Visa after wedding

jenluft wrote:

I have a german fiance  but we never met yet in person but next year by january he is going to philippines. We are planning to be  married in philippines next year . And so, he is planning to take me with him to come in germany and staying there with  him for good. But i wonder what kind of visa i should apply for?...

The way you put it, the visa will be the least of your troubles: howcan you agree to marry somebody without having met, getting to know each other well and being sure he/she is the right person you can and want to spend the rest of your life with. The same applies to the country: Never agree to move if you haven't been there and know what to expect.
The authorities will, under these circumstances, think yours is a marriage of convenience (i.e. for the sole purpose of getting the visa) and thus reject your visa -and rightly so!
You should first live together for a while (maybe in your country) before you apply.

Thank you....but we have a strong communication through emails, chat and even skype and we have known each other for almost a year. now his staying iin Germany and im working here at middle east. he and I are only waiting my contract here to be finish...

Just a year of online contacts and never having met is neither enough to convince any authority that it is a genuine relationship, neither should it be enough for you.
You decide your own destiny, but I would not marry in your situation!
Many, if not most, couples in Germany live together for a few years before deciding to tie the know forever.

Uhmmmm...thank you so much...it's al ot of help..i consider living with him first before applying for visa..And get married with him

Jenluft, Beppi is exactly right. From the standpoint of obtaining a visa and more importantly, for your future happiness, a year of online communication is not enough to know someone. At the very least, have him fly you to Germany for three months--you do not need a visa for a three month visit. Meet his family and friends. You do not know how he will treat you if you have never lived with him and only know him through emails and skype.

I wish you the best.

Anne

Good day....may i know whats the ground for denying a tourist visa? Cuz next year by january i am going to apply for tourist ..im afraid.

Hi jenluft > i merged your last post on your topic here. Its better you post your questions on your own topic.

Wish you good luck.

Hi Beppi,

Since you are a Singapore & Germany expert, I was hoping to hear your advice and experience on this.

Basically our background is such: We are a long-distance couple for almost 3 years. I am Singaporean while he is German. After flying to each others' countries twice each (twice to Germany and to Singapore) and a few years of long-distance, we plan to finally settle down in Germany.
I already have the Start Deutsch 2 (A2) certificate and am now going on to B1. I further plan to take the certificates for B1 and B2 in Germany this year before getting married, and to start the job search process.
We plan to have 2 weddings, one in each country. But looking at the many posts and difficulties that people have with Visas and reunions, I wanted to hear what is the best and smoothest way of doing reuniting and being able to stay together?
I would of course, like to be able to move smoothly and then start working just like my life here (I am currently in the Banking industry) rather than wait endlessly for admin processes.

e.g. If we get married in SG first and apply for the FRV, how does one then register the marriage in Germany? is it automatic after the FRV approval? or do you have to still go to different offices for diff approvals and have you heard of anyone failing this process?
How long does the Family reunion visa process usually take from SG? or perhaps it is a better option for us to marry in Germany directly?

I am open to hear any experiences you have or know about, regarding the moving or job search process.

Danke!

I have first-hand experience with exactly what you are planning to do, as my wife is Singaporean and we moved to Germany in 2003 and again in 2011.
First, by all means marry in Singapore first - the formalities and paperwork required in Germany are onerous and take at least 6 months, with lots of costly official translations involved!
(And, you can only marry once. Any private or church celebration you may have does not have any official relevance - you can have as many parties as you like, but it's not your wedding in any official sense!)
Then, get the marriage cert legalized at the German embassy (this also involves a trip to MFA for some endorsement).
Then apply for a family reunion visa at the embassy. This will take about three months, as the authorities of his hometown in Germany have to get involved.
Usually, he needs to show sufficient financial resources and living space for you. You also need basic German skills and a health insurance (your BF needs to sort that out in Germany). There aren't usually any problems with educated Singaporeans, as they are very unlikely to stay on illegally or become a burden to the German state (and, unlike some other Asian nationalities, marriages of convenience with Singaporeans are rare).
After moving to Germany, filling some more paperwork and waiting another three months or so, you will get a residence permit (for a year at first, unlimited after three years) and also a work permit that allows you free access to the EU job market.
You are welcome to contact me via PM with more detailed questions. (And if you end up anywhere near Stuttgart, please drop by!)
However, one word of caution: An intercultural marriage isn't easy and you will have differing opinions and arguments about things that you cannot yet imagine. Having met only twice in each other's home is not sufficient basis to be able to judge whether this relationship is stable enough to weather these problems!

Hi Beppi,

I am a Singaporean married to my German husband early this year. I agree with your advice on intercultural marriage. It isn't easy for the couple who has different opinion about family culture (e.g. wedding ceremony & handling family issues). A lot , a lot of understanding and good communication needed!

BTW, I have question regarding moving to Germany from Singapore, hoping to hear your advice and experience too:

Currently I am waiting for my FRV (hope I can get it), therefore I am trying to settle my money transfer and finding ways to ship my stuff over. I am hoping to find the most cheapest and convenience way to do both tasks.
Which bank / courier service and which method will you recommend?

I already have Start Deutsch 1 cert and I plan to continue study German when I am there.
But I also plan to find a job in Germany when I am there. I have some engineering background but no Degree cert (only Diploma). I can speak, read and write Mandarin. Do you think it will be easy for me to find some job related to China market, e.g. coordinator job?

Vielen Dank!

Hi Doris,

Thanks for your nice comments.
Regarding money transfer: I have no experience with Citibank, but doubt that a USA bank is the right choice for dealing with Asia and Europe. I use just regular bank wire transfers between DBS (Singapore) and DKB (Germany) in both directions - yes, there are fees, but they are not extraordinary and banks will always find a way to extract your money somewhere. In addition, this really isn't a major concern when moving, nor a major expense when staying abroad.
For shipping stuff: Plan to send as little as possible (everything you might want is available there, too - and a new start isn't a new start with old baggage!) and get a few quotes from moving companies - the price differences are huge!
You are welcome to introduce me to your husband - and also visit us when you're in Germany. I'll send you a PM with contact details!

Greetings,
    Beppi

Hi Doris,

Wow perfect!
I was starting to think about the same topics, shipping and all. Let us know when you have gotten ur FRV

Which state will you be moving to?

Cheers,
Ai Lin

for what i had experience my fiance and i planning to marry here  in phil it was november 2014 we plan for married...but the bad thing we didn't expect is you need a papers from germany and it need 3months before the releasing..

jenluft wrote:

Hello,good day everyone...


I am new here, and i have some questions;

I have a german fiance  but we never met yet in person but next year by january he is going to philippines. We are planning to be  married in philippines next year . And so, he is planning to take me with him to come in germany and staying there with  him for good. But i wonder what kind of visa i should apply for?...


Thank you everyone...i am waiting for your response...

its true? it doesn't need visa for a tour?..mmmmmmmmmm for what i'v heard its really hard and comfussing to get tourist visa

trufflelily wrote:

Jenluft, Beppi is exactly right. From the standpoint of obtaining a visa and more importantly, for your future happiness, a year of online communication is not enough to know someone. At the very least, have him fly you to Germany for three months--you do not need a visa for a three month visit. Meet his family and friends. You do not know how he will treat you if you have never lived with him and only know him through emails and skype.

I wish you the best.

Anne

Jane86,


May i know what are those papers(documents) that you are talking about im a bit interested...please shared me details about it and how we can obtain it? Thanks..that would be a great help...

Thank you so much.