Ukkram

We are both white and they were very nice to us. The one in charge was rather young and had a "asistant technicia" badge and could not say a single word in English so she had a translator sent over.
Everything went well and just as we were about to leave, she stared at me and babbled off at the translator who said that the marriage certificate must be from the EU member's (sponsor) country.
I just got the feeling that she had a light bulb moment and made up this law.
It occurred to me later that I am not "sponsoring" anybody but registering my spouse. The form I had to fill in was a sponsorship form.
With hindsight, I'm sure she's confused with EU spouse registration and plain sponsorship.

Got more info today. We must get the SA marriage certified and translated into Finnish in SA then send it to Finland where our marriage will get registered. Then we must get it certified and translated into Portuguese.
Hell no!!

mfesharne

You might like to consider contacting the Finnish High Commission here and ask if you can register the marriage with them and as the certificate is original, if it has to be certified in RSA before it can be registered....... if it does, you could contact the SA high commission and try to get the apostille done by them rather than return to RSA to do it......... they are after all supposed to be there to make life easier for their citizens.

not2old

Ukkram , you really are having a tough go of it - as they say in PT 'burocracia mais uma vez'

Thinking outside the box ... Is it possible or as simple as getting married again in Portugal - that'd give them a local marriage document? Or get married in Finland?

rules again I suppose, google being your friend, unless the rules governing the timeline 'maximum' 6 month' (see below) does not work for you - maybe ask around, local priest etc. Or a trip the the marriage licence place

I found this

http://lisbon.angloinfo.com/informat...-partnerships/

Note: The rule requiring one of the marrying parties to have been resident in Portugal for 30 days prior to the declaration of intent to marry has been abolished. This has been officially confirmed by the Serviço de Estrangeiros e Fronteiras (SEF) and the Funchal Civil Registry Office however many embassy websites have not yet updated their pages on this point.

Documents required by both marriage partners

The following documents must be presented at the Civil Registry Office to begin the marriage process:

Proof of residence or passport for temporary visitors

Certified birth certificate (certidão de nascimento) issued within the last six months (within three months if the marriage is to take place in the Azores)

A certificate of no impediment (um certificado de capacidade matrimonial). This document, issued by the national's Consulate in Portugal, confirms there is no obstacle to their marriage in Portugal. All foreigners getting married in Portugal require this document except UK nationals. For US citizens, the US Embassy will provide a letter explaining that US birth certificates do not contain any amendments regarding previous marriages (PDF)

In the case of a previous marriage a certified copy of the death certificate (certidão de óbito) of the deceased spouse or a certified copy of the final divorce decree

Baptismal certificates are necessary for those who wish to marry in a Roman Catholic church
All documents must be translated into Portuguese by a certified translator.

A small fee is charged (the amount varies from one Civil Registry to another).

Ukkram

Been Googling our problem all day and have found nothing to suggest that only EU marriage certificates are accepted and only if in Portuguese.
Sent the EU Commission an email concerning our problem and Afpop that I am a member of.
Will let you know how it pans out.

Red Eric

The form that should be used, according to the SEF website, is http://www.sef.pt/documentos/57/Mod0...munitarios.pdf

It's Cartão de Residência (Art.º 15º) that should be ticked at the top of the form, if you have a copy of what was completed in the office.

Red Eric

I agree with you about only EU marriages - that's not what the law says at all. However, it's perfectly possible that within the existing laws, marriage certificates could need to be authenticated and translated. The asking for a South African marriage certificate to be ratified in Finland doesn't make any sense to me, though. Is it normal to have to register a marriage abroad in one's country of birth?

AFPOP might well be able to help. There are also some other local and national bodies which deal specifically with helping immigrants.

Ukkram

My wife did fill that form in and I had to fill the Sponsor form.

captainflack

My wife is non EU (brazil). We found it hard at first to figure out exactly what the process was, but we did not provide police reports. The only sticking point we had was an insistence that we get our marriage cert reissued, as they only accept ones with issue dates less than 6 months. We got married in brazil, so had to get family to get it, and get a PT embassy stamp from there on it. Other than that, they cannot ask for anything like police reports or proof of funds etc. If you can prove you are married, then they have to grant your wife residency other than in extreme cases (public policy, public security, public health).

liveaboard

We had to show proof of income [this was just a few years ago], and the income had to be sufficient from the EU partner; the non-EU partner's income was not to be taken into account.
Makes no sense, but that's what the officer said.

Ukkram

I contacted SEF headquarters about our problem but received a reply stating that bank details and proof of address is not needed but a "full narrative birth certificate" or marriage certificate is required.
They did not address my main problem though.
Afpop is dealing directly with SEF on my behalf and will get back to me soon.

My understanding so far is that the Portuguese Embassy in South Africa has to stamp and sign our marriage certificate. This should authenticate it and make it acceptable without translation here.

Ukkram

A spouse of an EU member state citizen has the same rights as the member once the relationship has been proven by an authenticated marriage certificate.
This dispenses the need to prove "income, health insurance and accommodation.

EMR

I have to ask the queestion, have all the hassles you have been through and are going through been worth it.
Is life in Portugal what you expected ??

Ukkram

No. I would actually rather be back in South Africa. My problem goes deeper than what I have said here.
My bank in SA cannot send me my funds as they are waiting for my residency. I can only swipe my bank card. My account is a "Blocked Account" for non residents and I cannot do any internet banking.

I love the security here compared to SA but the red tape is far too long on both sides but I will stick it out for my kids sake. They are in the UK and can visit us more often.

mfesharne

I thought you had your residencia?

Ukkram

No. Our money is in my wifes's account. I thought I would be clever for certain reasons to put all our money into my wifes's account. Main reason is that she will live longer than me.