German spouse visa for Iranian nationals
What this visa is
If you are an Iranian national married to a German citizen, you can join them in Germany under the family reunification route in section 28 of the Residence Act. You need a national visa before you travel. Once your residence permit is granted, you can live and work in Germany without restriction. Procedures in this guide are as at September 2026.
The German Embassy in Tehran has operated in restricted mode since the events of June 2025. Its notice of 9 March 2026 states that the visa section and the legal and consular section are working with significant staffing and technical limits. How and where your application is taken depends on that, so this guide covers it in its own section.
If your spouse lives in Germany but is not a German citizen, a different section of the law applies. That route is covered further down.
Who can apply
You can apply if you are legally married to a German citizen. Both of you must be at least 18. Your marriage must be registered in Iran or in the country where it took place.
Who can sponsor
Your spouse must be a German citizen. Section 28(1) of the Residence Act waives the secure livelihood test that applies to most other family reunification routes, so your spouse does not normally have to show a minimum income to sponsor you. Your spouse does need to show adequate housing for both of you in Germany.
You need a visa before you travel
Iran is not on the list of nationalities that can enter Germany without a visa and apply for the residence permit after arrival. You must apply for the D visa before you travel.
If you have lived in Iran for at least six months, the Embassy in Tehran is responsible for your application. Your application goes to the Ausländerbehörde for your intended German address for approval, and the visa can only be issued once that authority has agreed.
How the Tehran Embassy is handling applications
If you live in Iran, you register for a family reunion appointment in the Embassy’s own appointment system. The TLScontact visa centre is not used for this category. The waiting list is worked through in order of registration, so use an email address you check regularly.
Once an appointment can be offered, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) contacts you. It confirms, case by case, which German mission you will attend.
The Embassy asks applicants not to travel to neighbouring countries to apply unless they have been told to. A mission that is not responsible for you rejects the application for lack of jurisdiction. The Embassy also asks applicants not to phone or email about the progress of their case.
If you have lived in Armenia for at least six months with an Armenian residence card, you can apply at the German Embassy in Yerevan instead.
Legalising Iranian documents
Iran is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, so Iranian documents for use in Germany are legalised by the German Embassy in Tehran.
Before legalisation, the document must be translated by a translator on the list kept by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It must then be certified by Iran’s Ministry of Justice and by the legalisation department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These certifications must be no older than one year. To legalise a marriage certificate, you must also present the original Shenasnameh of both spouses.
Legalisation appointments are booked through TLScontact. As at September 2026, the charge is 30 euros per document to the Embassy plus 10 euros per document to TLScontact. TLScontact also takes a refundable reservation deposit of 15,000,000 rials to hold a place on the waiting list.
The German language requirement
As the spouse of a German national, you must show basic German at A1 level when you apply.
Exemptions exist regardless of nationality. You do not need the certificate if your German is obvious at the appointment. Nor do you need it if an illness or disability means you cannot learn German. The same applies if particular circumstances make it impossible or unreasonable for you to learn German before you travel. You need evidence for any exemption you claim.
Documents you need
Confirm the current checklist with the mission you are sent to. In general you need the completed application form, your valid passport, biometric passport photos and your legalised marriage certificate with translation. You also need your spouse’s German passport or ID card and evidence of their address in Germany. Add your A1 certificate or evidence of an exemption, and divorce or death certificates for any previous marriage.
Costs and processing times
The national visa fee is 75 euros for adults. German missions in several countries, including Pakistan, Kosovo and Nigeria, waive the fee for spouses of German citizens, so ask the mission handling your case whether the waiver applies.
Processing time depends on how long you wait for an appointment, and the Embassy gives no fixed estimate while it is in restricted mode. At the Embassy in Yerevan, standard processing is about 6 to 14 weeks from submission. Once you are in Germany, the Ausländerbehörde charges a separate fee to issue the residence permit.
After you arrive
Register your address at the local residents’ registration office within the deadline your city sets. Then apply for your residence permit at the Ausländerbehörde before your visa expires. Once the permit is issued, you can work in Germany without a separate work permit.
Settlement permit after three years
Section 28(2) of the Residence Act entitles you to a settlement permit, an unlimited residence title, once you have held the residence permit for three years. Your family life with your German spouse must continue in Germany, there must be no ground for your expulsion, and you need German at B1 level.
If your spouse is not a German citizen
If your spouse lives in Germany but is not a German citizen, for example an Iranian national with a German residence permit, you apply under section 30 of the Residence Act. The registration process and legalisation rules are the same, but four rules differ.
Your spouse must hold a residence permit, settlement permit or EU Blue Card. They must show enough income to support you both without public benefits, plus health insurance. The income waiver for spouses of German citizens does not apply.
The A1 requirement still applies, but more exemptions are available. You do not need to prove German if your spouse holds an EU Blue Card, is a recognised refugee, or holds certain residence titles as a skilled worker, researcher or self employed person.
The visa fee of 75 euros applies.
The three year settlement route above does not apply. Permanent residence follows the general rules, which normally need five years.
FAQs
Can I travel to Ankara or Yerevan and apply there?
Only if you are told to, or if you have lived there for at least six months. The Embassy in Tehran states that missions without jurisdiction reject applications from people who travel there unprompted.
Who is IOM and why would they contact me?
The International Organization for Migration supports the Embassy with family reunion cases. When an appointment can be offered, IOM contacts you to confirm which German mission you will attend.
Can I book a family reunion appointment through TLScontact?
No. Family reunion appointments go through the Embassy’s own appointment system. TLScontact handles Schengen visas and document legalisation.
Does my translator need any particular accreditation?
Yes. For legalisation, the translator must be on the list kept by Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Should I email the Embassy to check on my registration?
No. The Embassy asks applicants not to phone or email about progress. Keep the registered email address active and check it regularly.
Official sources
German Embassy Tehran, Restricted operation of the Embassy, 9 March 2026: teheran.diplo.de/ir-de/2752046-2752046
German Embassy Tehran, National visas: teheran.diplo.de/ir-de/-/2403868
German Embassy Tehran, Legalisation of documents: teheran.diplo.de/ir-de/2402396-2402396
German Embassy Yerevan, Spouse reunion visa: eriwan.diplo.de/am-de/service/visa/ehegattennachzug-2721366
Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz), sections 27 to 31, gesetze-im-internet.de