Certified translation › Family reunion visa
Family reunion visa translation for the spousal permit in Germany.
Family reunion visa translation is C$95 per document, prepared by a sworn, court-authorised German translator for a Familiennachzug application under §§27–36 AufenthG. The German mission abroad and the Ausländerbehörde need marriage, birth and identity records as certified German translations. This guide lists the required documents and who is exempt from the pre-entry A1 rule under §41 AufenthV. Fixed price includes certification and shipping.
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§§27–36 AufenthG · marriage & birth certificates · A1 exemption for many nationalities · court-authorised translators · DIN EN ISO 17100
Family Reunion Visa translation
What the mission needs in certified German (§§ 27–36 AufenthG) — for Germany
For a family reunion visa (Familiennachzug) the German mission abroad and the immigration authority require certified German translations of the documents that prove the family relationship — above all the marriage certificate and each person's birth certificate, plus passports and, for a spouse who is not exempt under § 41 AufenthV, proof of A1 German. These sit alongside the sponsor's residence and income papers on the German side.
Family reunification is governed by Sections 27 to 36 of the Residence Act (AufenthG). Spouse reunification (Section 30) usually requires the joining spouse to show basic German at level A1 before the visa — but Section 30(1) AufenthG exempts spouses who are nationals of a state listed in Section 41 AufenthV, which names Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States by name, among others. If that applies to you, there is nothing to prove: skip the Goethe-Zertifikat A1: Start Deutsch 1 and go straight to the certified translations. Where the requirement does apply, a certified translation never replaces that language proof — it makes your civil-status documents acceptable either way. This guide sets out both sides.
Step by step
How a Familiennachzug application runs: mission first, Ausländerbehörde after.
The visa is applied for at the German mission in your home country, then confirmed by the immigration authority in Germany. Certified translations are needed at the first step.
Your sponsor's residence title, housing and income
Your relative in Germany must hold a qualifying residence title and, for most categories under §§27–36 AufenthG, show adequate housing and secure livelihood.
A1 German for spouses — and who is exempt under § 41 AufenthV
For spouse reunification (§30) the joining spouse usually proves basic German at A1 before the visa — unless they are a national of a § 41 AufenthV-listed state (Australia, Canada, UK and USA among others), who are exempt. Where it applies, a recognised certificate such as Start Deutsch 1 is the usual proof.
Certified translations by a court-authorised translator
Marriage and birth certificates and related documents are translated into German by a court-authorised translator, with certification note and stamp.
Filing at the German embassy or consulate
You book an appointment at the German embassy or consulate, submit the originals with certified translations, and the immigration authority in Germany decides.
Who counts as family under §§ 27–36 AufenthG?
Primarily spouses (§30), minor children (§32) and, in defined cases, parents of a minor or other relatives in hardship (§§28, 36). Registered partnerships are treated alike. Each person joining needs their own certified civil-status documents; we translate a family set together so names, dates and places match across every certificate.
Documents we translate into German
The checklist: marriage record, birth records, custody papers, passports.
The mission's checklist is decisive, but these are the documents almost every family reunion file contains. Each foreign-language item needs a certified German translation; each is linked to the page that handles it.
| Document | Why the mission needs it | Handled by |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage certificate | Proof of the spousal relationship (§30 AufenthG) | Certified translation |
| Birth certificate (each person) | Identity, parentage, child reunification (§32) | Birth certificate guide · certified translation |
| A1 German certificate (spouse, where required) | Basic language requirement before the visa (§30) — nationals of a § 41 AufenthV-listed state (Australia, Canada, UK, USA among others) are exempt | Certified translation if not in German/English |
| Certificate of no impediment / single status | Capacity to marry, where the marriage is recent | Certified translation |
| Custody / sole-custody documents | Consent of the other parent for a child to join | Legal translation |
| Divorce decree / death certificate (if any) | Prior civil status, name history | Legal · certified |
| Passports & national ID | Identity and the reference spelling of names | Certified translation |
Certified German translation
Apostille, legalisation, or Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 — who stamps what.
Very often — and it is the step applicants underestimate most. German missions usually require the marriage and birth certificates to be authenticated so their genuineness is established. For countries in the Hague system this is an apostille, issued only by the competent authority in the issuing country — never by a translation agency. termbase does not issue apostilles; we translate the document and the apostille once you obtain it.
For a number of countries the German mission instead requires full legalisation, sometimes after a document-verification procedure — the embassy will state which. If a document comes from another EU state, Regulation (EU) 2016/1191 may remove the apostille and offer a multilingual standard form. Always follow the checklist of the specific German mission you apply to — requirements differ by country.
Languages we translate into and from German
The languages our translators work from on a reunification file.
Family reunion is one of the most common routes to Germany, and the documents arrive from a recognisable set of origin countries. termbase assigns a native-speaker, court-authorised translator for each — and German ⇄ English besides.
Middle East — Arabic, Persian, Kurdish, Turkish
- Arabic (Syria, Iraq, Lebanon)
- Persian / Dari
- Kurdish
- Turkish
South and South-East Asia — Hindi, Urdu, Vietnamese, Tagalog
- Hindi
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
- Tagalog
Eastern Europe — Ukrainian, Russian, Serbian, Albanian
- Ukrainian
- Russian
- Serbian
- Albanian
Africa — Somali, Amharic, Swahili
- Somali
- Amharic
- Swahili
- Certified German ⇄ English translation
Common pitfalls
Five recurring faults that send a spousal or child visa file back.
Because two authorities and a foreign document trail are involved, family reunion files are unusually sensitive to inconsistency. These are the recurring translation problems and how a certified, court-authorised translation prevents them.
| Pitfall | Why it goes wrong | How termbase solves it |
|---|---|---|
| Names differ between spouses' documents | The marriage certificate and the two birth certificates spell a name three ways, so the mission cannot confirm the relationship. | We translate the family set as one project with a single passport-matched spelling for each person. |
| Certificate not authenticated | A flawless translation is filed but the underlying marriage or birth certificate carries no apostille or legalisation. | We flag the authentication route for your country in advance and translate the apostille once added. |
| A1 exemption missed | Applicants assume A1 always applies and book a course they never needed — or assume the opposite when it does apply. §30 AufenthG exempts nationals of a § 41 AufenthV-listed state (Australia, Canada, UK, USA among others). | We check whether the exemption applies to you before you book a language course, and translate the A1 certificate if the mission still needs it in German. |
| Only part of the document translated | Back pages, stamps or registrar notes are omitted; the mission cannot verify dates or places. | The complete document — stamps, seals, notes — is rendered or described so nothing is missing. |
| Wrong target country / form | A translation is prepared for the wrong authority, in the wrong direction or form of certification. | We confirm the receiving German mission and immigration authority and set the correct German certified form. |
Read your embassy's checklist before you order anything
Family reunion requirements differ markedly by country of application. Before you order translations or authentication, download the checklist of the exact German embassy or consulate you will apply to — it is the single document that governs your file.
A reunion file lives or dies at the embassy counter, not in the inbox.
So: authenticated certificates, one spelling of every name, and the § 41 AufenthV exemption checked before anyone books a language course.
What a German translation costs
What does a translated family set cost?
We review your marriage and birth certificates, the languages and any custody or status documents and name a binding fixed price for the whole family set. Personal certificates are usually a flat fee per document; longer texts are per standard line — certification, an advance PDF and postal delivery included.
| Certified translation by a court-authorised translator | ✓included |
| Certification note, stamp and signature (recognised nationwide) | ✓included |
| Passport-matched spelling of names | ✓included |
| Advance PDF & postal delivery of the hard copy | ✓included |
| Quality management & final check | ✓included |
Standard civil-status certificates are usually a flat fee per document; longer documents are priced per standard line (55 characters incl. spaces), from C$1.45. We name the exact amount after a brief review. How the price is made up →
Sources & legal basis
The statutes and federal portals behind this guide.
Every legal and procedural claim on this page is tied to a primary, verifiable source — German law in its official English translation, the responsible federal authorities and the relevant EU/Hague instruments. Acceptance of any individual document is always decided by the receiving authority.
FAQ
Questions spouses and parents ask before they file.
Which documents need a certified translation for a family reunion visa?
Do I need A1 German for spouse reunification?
Who can I bring to Germany under family reunification?
Does the marriage certificate need an apostille?
Where do I submit the documents and translations?
How much does translating the family reunion documents cost?
We had already booked an A1 German course for the spouse visa. It turned out that New Zealanders are in the group that does not have to provide that proof at all, and termbase flagged it before we translated a single page. The marriage and birth certificates went in; the language certificate did not have to.
Claire Thomsen · veterinary surgeon, Christchurch (New Zealand) · spouse reunion file
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Next: marriage records, birth records, naturalisation papers.
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