I (31m, Netherlands) received an offer from a Japanese company with visa sponsorship. I want to bring my partner (30f). We have a cohabitation contract (Dutch: “samenlevingscontract”) and are engaged, but we are not married.
Is she eligible for a partner visa?
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This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Working visa with partner- is marriage a requirement?**
I (31m, Netherlands) received an offer from a Japanese company with visa sponsorship. I want to bring my partner (30f). We have a cohabitation contract (Dutch: “samenlevingscontract”) and are engaged, but we are not married.
Is she eligible for a partner visa?
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Marriage is required for a dependent visa.
>Is she eligible for a partner visa?
Short answer: No. Gotta be married.
Long answer: *Maaaayyyyyyyyybbbbbbbbbbeeeeeeeee…* But still likely no. Because you have formalized your relationship to an extent you could *possibly* make a case to immigration for an exception. But that would require hiring a lawyer, waiting a long time for the case to grind through the immigration system, lots of money in lawyer fees and courier fees for documents, all for a result that is very likely to still be “No. Gotta be married.”
I guess if you were somehow fundamentally opposed to marriage it *might* be an option, but… That’s a lot of time, money, and stress for a result that will likely still not be the one you want.
Thanks for the answers! I have nothing against marriage, but getting married will take 2.5 months (8 weeks of required “ondertrouw” before we can say yes) while the visa process would start next week.