New to Ireland — best way to get the paperwork right?

Hello,

I am a German citizen, my wife is Argentinian. I have recently accepted a job offer in Dublin, starting 1st October, and will therefore be moving there within the next few weeks.

I understand that I, as a German citizen, will have no problems at all. My wife, as I understand, will have the right to reside and work in Ireland as soon as I have started working.

Now for the paperwork: what sort of papers will we need to bring? We have both our passports and a marriage certificate issued in Argentina (in Spanish, with a German translation attached). Do we need to have it translated to English? If so, does it have to be an official translation or can we do it ourselves?

When do we need to register at the Garda? Do we go there right after arriving or after starting my work and getting a place to live?

Reading the summary of Directive 2004/38/EC, it seems that the only requirement for my wife to start working is that I be resident and have work, and that any residence permit issued by the Irish government is merely a formality to facilitate proof of these conditions. Is that true, i.e. can she start looking for work right after I started mine or will she indeed have to wait for a residence permit to be issued? If so, how long does that take? (In Germany, it took two weeks.)

Enough questions for now, and I am looking forward to your answers.

You need an official english translation of your marriage certificate. I'm assuming you are living with your wife in germany at the moment? And she has a german residence card? In that case you'll meet all the requirements. Unfortunately it can take up to 6 months (that's the official time frame, but many people have been waiting to up to 9 months for a decision) before she'll have a residence card and can start looking for work. She can look for work before that, but won't be allowed to work until she has the residence card. The form you need is called EU-1, there's many threads in this forum about EU1...... Good luck.

Thank you all for your replies.

I have read through this forum further, and someone mentioned that Ireland is not a Schengen country, therefore my Argentinian wife would need a visa to enter Ireland. Is that true? If so, since Ireland is obliged under EU rules to issue such a visa, how does my wife get one very quickly? We are leaving Germany and heading for Dublin next Friday…

Apply at the Irish embassy in German for a E.U spouse Visa as soon as you can. It should be free for your spouse.

archigabe wrote:Apply at the Irish embassy in German for a E.U spouse Visa as soon as you can. It should be free for your spouse.

Thank you for the information, archigabe.

Damn all the conflicting info found everywhere. According to the http://foreignaffairs.gov.ie/home/index.aspx?id=8777 website, my wife would not need a visa to enter Ireland, but of course need to register with INIS. She came to Germany on a spouse entry visa on August 1, 2006, and has a German residence and work permit in her passport that expires in August 2009. Do you think she would still need a spouse entry visa for Ireland?

Hello,

I have been reading a lot of threads in this forum and came to the following conclusion: as soon as I start working in Ireland my wife will have the right to work as well (EU Treaty right). The Irish government, however, does not make it easy to get employed without having a proper work permit, even though technically it is not needed in this case.

Would it be possible for an employer to employ my wife based on documenting that she is married to a EU national and the EU national is working and residing in Ireland? Theoretically it should be as simple as that.

Some threads discuss the application for a work permit while the EU1 application is pending. I downloaded the form, it has 12 pages and almost as many sections. Can anyone who has actually used this form to get a fast-tracked work visa explain which section to fill in and which documents to include?

Sorry for asking so many questions, but it is important to my wife and me to get it right and avoid waiting periods where possible.

sorry,my mistake...I had not noticed she was from Argentina.She does not need a spouse visa...But as soon as she arrives in Ireland,make sure she goes to the local immigration and applies for a stamp3.The officers might try to fob you off that she would not need it,but the card is needed to prove her legal status in Ireland if the residency card takes more than 3 months to be processed.

Then go to the INIS website and download the E.U1 form and send it off to the E.U treaty rights section at the Department of Justice.
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/WP07000023
http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/INIS/Pages/EU ... y%20Rights