Welcome
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 commissioner of oath or any EU member state or any German mission overseas.
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 USD cash only. Please bring small USD bills. 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.
Complete the online application form (application forms are required for each applicant separately; all children require separate forms).
Bring one signed copy of the 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 one 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.
Non-Zimbabweans - please bring your valid Zimbabwean residence permit and 1 photocopy to your appointment.
Birth certificate of the child
If issued outside Germany, the EU or the UK, documents need to be legalised or apostilled as applicable. Zimbabwean documents need to be certified by the Zimbabwean Foreign Ministry and then legalised by the German Embassy.
Any document in a language other than German or English needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.
Plus: 1 photocopy of the certificate and (if applicable) the translation
Proof of custody of the child (e.g. marriage certificate, declaration of custody, court decision, death certificate of other parent, etc.)
1 copy of the passport of the parent in Germany
- If family member is a German citizen, copies of the identification card may be presented instead of the passport
- If family member is not a German citizen, include copies of the residence permit for Germany
If parent is already a resident in Germany: 1 photocopy of confirmation of parent’s registration (Anmeldebestätigung or Meldebescheinigung)
Please present lease contract or hotel reservation for the first 6 month
Proof of German language skills (NOT applicable for children under the age of 16 years)
For Children from 16 to 18 years a minimum level C1 in accordance with the European Framework for Languages (e. g. certificate of Goethe Institute) is mandatory
Application via the Online Portal
You can apply for the visa online via the online portal of the Federal Foreign Office. After you have filled out the application and uploaded the documents, your information and documents will be checked for completeness and any questions will be clarified with you directly via the portal. Once all documents have been checked online, you will receive an invitation link to book an appointment via the portal.
At the subsequent appointment at the Embassy in Harare, only your identity will be checked, your biometric data (fingerprints and photo) will be recorded and the fee will be paid.