Stamp 4 EUFam - out of country for 2 years

[abz7890]

Hi,

I hope someone can advise me.

I have a Stamp 4 EUFam GNIB card issued by Garda,Ireland as my husband is an EU national. This card is valid till December 2013 but me and my husband has been out of Ireland for 2 years now.
We are going back to Ireland in May due to my husband's job.

My question is, is my EUFam card still valid and I can just buy ticket and fly with my husband to Ireland or do I need to re-apply for entry visa etc?

Thanks for your help

[ca.funke]

Hi abz7890,

Officially the validity ends after 6 monhs of non-presence.

Validity of the residence card

The validity of the residence card shall not be affected by
temporary absences not exceeding six months a year, or by
absences of a longer duration for compulsory military service
or by one absence of a maximum of 12 consecutive months
for important reasons such as pregnancy and childbirth, serious
illness, study or vocational training, or a posting in another
Member State or a third country.

Due to the lack of an Irish registration system, I´m pretty sure no-one will ever notice.

I think you cannot run into severe problems anyway: You have the right to reside and work in Ireland based on your marriage to an EU-citizen in any case! The 4EUFam card is merely a way to prove that you have mentioned rights. Since you still hold the rights, the fact that you were away shouldn´t really matter.

Rgds, Christian

[adlexy]

Hi,

I hope someone can advise me.

I have a Stamp 4 EUFam GNIB card issued by Garda,Ireland as my husband is an EU national. This card is valid till December 2013 but me and my husband has been out of Ireland for 2 years now.
We are going back to Ireland in May due to my husband's job.

My question is, is my EUFam card still valid and I can just buy ticket and fly with my husband to Ireland or do I need to re-apply for entry visa etc?

Thanks for your help

Not sure why you are so worried; no one in GNIB will notice that you ever left

Go ahead, buy your tickets and walk in and continue your life as normal. Though the EU Directive expects this to "expire" after about 6months or 12months depending on the circumstances, in Ireland, there is no tracking method to enforce this.

I don't think it will be "reasonable" to walk into GNIB and tell them you have been gone for 2years. And if you dont tell them, I can assure you that I wouldnt! Cross my heart

I think you have nothing to worry about

All the best