German spouse visa for Pakistani nationals
What this visa is
If you are a Pakistani 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, and your Pakistani documents may go through a verification step before the mission relies on them. Once your residence permit is granted, you can live and work in Germany without restriction. Fees and procedures in this guide are as at September 2026.
If your spouse lives in Germany but is not a German citizen, a different section of the law applies. That route is covered in its own section 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 with NADRA, the National Database and Registration Authority, and you need the NADRA computerised marriage registration certificate as well as the Nikah Nama.
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
Pakistan 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.
Where you apply depends on where you live. If you live in Sindh or Balochistan, you register with the Consulate General in Karachi. Otherwise you apply to the Embassy in Islamabad. Since 15 January 2026, the Embassy in Islamabad accepts family reunion applications only through the Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal, and its old appointment waiting list has closed.
Your application goes to the Ausländerbehörde for your intended German address for approval. The mission can only issue the visa once that authority has agreed.
Pakistani documents and verification
The German Embassy does not legalise Pakistani public documents, including birth certificates and marriage registration certificates. An apostille does not replace this. Pakistan joined the Hague Apostille Convention in 2023, but Germany formally objected to Pakistan’s accession, so the convention does not apply between the two countries.
Instead, the mission may have your documents checked through a document verification procedure after you apply. The German missions in Pakistan list a charge of 75,000 Pakistani rupees for this verification, as at September 2026. It is charged in addition to any visa fee and adds time to your case.
Submit original NADRA documents. The mission asks for the NADRA computerised birth certificates for you and your spouse, the NADRA computerised marriage registration certificate, and the original Nikah Nama in Urdu with an English or German translation.
The German language requirement
As the spouse of a German national, you must show basic German at A1 level when you apply. The German missions in Pakistan state that the certificate must be no older than one year 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 your mission before you apply. In general you need the completed application, your valid passport, biometric passport photos, the NADRA birth certificates for both of you, the NADRA marriage registration certificate, and the Nikah Nama with translation. You also need your spouse’s German passport or ID card, evidence of your spouse’s address in Germany, your A1 certificate or evidence of an exemption, and NADRA or German divorce certificates, or death certificates, for any previous marriage.
For applications at the Embassy in Islamabad, include your appointment confirmation email.
How to apply
If you apply in Islamabad, create an account on the Consular Services Portal, complete the family reunion application and upload the documents it asks for. You are then invited to attend in person. If you live in Sindh or Balochistan, follow the Karachi registration process on the German Missions in Pakistan website.
The mission may contact you after you apply to ask for further documents or to start document verification. Submitting a complete file does not guarantee a visa, since the decision rests on the mission’s assessment and the Ausländerbehörde’s approval.
Costs and processing times
The national visa fee is 75 euros for adults, payable in rupees. The German missions in Pakistan state that no fee is charged if you are joining a German or EU national. If your documents go through verification, the separate charge of 75,000 rupees applies.
The German missions in Pakistan describe processing as taking several months. Once you are in Germany, the Ausländerbehörde charges a separate fee to issue the residence permit. All figures are as at September 2026, so confirm them with your mission before applying.
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 a Pakistani national with a German residence permit, you apply under section 30 of the Residence Act. The mission, the documents and the verification step are largely 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 or an ICT 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, because the fee waiver covers only spouses of German and EU nationals.
The three year settlement route above does not apply. Permanent residence follows the general rules, which normally need five years.
FAQs
Will an apostille from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs make my documents acceptable?
No. Germany objected to Pakistan joining the Apostille Convention, so a Pakistani apostille has no effect for German authorities. The mission relies on its own verification procedure instead.
Is the Nikah Nama enough without the NADRA certificate?
No. The German missions in Pakistan ask for both the original Nikah Nama and the original NADRA computerised marriage registration certificate.
I live in Lahore. Do I apply in Islamabad or Karachi?
Islamabad. Karachi handles applicants who live in Sindh or Balochistan.
Can I ask the mission to start document verification before I apply?
The mission decides whether and when to verify documents after your application is submitted. It may contact you to start the process.
Is there still a waiting list for family reunion appointments in Islamabad?
Not for applications through the Consular Services Portal. Since 15 January 2026 the Embassy in Islamabad accepts family reunion applications only through the portal.
Official sources
German Missions in Pakistan, Visa: family reunion: pakistan.diplo.de/pk-en/service/1-visa-fz-seite-1676108
German Missions in Pakistan, Family reunion leaflet
German Missions in Pakistan, Legal and consular services: pakistan.diplo.de/pk-en/service/legal-uess-1680522
Hague Conference on Private International Law, Apostille Convention status table and notifications
Federal Foreign Office, Consular Services Portal: digital.diplo.de
Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz), sections 27 to 31, gesetze-im-internet.de