Proving EEA marriage is genuine

Hi Guys,

I am a Lebanese male here in the UK on a student visa valid until 2018. My Spanish girlfriend and I have been in a relationship since December 2014 and she has recently came to join me, she started working a few weeks ago as a contract designer and she is now staying with me in a house share. We are planning to give notice for marriage on Monday and we want to register our marriage here in the UK however we would like to have our wedding later in Lebanon as her family and mine are living there.

So I have two questions:

Q1. What kind of ceremony are we obliged to have so we are able to register our marriage and I can then apply for an EEA2 permit? Do we have to have a religious ceremony here or giving vows? not clear on this?

Q2. If we were to be interviewed by HO what kind of questions would we be expect as part of their investigation? and what should we prepare? (e.g backdated pictures printouts or digital photos for us together?...) and will there be an issue that my room is a single room and she has been staying with me? We do have proof of address ( me: driving licence and bank statements. her: bank statement and NI letter) and our house-mates can also confirm that.

Many thanks in advance for you help

Q1. You aren't required to have a religious marriage. However, you will have to register your intention to marry at a Home Office approved Registry Office. As you are foreign nationals, the Registrar is legally bound to notify the Home Office of the registration. They can then extend the notification period from 28 to 70 days in order to interview you if they choose to do so, before the marriage can take place.

Q2. Regarding the interview (if there is one), you will be interviewed separately. There is no requirement for you to have lived together, but whatever proof of this will obviously help to confirm a genuine relationship. Be prepared to answer personal questions...where and when did you meet..birthdays..names of family members..colour of the bedroom..favourite food..have you been on holiday together, when and where? The intention is to see if the answers match, however immaterial they may seem...but it you are a genuine couple you would be expected to know.

One more point. Do bear in mind that as you will be legally married in the UK you will not be able to 'marry' again in Lebanon. You would only be able to have what the UK calls a 'marriage blessing' or the equivalent in the appropriate religion/culture.

Hi Casa,

Many thanks for your elaborate answer, very helpful.

My wife to be has one more concern as we are not going to inform her parents (who are living in Spain and Lebanon alternatively) of the marriage. She is worried that they might find out in some way as someone had told her that Spanish foreign affairs would know about her status and about her registering as a married person in the UK. We are intending to let them know of our plans but not at this period of time. Is there any information that you can provide us around this?