It was an anticlimactic (for lack of a better word) end to the many months of preparations and stressful bureaucratic hurdles that we needed to go through for me to be present on my wedding day.
This article will not discuss all the requirements one-by-one. It will focus on the basic requirements and the hows and whys of the important aspects of the process. The specific list of requirements given to us may not be applicable to other couples. Documentation requirements may vary from region to region and will also depend on the particular circumstances of the couple.
Agencies Involved
- Standesamt (Local Civil Registry) - StA
- German Embassy Manila - GE
- Oberlandesgericht (Higher Regional Court) - OLG
- Ausländerbehörde (Aliens Authority) - ABH
- Bundesverwaltungsamt (Central Service Provider of the Federal Government) - BVA, they are responsible for forwarding the documents between GE and ABH during actual visa application
Basic Requirements
A. Registration for the Marriage at Standesamt
- Proofs of identity, birth dates and names of the couple
- Proof of marital status of the couple, i.e. both are legally allowed to marry
B. Marriage Visa for the Bride
- Proof of Registration for the Marriage (Form 11/121)
- German A1 Level Certificate
- Formal Obligation
Registration for the Marriage at Standesamt
The very first step of the process is the application to register for the marriage. This is done at the Standesamt where the groom resides.
TIP: In order to avoid time-consuming requests for additional information or documentation, the couple, particularly the groom should make initial enquiries at his local Standesamt about the documentary requirements and procedure for the registration for marriage. Information about the visa procedure is also available at the German embassy website. ALWAYS rely on official sources for information.
Vollmacht zur Anmeldung der Eheschließung (Authorization to Register for the Marriage)
The bride does not need to be present in Germany to register for the marriage. She, however, needs to authorise her groom to register without her presence. Her signature on the Vollmacht (authorisation) may need the certification of the German embassy, i.e. the bride needs to sign the document in the presence of a consul at the German embassy.
TIP: Authentications and certifications can also be done by the Honorary Consul in Cebu or Honorary Consul in Davao. More on authentications and certification of signatures here.
Proofs of Identity, Birth Dates & Names and Examination of Philippine Documents
Identity, birth dates and names can be proven thru submission of the passports, certified copies of Birth Certificates of the couple and their parents' Marriage Certificates. The big issue is, Germany does not recognise Philippine-Apostille (authenticated) documents for legal use. It may therefore be necessary that all Philippine documents submitted by the bride have to undergo a document check. This check will be done with the assistance of the German Embassy. The process can take between 4 – 6 months to finish. It may take longer depending on the legal findings of the embassy. More information about examination of Philippine documents can be found here.
Flowchart A. Examination of Philippine Documents aka CI
Translation and Validity of Documents
Documents such as Birth Certificate and Certificate of No Marriage should not be older than six months and may also need translation from English to German. Translations should be done by an OLG-certified translator.
TIP: Always attach the original receipts issued by PSA on your Birth Certificate and other PSA documents to prove the date of issuance.
Ehefähigkeitszeugnis (Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage)
The couple also needs to prove their marital status as legally allowed to marry. In the case of the bride, a Certificate of No Impediment to Marriage is currently not issued by the Philippine government. There is instead the Certificate of No Marriage or CENOMAR, which will not suffice. She therefore needs to apply for an exemption from presenting a CNI and this exemption, Befreiung von der Beibringung des Ehefähigkeitszeugnisses, can only be granted by an Oberlandesgericht. This is the reason why after the process of examination of Philippine documents, the Standesamt has yet to forward the documents to OLG.
It is only after the identity, birth dates and names and legal marital status of the couple are established that the application will proceed.
Flowchart B. Application for Exemption from Presenting Ehefähigkeitszeugnis
Application for a Visa to Marry in Germany
Form 11/121
Once the registration for the marriage has been successful, the Standesamt will issue Form 11/121 as proof of the registration. This document will also indicate the date of the intended marriage. Without this document, the visa application will automatically be denied by the embassy.
TIP: Some Standesamt are not familiar with the term 11/121. It is actually just a tiny print on the lower right corner of the document. If it happens, use the German term, Bescheinigung über die Anmeldung der Eheschließung for clarity.
There are three other issues that need special attention for this part of the process.
Booking a Termin (Appointment)
The German Embassy has an online appointment system and your appointment date will depend on when you registered in this system and on your declared date of completion of documents. As a general guide, book your Termin only once you have a clear idea of when you will be able to complete all the requirements. A waiting period of 4 - 5 months can be expected.
Proof of German A1 Language Skills
This proof can be obtained by passing the German A1 Exam given by Goethe-Institut or ÖSD Examination Centers. For the purpose of visa application, the German A1 Certificate should not be older than one year upon submission. The bride, depending on her learning style, should decide when to take the exam. Too early might mean that the A1 Certificate will lapse before her Termin, and too late may also mean she won't have it in time for submission.
TIP: You can self-study to pass the exam.
Verpflichtungserklärung or Formal Obligation
Last, and by far not the least, is the Formal Obligation. This document is given by the Ausländerbehörde responsible for the visa application. The groom needs to show proof that he can take the full financial responsibility of accommodating his soon-to-be wife thru submission of work contracts, salary slips, and other documents as required. It is best that the groom also make initial talks with the Ausländerbehörde parallel to the process of registration for marriage.
Flowchart C. Marriage Visa Application
In an ideal situation with complete documents and if ABH is fast, a visa application can be approved 2 weeks from your Termin, but this is more an exception than the rule. The embassy usually gives a time frame of 1 - 3 months for the processing of the visa.
TIP: Make sure that you submit complete requirements during your Termin, the embassy will give a maximum of one month for you to comply with the lacking documents, counting from your interview date. Once this grace period has lapsed, the embassy has the discretion to decide on your visa and you may get a denial on your application.
How to Make Follow-ups
Follow-up emails or phone calls are usually discouraged. Try to have the Standesamt give you a time frame for every step of the process. This way, you have a reference you can use every time you send a follow-up email if nothing is happening. Explain why you are emailing and ask for specific information. Resist the daily blasts of follow ups, it will not hasten the process.
The period of registration for marriage is usually the most frustrating part of the whole process. Updates will be intermittent, if there is update at all. Your sole point of contact should be the Standesamt, but, if after six months of processing there is no update, you can also write a friendly enquiry directly to the German Embassy. Also, keep in mind that not all Standesamt are familiar with the Filipina-German marriage procedure. Keep communication polite and simple, after all you will need their cooperation and approval.
Upon submission of complete documents during the period of visa application, GE will usually give a time frame of 1 - 3 months. Wait 2 weeks after your Termin and ask them to kindly inform you when they will send the documents to ABH. This you can then track thru BVA. Once you can confirm that ABH received the visa application, you need to be patient again and wait 2 weeks before you follow up.
Here is the flow of follow-ups we made for my visa application.
Wedding Date: 07.06.2019
Intended date of entry to Germany: 30.05.2019
Visa approved: 03.05.2019
TIP: Use your application ''reference number'' as SUBJECT when making follow-ups. It should be RK 516 SV/Last Name, First Name (of applicant). This is written on the sheet of paper you will get during your Termin. The same sheet of paper will also indicate if you submitted complete documents or if there are missing documents you need to provide. It goes without saying that you should submit missing documents, if any, before you make any enquiry.
First follow-up, 2 weeks after Termin
Agency: German Embassy - Manila
E-Mail Address: visa@mani.diplo.de
We asked them when the application will be forwarded to the responsible ABH.
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A standard copy-paste reply to our first follow up, 2 weeks after I attended my Termin. |
 |
Be persistent and polite. |
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| We fnally got the information we wanted. |
2nd follow-up, 4 weeks after Termin
Agency: Bundesverwaltungsamt
Contact Form: Please use this link.
The next step should have been to ask the responsible ABH about the status of my application. Before that, we made sure my application already arrived in their office, so we tracked the application first via BVA.
We got the following information:
1. The electronic application was entered into their system
2. The responsible ABH was ...
3. The original documents have been forwarded to the responsible ABH.
We wanted to wait another week to check with ABH, but 3 days after BVA confirmed that the application has been forwarded, my husband received an E-Mail confirming the approval of my visa application.
Follow-ups may or may not help hasten the process. For us, the purpose is more to track the application and to know that it is on process. Knowing this has at the very least helped with our peace of mind and nerves(!), especially when everything has been readied: the party guests, the party food, the bride's flight tickets and she has yet to get her visa.
Who Should Make the Follow-ups?
During the first stage, registration for the marriage at Standesamt, the German groom should make the follow-up. It also makes sense since the bride has already given him authorization in the form of the Vollmacht zur Anmeldung der Eheschließung.
Once the marriage visa application has been formally lodged, i.e. the bride attended her Termin with complete documents, only the visa applicant (bride) will be allowed to make follow-ups with the agencies involved: the German Embassy and the responsible ABH. Due to data protection laws, the embassy is not allowed to disclose any information regarding the visa application to anyone but the applicant herself.
Please note that when making follow-ups with the responsible ABH, communication will be auf Deutsch.
TIP: For convenience and also to streamline our communication with the agencies involved, I authorized my fiancé to do all the necessary enquiries in relation to my visa application by writing a simple Letter of Authorization addressed to the German embassy. I attached a scanned copy of my passport data page, and sent it to them via E-mail. I also included a scanned copy my fiancé's ID (Ausweis) and passport data page.
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Costs
Costs may vary but the expenses listed below are the major ones to be expected. You also need to allocate a budget for transportation, hotel accomodation and other incidentals if the bride needs to travel (e.g. to the German Embassy) in relation to the application for visa. Please be aware that this costing was for a marriage visa application in 2019 (May 2018 - May 2019).
- Registration for the Marriage, Marriage Ceremony Cost: €160 - €200
- Examination of Philippine Documents: initial outlay of €300
- Translation of Documents: €120 - €200
- Vollmacht and Passport Copy Certification: ₱1,800 - ₱2,000
- German A1 Language Course: ₱6,800 - ₱19,500 (exclusive of books)
- A1 Exam Fee at Goethe-Institut: ₱5,000 - ₱6,500
- PSA Documents (Birth Certificate, CeNoMar, etc.): ₱155 - ₱210 per document
- Visa Application Fee: €75
4 comments:
Hi! You mentioned that the visa progress can be tracked thru BVA. How exactly do you do this?
Hello. Sorry for the late reply. There is a Contact Form in their website where you can enter your query.
What link we can track our application?
Hi! This is the link to the Bundesverwaltungsamt (BVA) contact form that we used to track our application after the German embassy confirmed transmittal.
https://www.bva.bund.de/DE/Service/Kontakt/kontakt_node.html?cms_navnode=44652
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