Morbeous

Hi I am hoping someone can help. I am looking to move to Spain in August with my non EU wife. We have a marriage certificate issued in Azerbaijan which is where we were married. However I have read lots of conflictimng info over what is needed so would like it clarifying please. Firstly I have read that I need a marriage certificate isued in an EU country. Azerbaijan is not an EU country however it has been translated into English and notarised and also has an apostille stamp on it. Is this sufficient? Also I have read that they may ask for one issued within the past 90 days? How would this be possible as we have to be in the country 3 months before applying for my wifes residency. Also I have read somewhere else that Spain are actually breaking EU directives by asking this. Any help will be appreciated.

thanks

Rosemary

Hi and a warm welcome to the Spanish forum on BE. Myself and Fred James are the moderators for the Spanish forums whilst BEVS moderates Europe. Moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. This is so that members gain the information that they are looking for and find their experiences on the forums to be friendly and worthwhile.

Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderator who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are usually friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge about the issues of living in Spain. I hope that you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

MikeJ

I believe that you must have a marriage certificate that is recognised by the EU country - so an Azerbaijan certificate which is notarised and has apostille stamp should be acceptable under normal international law. However, Spain will almost certainly require that the translation is into Spanish. [This may the issue that Spain is at odds with the EC as the EC recognises many languages officially]
Note: this is not a legal opinion!

Morbeous

I can get it translated into Spanish and notarised no problems. As I'm currently in Azerbaijan its much easier to get it translated here rather than fly back to the UK to get a marriage certificate issued there plus a lot cheaper

Liana12433

Hi,
How did you get on in the end, as my wife of 4 years is Russian and she is applying soon for a visa, I work and reside in Spain and a UK citizen as is one of our children. She was told all her documents needed to be translated into English for coming to Spain but my work contract is in Spanish as my NIE card.
Just drop a line sometime please,
Cheers

Morbeous

Hi. We are currently in Spain getting all documents sorted. To be safe I have everything in Spanish and English. Have been told everything should be okay but it's quite a time consuming process. I have got a translator to help me though

Liana12433

Your wife get her visa ok as I understand there should be no issues there are only 4 reasons why they can refuse, health, terror risk, and a couple of other reasons but they are extreme not for a family or a wife as in your case how long did it take

Morbeous

Applied for a Shengen visa on the Monday and got it on the Friday with no problems. Got it free also as I'm British and count as an eu citizen