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Visa for family reunion with a minor German child
You can apply for a visa for family reunion with your unmarried German minor child if he or she lives in Germany or is moving there with you and you have custody of the child.
Please note our general information on long-term residence in Germany, which supplements this information.
To schedule an appointment to apply for a visa, you must register on the appointment waiting list of the German Embassy in Nairobi and indicate one of the following purposes of stay (depending on the nationality of the person applying for the family reunification visa):
- Family reunification of Burundian citizens
- Family reunification of Eritrean citizens
- Family reunification of Kenyan citizens
- Family reunification of Somali citizens
- Family reunification of other nationals
Applications from Kenyan citizens and other nationals must be submitted to the Visa Section of the German Embassy in Nairobi
113 Riverside Drive.
P.O. Box 30180
Fax: +254 (0)20 4262 129
Email: konsulat@nair.diplo.de
Applications from Burundian, Eritrean, and Somali nationals must be submitted to the International Organization for Migration – UN Migration.
Sri Aurobindo Avenue, Off Mzima Spring Road
Lavington, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: info.fap.ke@iom.int
Call centre: +254 709 575 000
This and all other embassy leaflets and application forms are free of charge.
Unless stated otherwise, all application documents must be submitted in original with 1 set of copies, meaning that there are two sets of identical application documents.
Please sort the documents according to the order listed below.
Incomplete application forms and applications with incomplete documents will delay processing and may result in the rejection of the application.
Important: Additional documents may be requested during processing; in particular, it may be necessary to verify the documents, which is done at an extra fee. Before any decision is made on the application, the embassy must obtain the approval of the responsible aliens‘ authority. Processing times of four to six months, in individual cases even considerably longer, must therefore be expected. A refund of fees in the event of a rejection is not possible.
Below is a list of the required documents.
| No. | Document | Notes | Present at the time of submission of the application? |
| 1. | Passport with 1 copy of the data page | The passport must be valid for at least 3 months longer than the validity period of the visa. If you are a foreigner living in Kenya, Burundi or Eritrea, you must present a residence permit for the country of your place of residence or a return authorisation. | |
| 2. | 1 application form | Please complete in all sections and sign. You can find a digital application form that can be completed online here | |
| 3. | 1 Passport photo | The photo must be up to date and biometric. | |
| 4. | Proof of German nationality of the child | Copy of the data page of the child's German passport and: Marriage certificate of the parents or acknowledgement of paternity | |
| 5. | Proof of custody | This is usually done via the child's birth certificate. Further documents may be required in individual cases. | |
| 6. | Birth certificate of the applicant(s) | ||
| 7. | Certificate of registration of the child or the other custodian in Germany | Must not be older than six months at the time of application. If you do not yet have a place of residence in Germany: Submit a tenancy agreement, proof of ownership or equivalent indicating the future residential address. | |
| 8. | Proof of health insurance cover | Further information on this can be found on the information sheet “health insurance for national visas”. | |
| 9. | Visa fee | The reunification with a German unmarried minor is free of charge. |
Disclaimer:
All information in this leaflet is based on the knowledge and assessments at the time of writing. No guarantee can be given for the completeness and correctness, in particular due to legal changes that have occurred in the meantime. The German language version is authoritative.