How the spouse visa to join your partner in Germany works from Nigeria and Ghana: German A1, housing, documents, and the relationship questions officers really ask.
Questions answered
10 questions applicants search for, each with a short answer and its sources.
Who qualifies2
Steps and timelines3
On this page
Who this guide is for
You are married to (or in a registered partnership with) someone who lives in Germany, a German citizen or a residence permit holder such as a worker, Blue Card holder or student, and you are applying to join them.
Sources for this part2
The main requirements
- German at A1 level before the visa is granted, for most nationalities. Some cases are exempt; applicants whose spouse holds an EU Blue Card report being told A1 was not needed.
- Enough living space in Germany, to the standard for publicly subsidised housing in that state. This is waived when the sponsor holds an EU Blue Card, an ICT card or a skilled-worker permit (section 18b).
- Your sponsor can support the household.
- A genuine marriage.
Documents
Use your mission's own list. The German Consulate General in Lagos wants every document as an original plus a black-and-white copy, no staples, sorted in the order of its sorting list (status June 2026). Unsorted or incomplete applications are not accepted.
The German Embassy in Accra asks you to upload a similar set in the Consular Service Portal first, then book your appointment. The full lists, and the EUR 75 fee, are in our spouse visa documents article.
- The visa application form, the section 54 declaration and the data protection declaration, each signed with place and date
- Your spouse's papers: German residence permit if they have one, passport data page, registration certificate (Meldebescheinigung) and Nigerian entry and exit stamps; proof of income only in the cases the list names
- Your own documents: passport, birth certificate, marriage certificate, any affidavits, older identity documents and school results in order
- Divorce decrees from earlier marriages, if any
- Your language certificate, unless you are exempt
- Photos of the wedding and of the two of you, biometric photos, and a prepaid courier envelope
What the interview is like
Expect many personal questions about your relationship: how and when you met, the proposal, the wedding (date, place, who attended, who kissed first), the honeymoon, and details about your spouse such as date of birth, job, address, phone number and even tattoos or shoe size.
Officers sometimes repeat a question several times to see if the answer stays the same. If you do not remember something, say so; a guess that changes is worse.
A weak interview or a big age gap can lead to a second interview where your spouse in Germany is asked the same questions.
Never hide an earlier visa refusal or entry ban. The application form asks, and concealing it is a legal ground for refusal.
On the day (Lagos reports)
- Arrive early: security logs your arrival time.
- Bags and phones are held at the gate.
- Have the visa and verification fees ready in the payment form the mission asks for.
- Missing documents can usually be sent after the interview.
Sources for this part5
Questions officers ask
Applicants reported being asked these. Reading them is not the same as answering them out loud.
“What's your full name?”
“How did you and your partner first meet?”
“Who will be financially supporting you once you're in Germany?”
“Please give me your partner's phone number in German, then spell your own name in German.”
“Why are you travelling to Germany?”
“Is the name on your passport the same as the name on your marriage certificate? If not, what shows how it changed?”
Sources
- 1Family reunion visa for spousesOfficialGerman Missions in the United States (Federal Foreign Office) · checked 18 Sept 2026
- 2Family reunificationOfficialFederal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) · checked 18 Sept 2026
- 3Spouse reunification checklists (Rabat, Yaoundé)OfficialGerman Embassies (Federal Foreign Office) · checked 18 Sept 2026
- 4National visa application form, question 15OfficialFederal Foreign Office · checked 18 Sept 2026
- 5Applicant interview videos (Lagos and other missions)Applicant reportsApplicant reports gathered by VisaRoom · checked 12 Oct 2026
- 6Spouse reunification sorting list, Lagos (status June 2026)OfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 23 Oct 2026
- 7Reunification with spouseOfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 23 Oct 2026
- 8Family reunion to a spouseOfficialGerman Embassy Accra · checked 23 Oct 2026
- 9Language skillsOfficialGerman Missions in Nigeria · checked 23 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.
VisaRoom isn't connected to any embassy or government. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Something out of date? Tell us.