Family reunion to EU-Citizens

If you are an EU citizen, your family members have the right to join you and live together wit you under simplified conditions.

These regulations apply if you

• • are a national of an EU country, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland
  • live in another EU country
  • work/are self-employed in this EU country or are able to finance yourself.

Examples:
You are a German national working in Belgium and would like your 20-year-old daughter with Russian nationality to move to Belgium.

You are a Spanish national and live and work in Germany. You would like your Afghan wife to join you in Germany.

You are a German citizen and live in Austria. You work from home for a company in Germany. Your income is sufficient for you and your family to cover the living costs in Austria.

You can have the following family members join you:

• • Spouse
  • Children or grandchildren under the age of 21
  • Children or grandschildren of the spouse under the age of 21
    without further requirements

• • Parents or grandparents
  • Parents-in-law or grandparents of the spouse
  • Children and stepchildren who are already 21 years old,
    if you have already been supporting them for a longer period of time before they apply for residency. However, it is not necessary to cover the entire cost of living.

Examples:
You are a Polish citizen and live and work in Germany. Your parents-in-law are Russian nationals and live there. You have been sending them €200 a month regularly for a year.

You are a German national and live and work in Poland. You have been paying your mother in Syria €50 a month for 1 ½ years via Western Union so that she can buy food.

If you have lived with your family members in another EU country for several months and wish to return to your country of nationality, your family members can accompany you and keep their right of residence (so-called return cases).

Examples:
You are a German citizen living and working in the Netherlands. Your parents have moved to live with you in the Netherlands. After 6 months, you receive a job offer from Germany. Your parents can move to Germany with you if you can finance part of your parents’ living expenses.

You are a Swedish national and live and work in Germany. Your adult children have joined you. You would like to return to Sweden after 6 months.

There are often difficulties in enforcing EU rights to freedom of movement, so legal support is recommended.

Our Specialists (Fachanwalt) in Immigration Law are Sven Hasse and Marten Kaspar.