• You are a citizen of a country outside the EU or the EEA.
• You are the spouse or partner of a German citizen.
• You and your spouse or partner are at least 18 years of age.
• Your German spouse or partner has his habitual residence in Germany (i.e. his or her centre of life is not only temporarily in Germany).
• Your marriage/civil partnership with the German citizen has been validly concluded and still exists.

Please note: The validity of the marriage depends on the form specified at the place of the marriage and the conditions for the marriage there. The marriage ceases to exist if it has been dissolved, annulled or declared invalid by a final decision of a competent body.

• You have a family cohabitation with your spouse/partner (e.g. shared apartment). If there is no cohabitation in a common apartment, the assumption of a family cohabitation is considered if you maintain regular contact with each other that goes beyond mere visits.
• You can communicate at least in a simple way in German (level A1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). This can be waived if there are no German courses offered in your country of origin, they are too expensive or you cannot attend them for other reasons.

Please note: under certain circumstances, the Foreigners' Registration Office may oblige you to participate in an integration course. This will then be noted on your residence permit.

• There is no interest in expulsion against you.

Your stay does not endanger or impair the interests of the Federal Republic of Germany.

• As a rule, securing one's livelihood is refrained from in the case of family reunification with Germans.
• A residence permit is excluded if the marriage or civil partnership was forced or has only been entered into for the purpose of reunification to Germany.
• If plural marriage is permitted in the country of origin, only the spouse or partner of the first marriage is entitled to join him.
• The procedure at the Foreigners' Registration Office is usually carried out in German.
• All information provided to the Foreigners' Registration Office should be correct and complete to the best of our knowledge and belief so that the request can be processed without major delays.
• Incorrect or incomplete information can slow down the procedure and be detrimental to those affected. In an emergency, incorrect or incomplete information that is not completed or corrected in time vis-à-vis the immigration authority may result in the withdrawal of residence rights already granted, a fine, imprisonment of up to three years or expulsion from the federal territory.
• Due to the complexity of the right of residence, this description is for information purposes only and is not legally binding.