Hi there, my name is Karan, and am currently in Germany on a visitor visa. I have a German girlfriend [German Citizen], and we want to get married as soon as possible. However, the only hitch is, will I be able to reside in Germany if I marry her in Germany , or would I have to leave Germany even if I marry her in Germany. In case I am allowed to live in Germany, would I be entitled to a work permit and resident visa. Do give your precious views on this delicate issue. What’s the best way to deal with it?

Hi Karan,

As to your second question: If you marry a German citizen, you would get a Residence permit and work permit to live and work in Germany.

The first question: If you have come here on a tourist Visa and you marry here, you still have to go back to your country. And then from there, you have to apply for a Familienzusammenfürungsvisum (visa for joining your family). This is because a tourist visa connot be converted to a Residence permit.

Now the third part of your post: If you want to get married in Germany, it takes a very long time. You both have to submit all your papers ( which include Birth certificate, Certificate of marriageability and so on) to the Standesamt. Then they send your papers to your home country for verification. This verification (I can guess your nationality) can take 8 Months or longer for certain countries.

For a quick result, there are 2 ways. First, since you are already here in Germany, you both can go to Denmark (if you have a Schengen Visa) and get married there. The marriage in Denmark is recognised here without any problem. But you still need to go back to your country and apply for the family reunion Visa. Then you can come here.

The other way is : go back to your country. Get married there. The marriage must be registered and legal. Then apply for a Visa in your country for joining your wife in Germany. It takes about 3 months to get this visa.

Related link : http://www.info4alien.de

But the posts here are in German language.

My suggestion: Do it in Denmark if possible. You can search this Trust7 Site. There are links for Denmark there.

All the best.