Investor Visa Options for Unmarried Couples

Married couples can jointly apply for every investor visa programme that La Vida currently offers. We are often asked what the options are for couples who are not legally married, or in a same-sex relationship. In general, the terms surrounding couples tend to be the most liberal and flexible in Europe.

Unmarried, cohabiting couples:

If you are cohabiting with a long term partner, sometimes referred to as a ”common-law partner”, it is possible to apply for most of the European Golden Visa programmes under one joint application.

In Portugal, unmarried couples who have been residing together for a minimum of 2 years are eligible to apply together, providing they can supply evidence of their relationship. Official documents confirming they share an address, have joint assets or evidence that they have children together would be sufficient to support the case.

This is also possible in Greece. Applicants would need to sign a Cohabitation agreement in order to make their relationship official in Greece. This is a simple notarial process which can be completed through your Greek lawyer. The procedure in Cyprus is almost the same, but the applicants must sign a Cohabitation agreement in front of the courts, rather than a Notary.

In Spain, unmarried couples can also apply for the golden visa, providing they hold a legal partnership. If they do not hold evidence of this, they can simply register their partnership in Spain through a notary, similar to Greece. The procedure is straight forward and can be entirely arranged by your lawyer.

Civil Partnerships and Same-Sex Couples:

Civil partnerships and same-sex marriages are recognised in Portugal, Spain, Cyprus and Greece and a legal marriage certificate or civil partnership document will be acceptable.

Whilst Greece and Cyprus recognise these partnerships they will still require applicants to sign a Cohabitation Agreement in order to legalise the relationship in Greece/Cyprus.

This is not necessary for Spain or Portugal, providing the couple has a marriage certificate or civil partnership. Should they be a same-sex couple, but not legally married, they can follow the procedures stated above for unmarried couples.

The Caribbean islands offering Citizenship by Investment programmes are more traditional in their terms surrounding marriage and only allow legally married heterosexual couples to apply under the same application. Despite this, the overall costs in the Caribbean are lower than the European Golden visa programmes, so unmarried couples may still find two single applications in the Caribbean to be more costs effective than a joint European application.

La Vida has helped clients from all walks of life, with various relationship status’ to obtain second residency or citizenship. If you would like to find out more about your options, please do not hesitate to contact us.