8 Important Deadlines To Take Note Of After Arriving in Germany (with a Marriage Visa)

Most of us just set our focus on the long, and sometimes complicated, process of applying for a marriage visa that we sometimes forget other issues we need to take care of in relation to our moving to Germany. The German government is very structured and strict. Failure of compliance with certain rules may mean being fined. It is therefore important to get an overview of the deadlines of important things you need to do as soon as you arrive in Germany. You and your partner can take note of this even before your arrival. Make a list of the things you need to do and the timings to do them. Whenever possible, contact the responsible Behörde in advance and make initial enquiries. This will give you an idea when to do what first, how much it may cost, and what documents you need to prepare ahead of time. 

1. Get married

Deadline: as stated in your Form 11/121

I did not want to state the obvious, but I will anyway. Get married. If you don't get married to the same person your marriage visa is intended for, you will be sent home. And if you or your partner (or both of you) changed your mind about getting married, the rest of this list does not matter.

2. Residence registration (Anmeldung)

Deadline: 2 weeks from arrival

As a strict rule, you only have 2 weeks to complete the process of registering after arrival. The deadline may not be easy to meet due to the difficulty of getting an appointment, much more now in the time of a pandemic. In my case, we missed the deadline because we thought it will be less of a hassle for us if I register only after we got married. Another reason was that we simply got busy with our wedding guests from abroad (my sister and her family and a cousin). We took time to bring them around for sight-seeing.

I was only able to register around 4 weeks after my arrival. The officer who attended us during my registration told us, quite sternly, that there is actually a fine for not meeting the deadline. My husband explained politely why I did not register in time, i.e. So that I don't need to first register with my maiden name, then a very short time later change my registration data to my married name. Fortunately, she considered our reason. This may not be the case for others, so this should be the first thing to do upon arrival. 

Here are the documents I needed for registration:

• my valid passport (with the valid marriage visa, of course)

• Marriage certificate

• Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (proof of residence certificate) - this is a form that our apartment owner had to sign certifying that I live in the apartment 

• Registration form - this was accomplished during the Anmeldung process.  

There was a short interview. It was simple enough to understand even with my A1 level German, but my husband was there to help as my interpreter in times when I was uncertain. I was asked my personal information based on my passport such as, Geburtsname, Geburtsort, etc. I was also asked what my religion is. After the registration was completed, I was given a Meldebescheinigung or certificate of registration.

Important: In Germany, if you declare a religon, you will be expected to pay church tax, which is based on your income and income tax. 

3. Application for a German tax ID 

Deadline: latest before you submit your income tax declaration for the year you arrived in Germany

Disclaimer: I just mentioned tax-ID here because it is part of the process of registration of residence and should be issued to you after Anmeldung. I do not claim to have a lot of knowledge on the subject of the German tax sytem. It is very complicated, and not just because of the language. For example, a tax number is different from a tax ID. You will need both to file your income tax declaration. 

Every person registered in Germany (or everyone liable to pay taxes here) automatically receives a tax ID. The German tax ID is an 11-digit unique and permanent number that is used for all tax purposes. Around two weeks after registration of residence, your tax ID notification will be sent to you at your registered address.

In my case however, and this may happen to you too, I did not receive my tax ID notification even months after I registered. My husband wrote to the responsible Finanzamt (tax office) to inform them that we got married and that I am now registered and living in Germany. He did not receive any feedback. The subject went out of his radar until he was preparing the income tax declaration the following year --- which is based on the income for the previous year, the year we got married. So, he sent another E-Mail to the Finanzamt to inform them that he is ready to submit his income tax declaration and he will do so without my missing tax ID. My tax ID notification came per Post a few days later.

To make things simple, if you don't receive your tax ID after you register, inform your local Finanzamt. If you lost, forgot or misplaced your tax ID, you can use this link to apply for a renotification.

Important: A missing tax ID and/or tax number is no excuse for not filing your tax declaration and most importantly, it is no excuse for not paying taxes. 

4. Applying for a residence permit

Deadline: apply as soon as you are married and well before the expiry of your marriage visa

Upon initial enquiry, the responsible Ausländerbehörde (immigration office/ABH) informed us that the residence permit is dependent on my Philippine passport details. I wanted to use my husband's name and my passport was expiring in less than a year, so we were advised to renew it prior to application.

We contacted ABH for an appointment after I received my new passport and they sent me a letter per Post confirming my appointment with instructions to bring the following documents:

• valid passport

• accomplished and signed application form - the form was enclosed in the letter I received.

• Gemeinsame Erklarüng über das Bestehen einer schützenswerten ehelichen Lebensgemeinschaft - this is quite a mouthful but in simple translation, it refers to a joint declaration of you and your husband that you are in a legitimate marriage worthy of protection (by the law). The form was also enclosed in the letter.

• biometric photo, not older than 6 months

• certification of residence (aktuelle erweiterte Meldebescheinigung vom Einwohnermeldamt)

• wedding certificate (Heiratsurkunde) in original and a copy

• 100,00 Euro

During my appointment, I was given a Fiktionsbescheinigung. This served as my temporary residence permit while my residence permit is on process. I was also given an appointment on when I should come to claim my electronic residence permit or Aufenthaltstitel (eAT), which was more or less a month from the date of application and 3 days short of the expiry of my marriage visa. I was given a 3-year residence permit.

It was also at this point that I was given a Bestätigung über die Verflichtung zur Teilnahme am Integrationskurs. This meant that I am obliged to take an integration course. 

5. Renewal of soon-to-expire Philippine passport

Deadline: as needed or as early as 9 months prior to expiry

The renewal of Philippine passport can be done either at the Philippine Embassy in Berlin or the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. A personal appearance is needed.

This process is very easy, because the forms and procedures are not in German. Ha ha. I made an appointment and attended my Termin with complete documents. The whole process lasted less than an hour. I received my new passport less than 3 weeks later. My husband was quite surprised that a Philippine government office can work faster than a German one.

6. Renewal of Philippine passport with change of surname (due to marriage) and report of marriage (ROM)

Deadline (ROM): as needed but not later than one year from date of marriage

This is can also be done either at the Philippine Embassy in Berlin or the Philippine Consulate General in Frankfurt. I made a separate entry for this because it is my choice to use my husband's last name. Under Philippine law (Republic Act No. 386, particularly Article 370), the use of our husband's last name is permissive but not obligatory.  

Article 370. A married woman may use:
(1) Her maiden first name and surname and add her husband's surname, or
(2) Her maiden first name and her husband's surname or
(3) Her husband's full name, but prefixing a word indicating that she is his wife, such as "Mrs."

The consulate officer informed me that the standard process is, I need to officially report my marriage first before I can change my passport name. This means that the ROM that is needed for the change of passport name should be issued by the Philippine Statistics Agency (PSA). Which in turn means that I need to wait 2-3 months before I can proceed. She added, however, that it can be expedited, for a fee. I did all simultaneously: renewal of soon-to-expire passport, report of marriage and change of passport name.

Here is a breakdown of the amount I paid in July 2019:

E-passport            54,00 Euro

ROM                     22,50

Expedite Fee          9,00

You can find here the downloadable application form for ROM and here is the checklist for the documents required.

Important: Due to the current pandemic situation, the Philippine Embassy in Berlin and the consulate in Frankfurt are imposing appointment protocols in relation to their consular services. Please refer directly to their website for updated information.

7. Taking care of your Health Insurance

Deadline: before the expiry of your Travel Health Insurance. 

Germany has a very excellent healthcare system, but you need to be covered by either a public or private health insurance to use it. This is mandatory. 

My husband has public health insurance and for public health insurance, there is the so-called family co-insurance policy. This means that dependent family members (such as wife and kids) may enrol at no cost with the public health insurance provider with whom one family member (husband, for example) is already enrolled. This is subject to certain conditions such as:

• dependent/s should be living in Germany
• they are not enrolled under other health insurance
• they have no income or have a monthly income that does not exceed 425 - 450 Euro

I am eligible for co-insurance and soon after marriage, my husband sent an E-mail to his insurance provider informing of his marriage and asking for instructions on how to co-insure me. The insurance company replied with straighforward instructions. We filled-up a form and submitted it along with a biometric photo of me and a scanned copy of my Meldebescheinigung. This was all done online. A few days later, I received my health insurance card per Post.

Important: The health insurance issue should be a part of you and your partner's plan from the time you planned to get married and move here. It could prove to be very expensive if you don't prepare for it. The family co-insurance policy does not apply to private health insurance providers.

8. Enroll in an integration course

Deadline: If you are obliged or entitled to attend an integration course and if a date is specified in the certificate of eligibility under ''The eligibility to participate or requirement to participate is valid until...'', then you must register with a course provider no later than this date.

Please read the separate article I wrote discussing integration courses in Germany.

I just want to add one important thing although this one does not have a deadline: take note of German emergency numbers.

My husband has already made me memorize these numbers even when I was just visiting Germany.

These are the two main emergency numbers in Germany:

• 110 - for emergencies requiring the police

• 112 - for fire and rescue emergencies

How to use the emergency numbers: 

1. Dial and wait to be connected to an operator. 

2. Describe as clearly as possible what the emergency is. The operators may speak English, as well as German, but it is always better to be able to understand and communicate the 5 Ws auf Deutsch.

• Wer ruft an? - Who is calling? --- Identify yourself.
• Wo ist etwas geschehen? - Where did what happened? --- Describe your location, give directions how you can be reached. (Ort, Straße, markante Punkte)
• Was ist geschehen? Was kannst du sehen? - What happened? --- Describe as clearly as possible what happened or what is happening.
• Wie viele Verletze/Erkrankte/Betroffene? - How many are injured/sick? --- If applicable, give the SCOPE of the emergency. For example, if it is a traffic accident, how many cars are involved? If it is a fire emergency, are there people trapped, how many?

3. Follow the operator's advice and do not hang up until you are told to do so. 

• Warten auf Rückfragen! (das Gespräch nicht unaufgefordert beenden)

4. After hanging up, keep your phone free in case they need to call you back for further questions or instructions.

There are, of course, many more things to do and take care of as you settle in your new life in Germany. Your list of deadlines and its specifics may also be different from mine. I hope that by sharing my own experience, I am able to help you to make life a little bit organized on your first months of stay.

Ich hoffe, Sie werden sich schnell und gut in Ihrer neuen Heimat einleben und wohlfühlen.