Hi All,

I came to Stuttgart, Germay on an unlimited employment contract on 10 Jan 2014. I have also got a blue card here. I have invited my wife now on a Family reunion visa.
We applied for her visa on 06 Mar 2014. During the visa interview, she was asked for a tentative travel date and she informed it to be 20 Mar 2014, and the interviewer was OK with this.

Today, I enquired with the ABH (Ausledersamt) if thy have received her application and documents. I was shocked to know that they have still not received the online application from Bangalore consulate nor the document original/copies.

I would like to know if this is normal or I contact the Consulate in Bangalore and ask about the status. Its 2 weeks now and we have not yet received any word on the verification of any documents.

Please do reply with your valuable exprience and suggestions.

Regards!

Hi there,

The speed of spouse visa application, if your spouse applies separately while you are already in Germany, varies mainly how long have you been married, and to some extent the consulate/embassy your spouse applies to. If you got married very recently then chances are high that a verification is done. If it's been some years and/or you have kids then usually this verification is waived.

Let's say you fit in the first category, then I'd be surprised if you get any response in the first 2-3 weeks. Usually it takes a few weeks before they tell you whether or not a verification is necessary. If indeed necessary then you are asked to deposit an amount (varies betwen INR 8k-20k) to initiate the process. Overall it may take at least 2.5 months.

If you're in the second category then verification is not performed, nevertheless I think it takes 4-6 weeks for the complete process. Even if the interviewer said OK to fly on 20th, I'm sure he wasn't being realistic. Also I have friends who applied at the Bangalore Consulate and I know it took longer than expected. So be prepared.

Thank you 10dulkar!

But is it not a matter to worry as they say not even the online application is sent to the ABH?
It's usual that the online application is sent in a day after interview?

Also, is the marriage verification is initiated by the ABH here or it depends and decided on by the consulate in India? I have read posts on this forum where people share that it's only done if ABH feels it's necessary.

Today when I spoke to the officer in ABH buro, she informed me that once she receives the documents it needs a day or two for her to reply back as I have submitted most of the documents during processing my blue card.

Thanks!

Hi destinycrazy,

Actually the answer to ur query depends upon whether u were married long before u came to germany or after that. There are infact 2 cases as 10dulkar says.

Both local consulate and ABH can decide to initiate a verification. If the local consulate is skeptical abt ur marriage then they might send a mail in 2-3 weeks asking for verification fees.In this case only after verification , ur application goes to ABH. But if everything is fine from consulate, then they send the appln to ABH and if they initiate then u ll get a mail only after a month or so. (in my case i was asked for verf from ABH on 12th week ) So depending on ur case , u can figure out where ur appln is...

So I would suggest you to wait for 2 more weeks. I hope you get it soon If u don't get any mail, ask the ABH after 5 or 6 weeks. 

P.S. :[I know this from a file document I read on internet that belonged to chennai consulate, may be things have changed now]

Thank you ak,

Were you asked for any documents by the ABH?

Regards!

Hello
An update that might prove helpful!

From my personal experience with my spouse' visa. Follow up after 2 weeks of interview at an Indian German Consulate. The application might go to a location headquarter as it went in my case. As an example if you mention A location located in Stuttgart, the application might be sent to the ABH of Stuttgart and not your local ABH. Also they don't intimate you even if they know the application belongs to another region. I was following up with the Beamter every week and she was very helpful and suggested me to contact the main ABH of Stuttgart. To my luck, the application was at the main ABH office. Quite Strange!!!

So following up is the mantra! however, MC verification depends on the Beamter handling your application.

If everything is in place, a spouse visa must not take more than 4 weeks.

Thanks! - See more at: http://www.trust7.com/forum/-/message_boards/message/779928#sthash.5dH1yzHE.dpuf