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Applying together for visas with the girlfriend (both non-EU)

Kombinator

Hello all,

I am a non-EU person who got an offer from a company in Belgium. I have a non-EU girlfriend and we have been together in a relationship for 11 years (5 years living together).

Will it be possible for us to apply for visas together at the same time and come to Belgium together (something like a cohabitation visa)? I read at this forum that it is definitely possible for married couples and it saves a lot of time. But I haven’t found anything about unmarried couples.

We currently live in the Netherlands so the other option will be to quickly get married here but I am not sure if this quick marriage can be seen as suspicious for Belgium authorities.

Thank you in advance!

See also

Work permit in BelgiumThe Working Holiday Visa for BelgiumVisas for BelgiumFamily reunificationProcessing times until approval?
AlexFromBelgium

Hello,

it depends if you have a legal status together or not depending on your country of residence of elsewhere.
If you've, then yes, she'll depend on your single permit visa.
If no, impossible without a status.

Kombinator

Hi,

Thanks for the answer. It is not clear to me what you mean by “legal status”. We are living together and can prove it. Is it a legal status?
I checked Belgium rules and as far as I understood - I can bring a partner with me to Belgium even if we are not married. This is called a cohabitation visa. Am I right?
So the question was whether we can apply together for this cohabitation visa and arrive together. Can we avoid the long family reunion e.g. I come to Belgium first and then apply for her arriving? As I understood from the forum the latter takes about 6 months.

nihancevirgen

Hi,

If you prove that you lived with your partner under the same roof for at least a year, then you will be eligible to apply for a cohabitation visa. Coming to your latest question, some documents will be asked from your partner during the visa application such as your residence address in Belgium and your payslip to prove that you are financially stable to provide for your partner so it is better if you arrive Belgium first and then s/he applies for the cohabitation visa. You might wish to have a look at the below site for more info:

Kombinator

Thanks for the answer.
Well, now I am a bit confused because I saw multiple threads where it was recommended to apply for visas together in order to avoid this long reunification procedure.

nihancevirgen

well, even if you apply together despite the possible missing documents which I stated above, there is a high chance that you will get your work visa before s/he receives his/her cohabitation visa. although cohabitation visa seems like a "short term visa", it is handled by the same service that is processing the family reunification demands so the issuance of the cohabitation visa takes longer than other type of visas.

GuestPoster1612

Hi Kombinator,
Your situation is very particular, especially beacause you are not married to your non-EU partner.

I am a non-EU expat working in Belgium, my non-EU legal partner came to Belgium to register our legal partnership (cohabitation) and then start the famility reunification process. Unfortunately her request was rejected.

I suggest you to ask for guidance to the Belgian embassy in your home country. I do not know if both of you are from the same home country.

Best of luck

Adeyola

It is always complicated starting family reunification visa process from Belgium if you are non EU, I guess that's why the request was rejected.

Always start family reunification visa application from your home country as a non EU, it's safer.

IntoBelgium.com

She will need to apply for family reunion based on cohabitation at the commune.

Ade mary

Please I want to apply for visiting visa from my home country. I’ve been on the site and I want to ask if I need to legalise my birth certificate at the Belgium embassy before submitting or it’s not needed. How long does it take to get the visa. Also is it compulsory to get a flight itinerary or not