Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Registering in Germany -- My Experience

Willkommen in Deutschland!  (Welcome to Germany!)

It's time to continue the paper battles!

My situation: I am born in the Philippines, had a destination wedding with my German national partner held in the Philippines, applied a Family reunion visa and is now in Germany. At the moment, I did not change my surname yet to my husband's. Now, I need to extend my visa stay.

There are 3 offices that I need to visit:

(1)  the Local Civil Office or the ''Ortsamt''
(2)  the Foreigner Registration Office or the ''Ausländerbehörde''
(3) Civil Registry Office or the Standesamt.

The good news is that all the said offices are compact in one building, at least from where I am staying. The bad news is that they all have a different opening and closing times. My husband and I were able to do all this in half of a day. You can call it luck or good timing, however, I still believe it is best that you should get the business hours of the said offices to save you time.

If you are anything like me who only got an A1 certificate and cannot speak the German language well -- I believe it is best that you have your partner or the very least, a German speaking friend to accompany you on this trip. This will save you the worries regarding language barriers.

For the other details such as what documents to bring or what are my personal experiences on each of the said offices, just click on their name/link.

Good luck!!!

3 comments:

  1. AreilAugust 22, 2013 at 3:01 PM

    Hi :).. Is it true that the civil office won't give you the permit of residency if you come to Germany using the tourist visa??,. what if married na man sa German person pero tourist visa lang talaga ang ina-apply, wla po bang chance to have a permit of residency ??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tattybearAugust 29, 2013 at 6:21 PM

      Hi Areil,
      Thank you for dropping by. Sorry for the delay of my reply. The German government are pretty straight with their paperworks, so technically speaking: with a tourist visa, you are NOT allowed to get a 'permit of residency'. However, if you do have a marriage certificate which the German government recognizes, then MAYBE they can make considerations. These situations are case-to-case basis again. If you are lucky & that they accepts your alibi -- expect there will be conditions maybe like presenting legal documents about you with German translation (inclusive the A1 certificate). The possible worst scenario - maybe - that you need to go back home to your point of origin and apply for the correct visa this time. Eitherway, before your tourist visa expires, it is best that you visit the Alien Office or 'Ausländerbehörde'& seeks their advice. Good luck & wish you all the best!

      Delete
  2. monkey d dragonMarch 3, 2016 at 12:36 PM

    Hello, sis.
    I'm a dental graduate from Egypt.
    I want to ask you, is it possible for me to work in Germany without marrying a German?

    ReplyDelete

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