Spouse Visa For Spain

[Mrtor]

hey,

ive been reading through this forum for a couple of hours but cant seem to find the info i need.

i hope someone can help me.theres a few things im not sure about.

ok i was born in ireland so have an irish passport and birth cert.but the last 3 years i have been living and working in northern ireland(uk).but recently i have moved to spain.

when in ireland i met a thai girl online and things progressed to the stage where i want to marry her to get her over to live with me in spain.after reading alot of posts i think the best plan is for me to go there for 3 months or so and marry early and then apply for her spouse visa.

but im not sure who to apply to for it.

can i get her into spain if im not spanish?

i apply to irish embassy in thai?

or thai embassy in spain? or?

im worried because im irish that i will have to go through a whole hassle to get her to spain and will have to move back to ireland first.i plan to go later this year and stay at her families house.

i know its alot to ask but a check list or step by step guide even roughly done wud be a life saver.

im worried il mess this up and cause some heartbreak by having to wait a long time after.

and as alot of people the reason i want to go a few months is i want to go there and bring her back on the same flight with me.

to be honest in the back of my mind i still have that fear that its too good to be true and if i marry and leave il not see her again.but i have always been overly careful and i think with this there is always a certain amount of risk u have to take to get it done.

any help is very much appreciated.

[the scouser]

I'm sorry that I am unable to devote more time to replying, but I'm at bit busy at the moment.

However, in basic terms, once married, your then-wife will should apply for a family permit at the Spanish embassy in Bangkok. As she will be the spouse of an EU/EEA national, the visa should be issued free of charge and with the minimum of formality.

Your wife only needs to establish that:-

1. You are married

2. You are an Irish citizen

3. You are exercising a given right in Spain; e.g. working

4. She will not be a burden on the Spanish public purse

That's the theory, but the Spanish can play funny b*ggers when the whim takes them.

Cheers,

Scouse.

[the scouser]

Also, have a read of a fellow member's experiences with the Spanish embassy.

Scouse.

[Mrtor]

thank you so much for that reply.

it might not seem like alot to you but means the world to me

this has given me real hope now.

any other information about anything im all ears.

[Charma]

I am no expert in these matters, but have limited experience of getting a Spanish visa. As a UK national I managed to get my Thai wife a visa to Spain where I was working at the time. The Spanish embassy in Bangkok were not the easiest people to deal with. In the end it was easier to get a UK visa first and then the Spanish embassy were happy to issue one too.

As scouser has pointed out, I think there have been changes since I did mine that mean they are obliged to grant the visa.

One thing that really p****d me off about the Spanish embassy was when we followed their sign that directed us to take a numbered card and then sit and wait to be called. Everyone did this, but after a many hours waiting it became apparent that no-one was being called and the only ones being seen were the agents dealing with multiple applications. After querying this with the staff, we were informed that the numbering system was not being used that day and we should have just come up to the counter! No apologies to us or the 15 people that were sat like idiots with waiting for their number to come up.

As a footnote, my wife did not like Spain much and we moved back to the UK!

[Mrtor]

Your wife only needs to establish that:-

1. You are married

2. You are an Irish citizen

3. You are exercising a given right in Spain; e.g. working

4. She will not be a burden on the Spanish public purse

ok no.1 is easy. 2 is easy.

3 not sure how official it needs to be about exercising a given right in spain.i am hoping to get work soon but dont know if i will have my tax or national insurance number for a good while.

wud a letter from an employer be enough do you think?i need bank statements etc?

4 she has to have a job waiting? she intends to work in spain but once again we wont be able to get any official tax or national insurance numbers etc.wud only be a letter from an employer.

if she got a family permit at the uk or irish embassy why wud she need to apply to the spanish one after?or maybe that has changed or will be in october?

[geoffphuket]

to TV torkx

I can't offer any advice, but this link mabe of use to you:

http://www.eurovisa.info/SchengenCountries.htm

Best of luck to the two of you

[the scouser]

3 not sure how official it needs to be about exercising a given right in spain.i am hoping to get work soon but dont know if i will have my tax or national insurance number for a good while.

wud a letter from an employer be enough do you think?i need bank statements etc?

4 she has to have a job waiting? she intends to work in spain but once again we wont be able to get any official tax or national insurance numbers etc.wud only be a letter from an employer.

if she got a family permit at the uk or irish embassy why wud she need to apply to the spanish one after?or maybe that has changed or will be in october?

A letter from an employer should be sufficient, but what would be best is to register with the Spanish authorities. They should issue you with a residence card which you can then use to support your wife's application.

Your wife will not need to have a job lined up, but you will need to demonstrate that you have enough money to support her. That's where evidence of your employment in Spain will come in handy.

A family permit for Spain can only be issued by the Spanish authorities. Likewise, if you were to go and live in the UK, you'd make the application to the British embassy.

Scouse.

[Charma]

When I was there, "residencia" took absolutely bloody ages to be processed. I showed employers letter (Spanish registered S.L. company) and Spanish bank accounts and that was enough.

[Mrtor]

residency i dont think i can get..at least not this year.

so i hope a letter from an "employer" will be enough.

do u happen to know roughly how long it might take me after we marry there to get her visa sorted?

i was thinking about 3 months but maybe its alot less.

ps. i love this forum such great help! u guys are amazing.

how many lives have u saved i wonder O.o

[the scouser]

Under the latest EU legislation, you should be issued with a residency certificate more or less upon request, but this advice comes with the usual caveat that what the law says and the Spanish authorities do, may be totally at odds.

Scouse.

[Mrtor]

When I was there, "residencia" took absolutely bloody ages to be processed. I showed employers letter (Spanish registered S.L. company) and Spanish bank accounts and that was enough.

a concern for me now is will i need residency in spain to get my wife a family permit there.

and how long does a family permit allow her to stay? i dont want her to have to go back again.

ps do i need ato have a lump sum in the bank to show i can support her or will weekly payments going in for a month or 2 do?

Edited August 10, 2006 by torakx

[the scouser]

It's not a prerequisite to hold a residence certificate, but it will help.

In terms of support, you need to demonstrate that you are either working in Spain, or that you have sufficient funds from your own resources not to be a burden on the public purse.

Scouse.

[Mrtor]

i have been thinking about this alot and i am getting near the stage where i will need to plan my trip to thailand.

ive been looking at flights etc and gf is going to get an apartment for us over there for 3 months for 5000baht a month.im wondering does anyone have even a rough idea of how much euro i may need to save for flights apartment

and costs for spouse visa and marriage :/

i find myself seeing diffeent numbers and quotes but cant seem to gather it up to a rough estimate.

anyone has done something similar before and can gve me an idea?

i have only 1000 euro saved so far to go there stay 3 months marry in that time and bring her back with me on same flight.

i doubt thats enough. but any rough idea will give me something to aim for.