Family Reunification

If your family has come to Germany after your recognition as an individual entitled to asylum, refugee status or subsidiary protection and in the framework of family reunification, they have the option to apply for family asylum ("Familienasyl"). If accepted, your family will have the same status and rights as you do.

Marriage and the family are under special protection in Germany. Nevertheless, it is not that straightforward for the so-called third-country nationals to bring their family to Germany. Whether you can bring your family to Germany depends primarily on your residence status. In addition, however, you need to meet many other requirements.

Here, you can find out everything about family reunification for third-country nationals without a refugee background. The prerequisites for refugees are different. If you are a refugee, you can read more about family reunification in our chapter "Family reunification for refugees".

If you want to bring your family to Germany, there are several rules and regulations you should keep in mind. The most decisive factor is your residence status. In case your asylum procedure is still ongoing, or you have a so-called "Duldung", family reunification for you is, in principle, not possible. But if you are granted asylum or recognized as a refugee, you have the right to reunite with your family in Germany. For the individuals with subsidiary protection and those for whom there is a national ban on deportation, currently, special regulations apply.

Here we go through right of family reunification for individuals who came to Germany as refugee - for others who come to Germany there are different regulations. You can learn more in our chapter “Family Reunification for Immigrants”.