July 2010

Information Sheet on Document Verifications

for Visa Applicants

Dear applicant,

thank you very much for your interest in applying for a German National Residence Permit. This information
sheet is meant to explain in detail the process of a document verification which might become a mandatory
requirement during the application process.

Since the year 2000 Indian personal documents (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates) are no longer valid in
Germany as such. The former legalization procedure had to be suspended due to the high number of detected
fraudulent documents. On the other hand, a legally valid personal document is the basis for obtaining a visa for
family reunion for spouses and children. In order to enable holders of an Indian personal document to obtain this
required legal validity for their documents in Germany, the “verification process” was put into place.

During the verification process the content of the document as well as its legal format are being verified. If the
verification process does not disclose any falsifications, a verification remark is attached to the document by the
German Consulate General. Now your Indian document is legally valid in the Federal Republic of Germany.
The verification process is conducted by a local agency. Please understand that the identity of this agency may
not be revealed due to security purposes. The German Consulate, however, co-ordinates the verification process
and handles the communication between the applicant, the verification agency and the Immigration Offices in
Germany.

The verification fee is 15.000/- Rs. per complete case. The fee has to be paid in Rupees by Demand Draft in
the name of “Shankar R., Chennai”. The Demand Draft must be payable in Chennai and may not be older than
two months. Only Demand Drafts from the Indian Bank, Canara Bank, RBS or Deutsche Bank will be accepted.
Demand Drafts with incorrect amounts will not be accepted. Fees cannot be paid in cash. Please note that the fee
is not refundable once the verification process has started. You will receive a receipt for the verification fee upon
completion of the verification process.

Upon receipt of your visa application the German Consulate will check your personal documents for obvious
falsifications and compare the format of your document to sample formats. If the visa section is satisfied with
your documents, your visa application will be forwarded to the local Immigration Office in Germany. There, the
respective officer will decide on the need for a formal verification process. In certain cases, the Consulate
General can ask for a verification directly.
Please note that the decision, whether a verification is necessary, is taken on an individual basis after having
revised your application documents.

Depending on the circumstances, the complete verification process might take 8 - 12 weeks.

Here is an overview of the normal verification process:

1) Application for a family reunion visa

The visa process for dependant visa is started by submission of a visa application. The legal basis for a
dependant visa is either a birth or a marriage certificate with legal validity in Germany. Please note that only
official government certificates can be accepted. Applications with religious certificates cannot be processed.

Anschrift: Post: Telefon: Telefax: E-Mail Pass- und Visastelle:

No. 9 Boat Club Road P.O. Box 3110 0091-44-2430 1600 0091-44-2434 9293 visa@chenn.diplo.de
Chennai 600 028 Chennai 600 028 Telefax Pass- und Visastelle: Website:
India India 0091-44-2434 9495 www.chennai.diplo.de
Your application will be checked by a visa officer of the Consulate General.. One copy of the application will be
forwarded to the competent local Immigration Office in Germany. In certain cases, the Consulate General will
ask you directly to submit the documents for a verification. In these cases, the application will be forwarded
after completion of the verification.

2) Request of the Immigration Office in Germany

Upon receipt of your application documents, the German Immigration Office will check your personal
documents as well. If required, the Immigration Office will ask the German Consulate General in Chennai for a
formal verification process of your personal documents.

3) Formal notification to the applicant

Upon receipt of a verification request, the German Consulate General will send you a letter with further
instructions as a formal notification of the requirement of a verification process. You will be required to submit
the necessary documents to start the verification process.
For marriage certificates, the following documents must be submitted:
the original marriage certificate
one A4 sized photocopy of the marriage certificate
6 to 8 pictures of the wedding ceremony
copies of all pages of the passports of husband and wife
Demand Draft for verification fee

For birth certificates, the following documents must be provided:

the original birth certificate
one A4 sized copy of the birth certificate
Demand Draft for verification fee

Please note that the German Consulate General reserves the right to ask for additional documents in single cases.

Please provide your correct current address in your application and keep the German Consulate General
informed on address changes. The Consulate General must be able to contact you at any point during the
verification process. If any letter of the German Consulate General is returned, the verification process
will be stopped and your visa application will be rejected!

4) Verification Process
After submission of all required documents, the German Consulate General forwards your documentation to an
agency which verifies the content as well as the legal format of your documents. At the end of its investigations,
the agency informs the German Consulate General of its findings.

5) Report for the Immigration Office in Germany

Based on the results of the verification the German Consulate General drafts a report to the Immigration Office
in Germany. Please note that it may take 3 weeks until the report arrives in the respective Immigration Office in
Germany. The original documents will be returned to you by registered post.
In case, the Consulate General has initiated the verification process on its own accord, the report will be sent
together with your application to Germany.

6) Decision of the German authorities

Having received the documents, the authorities in Germany will decide on your visa application and
communicate their decision to the German Consulate General.

7) Final Decision of the German Consulate General

Upon receipt of the decision of the German Immigration Office, the German Consulate General will inform you
as soon as possible in writing.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate

to contact the Visa Section of the German Consulate General in Chennai!

Anschrift: Post: Telefon: Telefax: E-Mail Pass- und Visastelle:

No. 9 Boat Club Road P.O. Box 3110 0091-44-2430 1600 0091-44-2434 9293 visa@chenn.diplo.de
Chennai 600 028 Chennai 600 028 Telefax Pass- und Visastelle: Website:
India India 0091-44-2434 9495 www.chennai.diplo.de