German spouse visa for Turkish nationals
What this visa is
If you are a Turkish 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. Fees and procedures in this guide are as at September 2026.
If your spouse lives in Germany but is not a German citizen, for example a Turkish national with a German residence permit, 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. The marriage must be registered with the Turkish civil registry or, if you married outside Turkey, with the authorities of 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 and be registered at a German address.
You need a visa before you travel
Turkey is not on the list of nationalities that can enter Germany without a visa and apply for the residence permit after arrival. You apply for the D visa at the German mission responsible for where you live: the Embassy in Ankara or the Consulates General in Istanbul, Izmir or Antalya.
For spouse reunification with a German citizen, you register your application online through the Federal Foreign Office’s Consular Services Portal. The iDATA appointment system is used for other categories, such as family members of EU citizens, so do not book through it for this route.
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.
Marriage and civil registry documents
The German missions in Turkey ask for the international marriage certificate, known as Formül B, showing the complete details of both spouses. Formül B is a multilingual extract, and the missions state that it does not need an apostille.
You also need a full civil registry extract, the Tam Tekmil Vukuatlı Nüfus Kayıt Örneği, with every official remark completed. For a Turkish spouse of a German citizen, the missions ask for this extract with a full translation.
Turkey has been a party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 1985, and Germany accepts Turkish apostilles. Other Turkish public documents you rely on, such as a divorce judgment from a previous marriage, should carry an apostille. Documents not in German need a certified translation.
The German language requirement
As the spouse of a German national, you must show basic German at A1 level when you apply. The certificate must not be older than 12 months.
For certificates taken in Turkey, the German missions accept only two: the Goethe-Institut Start Deutsch 1 and the ÖSD Grundstufe Deutsch 1. Certificates from other providers taken in Turkey are not recognised, even though some of those providers are accepted by German missions in other countries. Book with one of the two accepted providers from the start.
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 your appointment. In general you need the completed application form, your appointment confirmation, your valid passport and biometric passport photos. You also need Formül B and the full civil registry extract with translation. For your spouse, bring their German passport or ID card and their German registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung), not older than six months. You also need your A1 certificate or evidence of an exemption, and divorce judgments or death certificates for any previous marriage.
How to apply
Register the application on the Consular Services Portal, upload the documents it asks for, and attend the appointment you are given at your mission. The mission forwards your file to the Ausländerbehörde in Germany. Submitting a complete file does not guarantee a visa, since the decision rests on the mission’s assessment and that authority’s approval.
Costs and processing times
The German missions in Turkey list the national visa fee as 75 euros for adults, as at September 2026. German missions in several other countries waive the fee for spouses of German citizens, so ask your mission whether the waiver applies to you.
A1 exam fees are set by the Goethe-Institut or ÖSD and are separate. Once you are in Germany, the Ausländerbehörde charges a separate fee to issue the residence permit. Processing times depend on your mission and the Ausländerbehörde, so confirm current timescales before you book travel.
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, you apply under section 30 of the Residence Act. You register through the same Consular Services Portal and supply largely the same documents, 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.
If your spouse is a Turkish national working in Germany, the EU and Turkey Association Agreement is also relevant. In 2014 the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled on this point in the Dogan case. Following that ruling, a German appeal court held in 2015 that the language requirement does not apply in the standard way to spouses of Turkish nationals employed in Germany. The missions in Turkey still list A1 as a standard document, so raise this with the mission if it applies to you. This does not apply if your spouse is a German citizen, including a German citizen of Turkish origin.
The three year settlement route above does not apply. Permanent residence follows the general rules, which normally need five years.
FAQs
My spouse was born in Germany to Turkish parents. Which route applies?
It depends on the passport your spouse holds today, not their family background. If they hold German citizenship, including alongside Turkish citizenship, the section 28 route for spouses of German citizens applies.
Can I use a telc A1 certificate taken in Istanbul?
No. For exams taken in Turkey, the German missions accept only the Goethe-Institut Start Deutsch 1 and the ÖSD Grundstufe Deutsch 1.
Does Formül B need an apostille?
No. The German missions in Turkey state that the international marriage certificate does not need an apostille.
We married in Germany. Do I still need Formül B?
No. Present the German marriage certificate issued by the German registry office instead. You still need your Turkish civil registry extract.
Can I apply for a Schengen visa and switch once I am in Germany?
No. A spouse visa has to be applied for as a national D visa before you travel. A short stay Schengen visa cannot normally be converted into a residence permit inside Germany.
Official sources
German Missions in Turkey, Family reunion: tuerkei.diplo.de/tr-de/service/05-visaeinreise/2720770-2720770
German Missions in Turkey, Information sheet 01F, Spouse reunion: tuerkei.diplo.de/tr-de/service/05-visaeinreise/2728584-2728584
Federal Foreign Office, Consular Services Portal: digital.diplo.de
Oberverwaltungsgericht Berlin-Brandenburg, OVG 7 B 22.14, 30 January 2015
Court of Justice of the European Union, Case C-138/13 Dogan, 10 July 2014
Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz), sections 27 to 31, gesetze-im-internet.de