Moving to Germany as a Couple: Visas, Money & Housing Tips

By the GoGermany Editorial Team · 2026-07-27

Moving to Germany as a couple? Compare visa routes for partners, see real income and savings numbers, and learn how to rent a flat for two.

Moving to Germany as a couple sounds romantic until you realise the paperwork treats each of you differently depending on your marriage status, nationality, and who holds the main visa. The good news is that Germany actively wants skilled workers to bring their partners, and the family reunion rules are more generous than in most countries. This guide walks you through the visa routes, the money you need to show, and how to land a flat for two without losing your deposit or your sanity.

Which visa route fits you when moving to Germany as a couple

There is no single "couple visa." One of you usually enters on a main permit (work, study, or job search) and the other joins through family reunification (Familienzusammenführung). Your best strategy depends on who has the stronger profile.

• One partner has a job offer: The employed partner applies for a Skilled Worker Visa or EU Blue Card. The spouse then applies for a spouse/family reunion visa at the same German mission, ideally in parallel.
• Neither has a job yet: Look at the Chancenkarte (Opportunity Card). Each partner can apply on their own points, or one applies and brings the other as a dependent once settled.
• One partner is studying: A student can bring a spouse, but the Ausländerbehörde will scrutinise finances closely, since a Sperrkonto sized for one rarely covers two.

Married vs unmarried couples

Germany's family reunion route is built around marriage or a registered partnership. If you are legally married, the joining spouse gets a residence permit tied to the main holder, usually with the right to work. Unmarried partners have almost no automatic route: you would each need your own qualifying visa. If you plan to marry, do it before you apply, or expect to travel on separate permits for a year or more.

One underrated perk: spouses of EU Blue Card holders skip the A1 German language requirement that normally applies to family reunion. That alone can save your partner months of Goethe classes.

Money: proving you can support two people

German authorities will not issue permits unless they believe you can live without state help. For a couple, the bar roughly doubles, but it is not simply two singles added together.

• Blue Card / Skilled Worker route: The working partner's salary is the main proof. A gross salary of around €45,300+ (2025 Blue Card threshold, lower for shortage jobs) comfortably covers a spouse.
• Student route with a partner: Expect to show a Sperrkonto well above the single-student figure of €11,904/year. Many Ausländerbehörden ask for roughly €1,000+ extra per month for the accompanying spouse.
• Living costs for two: A realistic monthly budget for a couple in a mid-sized city is €2,200–€3,000, covering rent, groceries, insurance, and transport.

Before you book flights, run your numbers through the Living Cost Calculator for your target city, and if a blocked account is involved, size it with the Sperrkonto Calculator. Not sure which route you qualify for? The Eligibility Checker sorts it out in a few minutes.

Bank accounts and health insurance

Open a German bank account (Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, or a free online bank like N26) as soon as one of you has an address. You will need it for rent, salary, and the deposit. Both partners need health insurance from day one: a working partner typically joins statutory insurance (TK, AOK, Barmer) and can add a non-working spouse for free through family coverage (Familienversicherung), which is a genuine money-saver couples often miss. If both of you work, you each pay your own contributions, but the combined household still benefits from Germany's capped statutory rates rather than paying per person on the private market.

Finding housing for two as a newcomer

Housing is the hardest part of moving to Germany as a couple, especially in Berlin, Munich, Hamburg, and Frankfurt where demand crushes supply. Landlords want a Schufa credit record and proof of income you will not have on arrival.

• Start with a furnished mid-term flat. It buys you time to job-hunt and view unfurnished flats in person. Browse options with the Furnished Housing Finder.
• Budget realistically. A one-bedroom in Munich runs €1,200–€1,600 warm; in Leipzig or Dortmund you can find the same for €600–€850.
• Prepare a landlord folder: passports, work contract or admission letter, first payslips, and a SCHUFA-Auskunft once you have one. A couple with two incomes actually looks stronger to landlords once both are employed.
• Understand the deposit (Kaution): usually up to three cold months' rent, held in a separate account and refundable when you leave.

Consider smaller cities within commuting distance of your job — a couple can often afford a full flat in Augsburg or Fürth for what a single room costs in central Munich.

Registration and admin as a couple

Within 14 days of getting a permanent address, both partners must complete the Anmeldung at the local Bürgeramt. You can usually register together in one appointment with one Wohnungsgeberbestätigung (landlord confirmation). Your Anmeldung unlocks nearly everything else: tax ID, bank verification, and your residence permit appointment at the Ausländerbehörde.

Married couples should also look at tax class combinations early. Choosing Steuerklasse III/V or IV/IV changes your monthly take-home noticeably when only one partner earns or incomes are unequal.

Think ahead about the long game, too. Both partners' permits usually start as a temporary Aufenthaltserlaubnis, and after a few years of work and pension contributions you can each convert to permanent residence. If that path matters to you, read Aufenthaltserlaubnis vs Niederlassungserlaubnis Explained so you know which contributions and language levels count toward settling for good.

Common mistakes couples make

• Applying separately without coordinating dates. Lodge the main and spouse applications at the same mission together so the caseworker links them.
• Assuming an unmarried partner can just "join later." Without marriage or a registered partnership, there is usually no family reunion route.
• Under-funding the Sperrkonto for two. A single-person amount gets the spouse's application refused.
• Signing a 24-month lease sight-unseen. German leases are hard to exit; start furnished and short-term.
• Forgetting Familienversicherung. Paying twice for health insurance when one partner could be covered for free wastes €200+ a month.

Start your move together

Moving to Germany as a couple is very doable when you pick the right main visa, marry before you apply if you can, and show income or savings for two rather than one. Map your budget, size any blocked account, and line up a furnished landing pad before you fly. Ready to see which route fits you both? Run your profile through our free tools and take the first concrete step this week.