General information

Members of an EU national’s family are in principle entitled to immigrate to Germany.

Spouses or registered partners

If your spouse or registered partner is an EU, EEA or Swiss national, you can immigrate to Germany to join them. If your partner is not working (because they are a student or pensioner, for example), adequate health insurance cover and an adequate livelihood is required. These resources do not need to originate from the EU national - they may equally be provided by the partner immigrating to Germany, or may originate from another source.

Please note: The term “EU spouse/ partner” does not apply to spouses/ partners who (also) hold German (!) nationality.

For further information on the requirements that need to be fullfilled for other family members of EU nationals to immigrate to Germany, please visit this website.

Visa required?

Japanese citizens may apply at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for their residence permit after arrival in Germany and without having obtained a visa prior to travelling to Germany.

 Citizens of the following countries also do not require a visa before entering Germany: Andorra, Australia, Brazil, Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Israel, New Zealand, Korea (Republic), Monaco, San Marino, Great Britain and the United States of America. 

 Nationals of countries other than those listed above require a visa prior to travelling to Germany.

Please note that you need to register your new residence (Anmeldung) at the local registration office (Meldebehörde) within 2 weeks of having moved to Germany and apply at the local immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) for your residence permit within the first 90 days of your stay in Germany.

We strongly recommend contacting the local immigration office as soon as possible after your arrival in Germany in order to secure a timely appointment. 

How to apply for your visa:

Complete the online application form: print one copy of the form including the barcodes and sign the application form (separate application forms are required for each applicant; all children require separate forms).

Prepare  the following supporting documents:

• One printout of the online application form including barcodes (as mentioned before)
• Valid passport signed by the holder, issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least 3 months beyond the validity of the visa applied for. The passport needs to have at least 2 subsequent blank pages.
  Plus: one photocopy of the passport biodata page
• If applicable: Japanese Residence card (foreign residents only).
  For Japanese citizens: proof of residence (for example water/energy invoice with your name, address)
  Plus: one photocopy of the permit/ visa
• 1 fully biometric passport photo, 35 x 45 mm, not 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.
• Original marriage/ civil/ registered partnership certificate 
  If issued outside Germany, the EU the marriage certificate  needs be legalised or apostilled as applicable.
  Any document in a language other than German, English or French needs to be translated into one of these languages by a certified or sworn translator.
  Plus: one photocopy of the certificate and (if applicable) the translation
• Original or certified copy of EU/ EEA/ Swiss passport or National ID card of spouse/ partner (passport: biodata page only)
  Plus: one photocopy of the passport biodata page or ID card
• Work contract and pay slips of the last three months of your spouse / partner or alternatively proof of  adequate health insurance cover and adequate livelihood
  Plus: one photocopy
• If spouse/ partner is already resident in Germany:
  one photocopy of  the spouse’s/partner’s certificate of registration (Anmeldebestätigung / Meldebescheinigung)
• If your spouse/partner is not yet (registered) in Germany and/or you will move to Germany together, please provide an informal letter of your spouse /partner confirming that you both will enter Germany together and the reason for moving to Germany, including information on how your future livelyhood will be met (e.g. work, funds, etc.)
  Original letter with original signature of your spouse/partner.
• Return envelope   
  For applicants at the Germany Embassy in Tokyo: Letterpack PLUS (600 yen) – self addressed; Currently, only the return of the passport by post is possible.
  For applicants at the German Consulate General in Osaka-Kobe: If you wish to receive your passport in return by mail, you can return it by takkyubin cash on delivery. In this case, please enclose a self-addressed return DIN A4 envelope.

​​​​Book an appointment to apply for your visa at the German Mission having jurisdiction for your place of residence.

The visa is issued free of charge.

Processing time: For this visa category, the average processing time is two weeks – if all necessary documents are submitted.

Note: Please understand that we cannot respond to questions regarding the status of your visa application. We will contact you if questions pertaining to your application arise or if additional documents are needed.