Obtaining an EEA/EU UK residence on my circumstances...?

Dear All,

I am a university student here in the UK and am non-EU on a student Visa. I am planning to marry my Spanish girlfriend.We are both currently in the UK. She is working here.

Please advise on :

(a) Where should we get married - in Spain or the UK? Which is more convenient and would involve less bureaucracy and red tape from an immigration point of view?

(b) If we tied the knot in Spain, would we have to meet certain 'special' requirements, apart from the usual passports, birth certificates, etc? I understand that any foreign documents e.g. birth certificate need to be translated into Spanish and endorsed first before the civil ceremony? How long is the entire civil ceremony process, roughly speaking?

(c) If we got married in Spain, can we (my girlfriend) apply for a UK family permit straight away upon arrival in the UK? Is it possible for me to remain in the UK, using my valid student Visa, while my spouse applies for a family permit ? Do I have to return home to my country first whilst she applies and then re-enter?

(d) In the EEC1 application, does the evidence of marriage/marriage certificate need to be translated into English, assuming it is of non-English origin (Spanish) ?

Many thanks and I appreciate any thoughts or advice.

regards,
xenopus

If you have more than 6 months student visa and your visa is not expiring in the next 3 months you can apply for A Certificate of Approval (COA) for you to marry in the UK.

Details are here : http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... RIAGE).pdf

Having received COA, got married you can apply for a family residence permit, ECC1 : http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/ind/en ... C1Form.pdf

Good luck