Questions about marrying the love of my life.

The easiest way is to marry elsewhere (e.g. in your home country, Las Vegas or Denmark) and then apply for a family reunion visa at the German embassy in your home country. For this, you need your foreign marriage certificate legalized by the German embassy - and a certified translation. After a long processing time (three months or longer are usual) you will be given a renewable one-year visa (after three years in Germany you can get an unlimited one and after 7-8 years even a German passport, if you want). Once in Germany, you can then apply for a residence and work permit (which will take another few months).

To marry in Germany, you need to enter the country on a marriage visa (again from the German embassy) and your spouse has to submit lots of other paperwork (all with certified translations if not in German) at the marriage registry. It took friends of ours more than 6 months and a high frustration tolerance. After marriage, you must still apply for a residence and work permit.

Wow. Ok so I see it takes time... i am working on the yachts at the moment, do you think I could manage this all while stil working away or would I have to be in Germany while I wait? Oh, and thank you for the reply, I truest appreciate it. 😁

If you marry elsewhere and apply for a family reunion visa, you obviously cannot enter Germany before you have that visa.
If you marry in Germany while on a marriage visa, you can usually remain in The country.

beppi wrote:

The easiest way is to marry elsewhere (e.g. in your home country, Las Vegas or Denmark) and then apply for a family reunion visa at the German embassy in your home country. For this, you need your foreign marriage certificate legalized by the German embassy - and a certified translation. After a long processing time (three months or longer are usual) you will be given a renewable one-year visa (after three years in Germany you can get an unlimited one and after 7-8 years even a German passport, if you want). Once in Germany, you can then apply for a residence and work permit (which will take another few months).

To marry in Germany, you need to enter the country on a marriage visa (again from the German embassy) and your spouse has to submit lots of other paperwork (all with certified translations if not in German) at the marriage registry. It took friends of ours more than 6 months and a high frustration tolerance. After marriage, you must still apply for a residence and work permit.

but what if i don't work after marriage? would i still be applying for the work permit?