Family Applications: Extra Documents for Spouses and Children
Applying together with your spouse and children? Here's what extra documents and income proof are required.
Should the Family Apply Together or Separately?
A spouse and dependent children can apply together with the main applicant under 'family reunification'. This is usually faster and more practical than each family member filing an entirely separate application.
Additional Documents Required
You'll need a marriage certificate (apostilled, and sworn-translated if required), birth certificates for children, proof of the dependency relationship, and a separate criminal record check and health insurance policy for each family member.
The income the main applicant needs to show also needs to be recalculated using the +50% (spouse) / +30% (child) rule described in our Financial Requirements article.
Adult Dependent Children
Children over 18 who are still in education and financially dependent on their parents can, under certain conditions, still be included in a family application — in this case a student enrollment certificate and a dependency declaration are also required.
Common Mistakes in Family Applications
One of the most common mistakes is miscalculating income: what matters in a D7 assessment is the main applicant's own income. Adding the spouse's and children's separate incomes together into one 'household income' figure is a common but incorrect approach, and files prepared this way can run into problems.
Other frequent issues include missing apostilles/translations and family members applying at different times with unsynchronized documents. We prepare family files end-to-end together and check every document before submission.