your appointment.
A valid passport signed by the holder, issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least one year is necessary. The passport needs to have at least 2 subsequent blank pages. Please bring 1 photocopy of the passport biodata page to your appointment.
1 fully biometric passport photo, 35 x 45 mm, no older than three months. Digitally altered passport photos cannot be accepted. Please ensure that your photo adheres to German biometric requirements and is taken in front of a white/bright background.
Bring your valid Qatar residence permit (QID) and 1 photocopy to your appointment.
Birth certificate of the child (original and photocopy)
If issued outside Germany, the EU or Qatar, documents have to be legalised or apostilled as applicable.
Any document in a language other than German, English or French must to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.
Proof of custody of the child (e.g. marriage certificate, declaration of custody, court decision, death certificate of a parent, etc.)
A passport copy of the parent living in Germany
- If the family member is a German citizen, a copy of the ID may be provided instead
- If the family member is not a German citizen, a copy of the residence permit must be provided
Proof of German language skills (NOT applicable for children under the age of 16 years)
For Children 16 years and older a minimum level C1 in accordance with the European Framework for Languages (e. g. certificate of Goethe Institute) is mandatory
Please present lease contract or hotel reservation for the first 6 months of stay in Germany
Proof of financial means of parent in Germany (e.g. salary certificate, bank statement, employment contract)
Not applicable for children of German citizens as well as recognized refugees in Germany
Children of EU citizens may present the employment contract of the parent, a salary certificate is not required
Book an appointment
Please use our online appointment booking system. Booking via telephone or email is not possible. At the appointment, you will submit all required documents and pay the visa processing fee. You will be interviewed with regard to your planned stay in Germany and your biometric data (passport photograph and fingerprints) will be collected.