I want to join my spouse in Germany. Do I need an A1 German certificate?

If you want to join your spouse in Germany, you need to show basic German before you enter the country. Basic German means level A1: understanding simple everyday sentences, introducing yourself, and writing your name and address on forms.

You submit the certificate to the German embassy or consulate general with your visa application. Accepted certificates include the Goethe-Institut or telc "Start Deutsch 1" exam, ÖSD "Grundstufe Deutsch 1" and TestDaF. The mission where you apply decides whether to accept the certificate.

In some cases no German certificate is needed. Examples: you or your spouse are a citizen of an EU country; your spouse has an EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU) or ICT card; your spouse holds a residence permit as a skilled worker (§ 18a, 18b), researcher or self-employed person (§ 21); you have a university degree and are likely to find work thanks to your language skills; you can't learn German because of illness or disability; learning German in your country isn't possible or reasonable, or you didn't succeed despite trying.

No certificate is needed either if your spouse is a citizen of certain countries (e.g. the USA, Canada, Japan, the UK). Turkey is not on this list.

Not all exceptions can be listed here. Ask the visa section or the Ausländerbehörde (immigration office) in Germany about your situation. For information, BAMF citizens' hotline: +49 911 943-0.

To prepare, you can use Deutsche Welle's free courses and the Goethe-Institut's Start Deutsch 1 practice test.