German spouse visa approved: what happens when I arrive in Germany?
Short answer
For a German spouse visa, the German Missions in Nigeria say the visa only entitles you to enter Germany. Once you arrive, you must contact the Ausländerbehörde (the local foreigners' office) immediately, and if all requirements are met you are issued a residence permit. Before that, check your sticker: if the visa is granted, it is your duty to report any errors immediately.
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Check the visa sticker straight away
The German Missions in Nigeria say that if the visa is granted, it is your duty to check that the information printed on the visa sticker is correct and complete. Report any errors to the consulate immediately. The consulate is not liable for financial damage caused by corrections not reported in good time.
The German Embassy Accra gives the same instruction. If the visa is granted, it is your duty to check the sticker and report any errors to the Embassy immediately.
The visa is not a right of entry
The Lagos page says the issuance of a visa does not constitute a right of entry. The final decision is made by the border police upon entry into the Schengen area.
The same page says the border police may also ask for documents and proof of health insurance at entry.
Sources for this part1
Health insurance
The Lagos page says that if a positive decision has been made on your visa, you will be asked to provide an incoming health insurance.
Sources for this part1
The Ausländerbehörde and your residence permit
The Lagos page says the visa only entitles you to enter Germany. After you arrive, you must contact the competent Ausländerbehörde (the local foreigners' office) immediately. If all requirements are met, you will be issued a residence permit corresponding to your purpose of stay.
The Accra embassy says the visa entitles you to enter Germany. After you have arrived, if all requirements are met, you will be issued a residence permit corresponding to your purpose of stay. It also says it is not possible to apply for the residence permit directly in Germany.
So the two pages differ in one detail. Lagos tells you to contact the Ausländerbehörde. Accra says only that the permit is issued after arrival if all requirements are met.
Staying longer: the law on extensions
The Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz) has two rules on extending a spouse's permit. German law is the binding text.
Section 30(3): the temporary residence permit may be extended for as long as the marital cohabitation (living together as a married couple) continues. The wording is "may be extended", not "is extended".
Section 31(1): if the marital cohabitation ends, the spouse's temporary residence permit is extended by one year as an independent right of residence, if the cohabitation lawfully existed in Germany for at least three years. The statute calls it an independent right of residence, unrelated to the purpose of the subsequent immigration of dependants.
This is not an automatic right after three years of marriage. The section sets further conditions that this article does not list.
Section 31(2), hardship: the three-year requirement is waived if that is necessary to enable the spouse to continue the spouse's residence in order to avoid particular hardship, unless an extension of the foreigner's temporary residence permit is not permitted.
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Practise saying it out loudPeople also ask
Can I apply for the German residence permit once I am in Germany?
The German Embassy Accra says it is not possible to apply for the residence permit directly in Germany. It says the permit is issued after arrival if all requirements are met. The Lagos page says you must contact the Ausländerbehörde immediately after arrival. 21
What if I find a mistake on my visa sticker?
Lagos and Accra both say it is your duty to check the sticker and report errors immediately. Both say they are not liable for financial damage caused by corrections not reported in good time. 12
Do I get a right to stay after three years of marriage?
Not as such. Section 31 of the Residence Act applies when the marital cohabitation ends. It extends the permit by one year if the cohabitation lawfully existed in Germany for at least three years, and has further conditions. 4
Sources
- 1National visa for long term staysOfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 29 Oct 2026
- 2Family ReunionOfficialGerman Embassy Accra · checked 31 Oct 2026
- 3§ 30 AufenthGOfficialFederal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de) · checked 31 Oct 2026
- 4§ 31 AufenthGOfficialFederal Ministry of Justice (gesetze-im-internet.de) · checked 31 Oct 2026
- 5Residence Act (English translation)OfficialLanguage Service of the Federal Ministry of the Interior (translation), published on gesetze-im-internet.de · checked 31 Oct 2026
Official is the embassy or a German government page. Applicant reports are what applicants say happened at their appointment. Secondary is everything else we checked.
General information, not legal advice. VisaRoom isn't connected to any embassy or government, and only the embassy decides on your visa. Something out of date? Tell us.