shudda

Hi all

We've got all our forms printed and ready to go and I've only just noticed this in the West Europe - Information guide:

Also provide [...] at least two statutory declarations from individuals with personal knowledge of your relationship supporting your claim that the relationship is genuine and continuing.

I feel like an idiot for missing that out til now! We're meeting a solicitor friend on Sunday to get our copies signed, should we ask 2 friends to come along and do these statutory declarations? Is there a template? Also, we had friends and family write letters for us saying that they know we're in a relationship - should these declarations be by people who wrote those letters or can they be anyone we know?!

Ahhh!! Thanks for any help at all!!

Reghuraj

I dont think there is any kind of templete. as far as i know we only need to get as many letters from friends and relatives stating that they know about you and your marriage and that the relationship is genunine and continuing.

regs

SchnookoLoly

Hahaha I'm in the same boat as you, saw that you need some certified and debated what to do about that. In the end, I asked two friends to write out declarations, and am taking them to a solicitor for him to sign.

There isn't a template as such, but happy to share what we're using, which I put together from other posts through this forum:

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Common-law sponsorship of Fiance by SchnookoLoly

Date: [date the person signs the form]

I, [full name], do solemly and sincerely declare the following:

1. I have known [Fiance/Schnookololy] since [month, year]. We met at [location/circumstance of meeting].
OR
[Fiance/SchnookoLoly] is my [family relation].

2. I met [Fiance/SchnookoLoly, whichever is not in 1 above] in pmonth, year], at [location/circumstance of meeting].

3. I have known Fiance and SchnookoLoly to be in a genuine and continuing relationship that began in November 2008.

4. Fiance and SchnookoLoly have been living together as a couple since March 2010. They became engaged in June 2011 and will be married in April 2012.

5. [any other information you can provide and are willing to swear to about our relationship – went travelling with us as a couple, visited us as a couple, participating in the wedding – anything else you want to say about the relationship]

I make this solumn declaration conscientiously believing it to be true with the same force and effect as if made under oath.

Signed,

[signature]
[full name]
[full address including country and postal/zip code]
[contact phone number(s) including country codes]

DECLARED BEFORE ME AT

[location]
in the borough of [borough]
THIS [25th] DAY OF [month],
2011


[signature]
[full name]
[title – proof of solicitor]
[full address including country and postal/zip code]
[contact phone number(s) including country codes]

----------------------

We are finding that this template is working well for us. It means that we have captured and have had the important information about our relationship sworn, but by adding in that #5 section it means that there's an element of personalisation on the letter, and not just "fill out this template" sort of thing. Fiance's brother wrote about 3 sentences, my mom wrote about a half-page, and Fiance's mom wrote a short essay. Our friends' contributions are similar - it means that it's more obvious we actually got people to fill out their own forms.

Hope that helps!

shudda

Thanks so much!

We have 11 letters from friends and family but didn't even notice the whole "declaration" thing! So now we've asked two friends whose letters we have to come in and have our solicitor sign those same letters with them...so crazy!

Good luck to you!