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Visa for Marriage in Germany
You intend to get married to a German national or a person living permanently in Germany and consequently want to live together in Germany? Please apply for a visa for marriage.

Residents of the following countries/provinces must submit their visa application to the indicated mission:
- GERMAN EMBASSY PRETORIA: Free State, Gauteng, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North-West, Lesotho, Swaziland
- GERMAN CONSULATE GENERAL CAPE TOWN: Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Western Cape
OPTIONAL (please check special conditions when applying through the honorary consuls and liaison officer)
We request that you take advantage of our Online Appointment Booking System. Applications must be submitted in person and may not be submitted by courier, regular post, fax or E-Mail.
Please note that only complete applications will be accepted. In order to ensure that your application is processed without delay, please submit the following documents (in original and two copies as indicated below). Unfortunately, copies cannot be provided by the German Missions.
Original documents required for:
- Two copies of the completed visa application form Link to form
- A valid passport with at least two blank pages and valid for at least another six months (please ensure that your passport is signed)
- Two recent passport photograph according to biometric specifications
- Two Declarations of True and Complete Information in accordance with §55 Residence Act, signed and dated
Original + two copies required for:
- A written confirmation issued by the competent Registrar's office that all necessary requirements for the marriage to take place have been met; including a time frame/date
- Language Certificate A1 (“Start Deutsch 1”) from the Goethe Institute or any other language certificate issued by the 'Association of Language Testers in Europe (ALTE)' (In South Africa the competent authority is the Goethe Institute.)
- Proof of a valid travel insurance up to the date of marriage, if joining the German Statutory/National/Private or family health insurance is not possible until that date
If the future Spouse/Family member is German:
- Copy of his/her passport or ID
Please note that each visa application is reviewed individually. Therefore, the requested documents may vary. The German Missions reserve the right to ask for additional documents. The submission of the above-mentioned documents does not guarantee the issuance of a visa. Applicants may, at any time, be asked for a personal interview. Submission of incomplete documentation or refusal to attend the mandatory visa interview will result in a refusal of your visa application. Once a visa has been issued, the purpose of the trip may not be altered.
The German Missions require approximately two to three months to process your visa application. We strongly recommend that you do not purchase an airline ticket unless the visa has been granted. We kindly ask that no status requests on the visa application be made during the first two months. We will notify the applicant on any change of status or progress of the application as soon as possible and whenever the need arises.