German Visa Delays Leave Iranian Families Stranded and Separated

(TEHRAN, IRAN) Thousands of Iranians have been left in limbo as delays in German visas stretch into months, with family reunification cases piling up and students losing university places after Berlin suspended most processing in Tehran following the June 16 closure of the German embassy during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran. Applicants describe stalled files, unanswered emails, and growing fear that their plans—and in many cases their families—will not survive the wait.

Local reporting has tried to quantify the damage. Shargh estimated more than 6,000 people face delays, including approximately 4,000 in family reunification cases. In August, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency said the closure of several embassies during the conflict left about 3,000 to 4,000 Iranian passports stuck in visa processing, blocking travel for students, athletes, and families who had already paid fees, signed leases, or accepted offers from German universities. Applicants say the backlog has hardened into a wall: they cannot withdraw passports, cannot register for new appointments, and often cannot get basic updates on their cases.

For families split between Germany and Iran, the extended halt has come with a heavy psychological toll. An Iranian father living in Germany said he completed paperwork for his teenage son’s family-reunification visa before the war, but as of November 2025 he still had not been able to register for an appointment. He described his son’s mental health worsening with each month of separation, a fear echoed by others who are watching savings drain and children grow up apart from parents because of a system that seems stuck in neutral. Another case involves an Iranian nurse who migrated to Germany on a work visa and has been separated from her husband and six-year-old child for more than a year. She had reached the final stages of securing their visas when the process halted due to the war, leaving the future of this family of three uncertain.

Individual accounts help explain the scale behind the figures. One applicant named Masoud told reporters:

“I have been separated from my wife and children for more than three years. I completed my interview in May but since then there has been no answer.”

Others describe similar silence: an Iranian woman living in southern Germany said her friend, a student at the University of Erlangen in northern Bavaria, was forced to abandon her studies and return to Iran after her husband was unable to obtain a visa. The embassy returned his passport, she said, without even stamping it as rejected. For many families, the lack of a decision is itself a decision, closing doors without explanation.

Students face an especially unforgiving clock. Admissions expire, classes begin, and housing guarantees lapse. Bita, who received an offer to study for a master’s degree in Germany, said her term was set to start in October but no interview date had been scheduled.

“The risk of missing my term is real, and then I may have to start the whole process again,” she said.

Those who had already paid tuition deposits or secured dorm rooms say they are now appealing to universities to hold places, while others are trying to switch to online study to avoid losing an entire academic year. Parents who took loans in Iran to cover blocked bank transfers or rent in advance for German apartments are now facing repayments with nothing to show but expired confirmations.

Frustration has spilled into the streets outside German diplomatic buildings. Dozens of Iranians have staged weekly protests outside Berlin’s consulate in Tehran every Thursday, with around 100 people holding placards demanding clarity on their cases. On a Sunday in recent months, a group of young Iranians gathered again in front of the consulate, this time to protest the embassy’s refusal to process applications for bachelor’s, conditional master’s, and college programs. One protester stated:

“This situation is completely unfair. The embassy should not treat us differently from those in higher programs when we have already paid tuition, insurance, and even rent.”

For those trying to reach Germany on student visas, the complaint is not only about delay but about perceived unequal treatment based on degree level and program type, especially in cases where institutions set strict enrollment deadlines.

Anger has also focused on TLScontact, the external service provider that collects visa applications and biometric data on behalf of the German embassy in Tehran. Several applicants say they cannot reach the provider and that attempts to reschedule or even confirm existing appointments go nowhere.

“In the past two weeks, we have repeatedly contacted TLS, and in recent days we again protested both in front of the consulate and TLS, but no one is responding,” one protester said.

Applicants describe lines that do not move, email addresses that bounce, and call centers that refer them back to embassy websites where appointments still show as cancelled. For families trying to secure family reunification visas, these dead ends have meant missed windows for travel and mounting legal and logistical costs.

German authorities acknowledge only a limited restart. The German embassy announced on June 16 that it had temporarily closed due to the war and cancelled all issued appointments, promising to reschedule them later. Germany’s Federal Foreign Office, asked about the status of German visas from Iran, said that “the processing of pending visa procedures and the acceptance of new applications are taking place in accordance with current capacities” and aims to “expand operations depending on further developments and the personnel resources available.” Applicants say that “current capacities” remain far short of demand, and that decisions are rare even for cases that were near completion when the war began.

The embassy’s website underscores the narrow relief. The “Family Reunion” section indicates that processing of visa applications for those who had already submitted documents remains suspended. However, from November 11, the embassy says appointments for Iranian nationals already on the waiting list for family-reunion visas “will be scheduled depending on available capacity,” though it is not possible to register for new appointments or join the waiting list. That has created a two-tier system in family reunification: people already in the queue may inch forward, while those who need to begin the process cannot even enter their names. The distinction matters in households where one parent reached Germany first on a work visa and hoped to reunite with a spouse and child soon after. Now those families are stuck without even a timeline for when they can take the first step.

Advocacy groups say the bottleneck in Tehran reflects a wider structural problem across Germany’s consular network when demand surges. The European Council on Refugees and Exiles notes that waiting times at the German embassy in Tehran exceed one year, with some embassies explicitly stating in advance that processing will take at least 12 months. There is no legal regulation setting a maximum timeframe for visa processing. When embassies fail to respond, applicants’ legal challenges are often dismissed if delays are viewed as justified because of high caseloads. That leaves applicants—especially those seeking family reunification—without effective remedies while months pass. Lawyers in Iran and Germany say it is difficult to force movement in such cases, and that the absence of firm deadlines invites prolonged silence.

Berlin’s capacity in Tehran has also been trimmed. The German embassy faced staffing reductions after Ambassador Markus Potzel ended his mission, citing “personal reasons,” and Berlin announced that staff cuts would mean stricter visa issuance. For Iranians, that has translated into fewer appointment slots, longer queues, and extended review times even for straightforward applications. Families say that after years of sanctions and currency shocks, the delays now are uniquely cruel because they target their most basic hope: to live together under the same roof. Applicants who already had jobs or places at universities in Germany and who were weeks from travel say they now fear their opportunities will vanish before their passports move from storage to a decision desk.

Pressure on the German government has intensified. More than 550 Iranian figures—including political activists, journalists, human rights defenders, and those who suffered eye injuries during the 2022 nationwide protests—sent a letter to the German federal government calling for immediate resumption of visa processing for at-risk professions. The signatories argue that prolonged suspension exposes vulnerable people to further danger in Iran and undermines Germany’s stated support for civil society. For many, family reunification is not just a category but a lifeline: spouses separated from each other and from children for months or years, elderly parents unable to join adult children who can care for them, and young families living across time zones with no certainty when they will be reunited.

Applicants say the confusion has been compounded by inconsistent communication. Some report that passports were returned without formal decisions, making it unclear whether to reapply or wait. Others recount being told their interviews would be rescheduled shortly, only to see weeks pass without updates. Students say they often hear different messages from universities and consulates about whether German visas can be processed in time to enroll. Those with expiring admissions are weighing whether to seek deferrals or try different countries, calculating the risk of losing funds paid for tuition, insurance, or housing. One reason anger has focused on TLScontact is that it functions as the main interface for applicants; when that interface fails, both the process and the human stories behind it disappear into a void.

On Tehran’s streets, the weekly Thursday protests outside Berlin’s consulate have become a ritual of waiting. Applicants recount meeting the same families again and again: parents holding files for teenage children, couples comparing appointment numbers, and students swapping lists of documents they fear will go out of date before any interview. The gatherings sometimes grow to around 100 people, a visible reminder that German visas and family reunification cases are more than paperwork. The crowds have also taken their grievances to TLScontact’s premises, hoping visible pressure will prompt faster responses. For now, they say, they receive nods and promises—then the same silence.

German officials say they are trying to manage a difficult balance in a volatile environment. The 12-day war between Israel and Iran forced the embassy in Tehran to suspend operations and cancel all issued appointments as a security measure. The Federal Foreign Office has described a phased approach, adjusting to “current capacities” with plans to “expand operations depending on further developments and the personnel resources available.” Applicants accept that embassies must manage risk, but insist that the consequences need to be shared openly and mitigated where possible—especially for family reunification, which they view as a protected pathway that should not be paused indefinitely.

For Iranians weighing their next steps, the path forward remains murky. Those already on the family-reunion waiting list may see glimmers of movement after November 11, when the embassy said appointments “will be scheduled depending on available capacity,” but it is still not possible to register for new slots or join the queue. Students like Bita, who was set to start in October, must decide whether to gamble on a late approval or walk away and begin again for the next academic year. Workers with job offers face risks that contracts will lapse. Parents separated from young children count the weeks and try to keep bonds alive over video calls.

The stakes are deeply personal but also systemic. Without clear timelines, applicants cannot plan their lives, and embassies face mounting frustration. Advocacy groups warn that prolonged delays undermine confidence in legal pathways and feed demand for irregular routes. Families, students, and professionals say they will keep appealing to German authorities for predictable, transparent processing and to prioritize cases where separation causes the greatest harm. Officials in Berlin, for their part, point to limited staffing and regional instability. Between these positions lies a queue that stretches past one year, with no statutory maximum time and few tools for applicants to compel action.

Germany’s policies still hold strong appeal for Iranians seeking study, work, or reunion with loved ones. But the current bottleneck in Tehran has turned that appeal into a waiting game, one measured in cancelled interviews, expired offers, and birthdays missed over a screen. Applicants say they need something concrete—new appointment slots, faster decisions on existing files, and a plan to clear the backlog—before confidence returns. Until then, the line for German visas in Iran remains a story of separation prolonged by silence, with family reunification at the heart of what has been put on hold. For official updates and notices on visa services, applicants are directed to the German Federal Foreign Office visa information, which reflects the latest guidance on capacities and appointment scheduling.