I got an email from a reader who wanted to ask a few questions and I decided to publish our exchange for the benefit of others who might be needing the same information.

***

Dear CJ,

Here are my answers.

Your Q : My boyfriend has asked about the requirements for getting married but he doesn’t know if I am legally allowed to stay in Austria right away after getting married there.

- Upon legally getting married there (Austria), you are automatically allowed to stay there.

Your Q : Did you enter Austria via a tourist visa?

- I entered Austria using a “Visit” visa. Sorry, but I am not sure if it is equivalent to “Tourist”. You see, processing of “Tourist” visa to enter Austria is different from processing a “Visit” visa.

- With Tourist visa, the Austrian embassy would require YOU to prove that you are financially able to stay there and that you have the intention of exiting Austria before your tourist visa expires, meaning, they will ask for documents showing that you are financially stable, i.e. bank statements, business certificate, etc (whatever they think necessary) and that you have something to go back to like a job or a property or business. They will make sure that your intention is just to “tour” Austria.

- It is slightly different with the Visit visa because this Visa says you are invited by somebody (an Austrian citizen) and that somebody is fully responsible for you. In this case, the Austrian embassy will ask the one who invited you (not you) for documents and these documents are supposed to show that he/she is financially able to support your during the entire duration of your stay in Austria. He have to show this bank statements, job contract, etc. and he also have to pay for your insurance (a little bit less than 100€ if I remember right). The only thing that the Austrian Embassy will need from you is your passport and the filled-up visa application form.

Your Q : How long was your tourist visa valid for (if that is what you had) and did you state that you intended to marry when you applied for your visa?

- The first time I went to Austria, I got a Visit visa. It took us 3 months to process all. We were too slow to gather all the necessary documents but as soon as we submitted the documents to the Austrian Embassy, it took only 2 weeks to get my visa. If you can collect the required documents in a week, it means you’ll get your visa in 3 weeks time. Anyway, the visa I got for the first time is just for 15 days and on the 15th day, I exited Austria.

- We did the whole process again for the second time. We applied for another Visit visa that will last for 30 days. My husband had to submit all the documents (some are updated dox) again but it didn’t take us too long like the first time and we didn’t have any problem getting a second one (nor the first one). The Austrian embassy granted another visa to me and they know that we have the intention to get married. With in these 30 days in Austria, we got married. After the wedding, we applied for my Aufenhastitel (like a green card). It’s not difficult and it is fast.

Your Q : Were you allowed to stay in Austria while waiting for your “Austrian green card (I forgot what you called it)” or did you have to leave?

- I exited Austria before my 30 days visit visa ended because we needed to go back to China so I cannot say for sure if Austria will kick you out when your visa expires even if you are already married to an Austrian citizen (but I don’t think so). Processing of Aufenhaltstitel normally will take 2 weeks maximum. Upon getting married, postpone the honeymoon (hehe), process your Aufenhaltstitel first.

The most effective way when applying for a visa to Austria is to be honest and transparent. Don’t apply for a student visa or a tourist visa when what you really you intend is to get married there. If you plan to stay together there without getting married right away is another story and I am sorry if I cannot give you an advice for this.

Also, let your boyfriend be the one to communicate with the Austrian embassy. It’s much easier this way. Let him ask his embassy what he needs to do so he can take you there and marry you. This is the best way. I am sure that if the Austrian embassy will see sincerity of your intentions and that you are both capable, they will not deny you of an entry to Austria.

As for you, you have some documents to prepare for the wedding (granted that your BF will be the one to arrange the visa). If you will read my blog, Bizarremarriage.com, you’ll find that there is complete explanation on what documents you’ll need and what you’ll need these documents for. Make sure that you have these documents before you enter Austria.

I’ll give you a glimpse of how long we needed until we were finally married.

Feb 2008 – we got engaged (started wedding plans)
June 2008 – my first trip to Austria (meeting his family)
October – second trip to Austria (this time, we got married)

From Feb to August (6 months) we planned for the wedding. He concentrated on my visa and I collected the required documents for the wedding (my documents). It took me a long time because I needed to get these from the Philippines.

Given that you intend to marry on your first trip in Austria, these are the sets of documents you need to prepare:

- Documents for your visa ( for the love of God, ask your BF to process this for you… in this way, you can save you more time and effort)

- Documents for your wedding ( these are YOUR documents from the Philippines)

- Documents for your wedding (these are HIS documents, he can get in Austria … I don’t think it’s a lot)

After the wedding, you can immediately apply for the Aufenhaltstitel.

About getting married in US… we’ll that’s something I cannot help you with. I don’t know if it is easier for you to get a visa and get married in Austria or get married in the US and get a visa to Austria.

Either way, you still have to go through the Austrian Embassy, you will still have to submit documents.

I hope I answered all your questions. If you have more, please read my blog… maybe the answer is there but if not, you may email me again.

Regards,
Vienna Lopez

_____________________________________________________________
Von: CJ
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 10. April 2008 11:39
An: Vienna Lopez
Betreff: Re: Bizarre Marriage

Hi there Vienna! My boyfriend and I are wanting to get married, but we also don’t want to be apart anymore after we tie the knot. So initially, we planned on me applying for a student visa to Austria to get permission to stay in there for a few years. This will then buy us time to get married and process my residency papers as his wife while staying together. But as time has passed, we are more eager to get married and the process for securing admittance to the University of Vienna is very tricky in my situation right now (since I am in the US but still a Filipino citizen). My BF has asked about the requirements for getting married but he doesn’t know if I am legally allowed to stay in Austria right away after getting married there. Did you enter Austria via a tourist visa? Can you give me a timeline of events like when and how did you apply for a marriage license, when did you arrive in Vienna, how long after that did you get married? How long was your tourist visa valid for (if that is what you had) and did you state that you intended to marry when you applied for your visa? Were you allowed to stay in Austria while waiting for your “Austrian green card (I forgot what you called it)” or did you have to leave? I have a lot of questions, I know, but I hope you can patiently give me your advice.

My BF and I are also considering getting married here in the US and then bringing me over to Austria….. but we don’t know exactly how long this will take and how long we will be apart before I can come follow him. So we are hoping that if it is possible for me to stay in Austria after we get married there, this will be the solution.

Thank you very much for responding to my message in your blog! Hope to hear from you soon!

Sincerely,
CJ
___________________________________________________________
On Wed, Apr 9, 2008 at 8:58 PM,
Vienna Lopez wrote:

Hello CJ,

Thanks for visiting my blog.

So tell me, how can I be of help?

Vienna
____________________________________________________________
Von: CJ
Gesendet: Donnerstag, 10. April 2008 08:45
An: Vienna Lopez
Betreff: Bizarre Marriage
CJ wrote:
Hi there! I sent you a comment on your blog about
requirements for getting married to a european guy. I hope we can get in touch as I am in a similar situation and would like to “follow in your footsteps” as you seem to have been successful. My name is Joy, and my Austrian boyfriend. Hope I will hear from you soon!

Written on : August 20, 2007

So finally, you and your European partner decided to get married–a romantic wedding in an old historic place somewhere in Europe. Well I have not so much say on the topic unless your partner is an Austrian and you are a Filipina and you are planning to get married in Austria. I can warn you–it’s not easy! If you are planning on getting married there or anywhere for that matter, you have to go through several legal hoops. So be wise. Check the Austrian Embassy months before your targeted wedding day. A lot of people would prefer a professional agency to arrange the pre-wedding requirements but here are some guidelines if you want to do it yourself.

Documents that you will need:
1. Birth Certificate
2.Certificate of Singleness/Certificate of No Marriage (CENOMAR)
3.Legal Capacity to Contract Marriage

That’s all.

But of course, the processing is long. You have to get your Birth Certificate from NSO ONLY! No birth certificates from the Local Civil Registrar please! It must be from the NSO. Nowhere else. And it shouldn’t be more than 6 months old. It’s the same with the CENOMAR. They must be all from NSO. After NSO, your documents must go through the DFA office in Manila. Nowhere else. Your document might take some time in this office so be very sure that you have this luxury. I am recommending this to you, and all the others who needed to get their documents authenticated by DFA, please process your documents early and be patient. It could take days so be sure that you have plenty of time to wait. Those who are rushing are more likely to be asked to pay under the table money. Please don’t put yourself in this situation. Stop the red tape! It’s a shameful thing. After getting your documents authenticated by the DFA office, it’s then time to bring these to the Austrian Embassy for further checking. And this is would take several weeks. So again, be sure that your wedding date is not tomorrow otherwise you will be in a very deep ****.

Also take note of the following: The Austrian Embassy in Manila only releases and accepts documents on Fridays. From 1:00pm to 3:00pm only. No other days and no other time. Don’t ask me why, it’s the way it is! After you have your documents from the Austrian Embassy, it’s then time to bring it to a Translator because your documents need to be translated from English to German. We did this final step in Austria because we don’t know anybody in the Philippines who is legally capable to translate such documents.

So that’s all what you’ll need. The required documents for your Austrian partner, is of course another story which I will be covering in my next topic. I hope that this help you somehow. Ciao!

Written on : August 12, 2007

This is now the second part of my rants about intercultural marriage. If you missed the first part, you may want to read it first.

Before I proceed I would like to clarify something because my boyfriend, who is religiously reading what I write here, requested so. I would like to make it clear that all examples I write here doesn’t necessarily refer to us. Like for instance “not showering everyday” (mentioned in the first part). Imagine my boyfriend’s horror when it occurred to him that other people, who read the first part of this article, might be thinking that one of us is not showering everyday. Haha! We do shower everyday. So please note that I am just talking “in general”.

Enough with the clarification and on to the real topic–things to consider before plunging into an intercultural marriage. I have discussed the first two and I will now proceed with the third point.

It depends on the willingness of the couple of meet each other halfway. OK so, you have discussed your upbringing, principles, beliefs, traditions, ect with your partner. Some are completely acceptable and some are acceptable on conditions. So discuss how far you are willing to give or take. A very good example to this is the one we know so well—Asians do send money to back home. They work and send a part of their salary back home. It is expected of them. It would make them feel utterly guilty if they turn their back from this expectation, responsibility, role, or how ever you want to put it. Most westerners on the other hand, don’t do this. If they send money to their parents, their parents might feel embarrassed or offended in contrast to the pride, happiness and thankfulness Asian parents would feel every time they receive money from their children working somewhere. Sending money to parents is way of life to Asians. It has a deep explanation but that deserve another article in another page and I will not go into that now. Going back to my point—if your partner (considering that you are Asian) is not completely ok that you send money back home, what then? Say—you won’t touch his money and send it at home. Say—you just send a part of your very own salary. Say—you just send a particular amount each month or year. Say—you will stop sending money after a few more years or when you get children of your own. Negotiate. Settle. Talk about it until you both agree on one thing and then of course, both must follow whatever you agreed on.

I am sure that there are more things to consider before going into an intercultural marriage. Probe into these then decide. If you are already into an intercultural marriage and you are having problems with your partner, it’s not yet too late. Sit down, talk, and settle. This marriage is special because there is the word “intercultural” but it is just like other marriages, the couple still needs to work on it constantly to make it successful.

If you want to share your experiences, to warn or encourage others, or to comment on this article, you are welcome to do so.

Written On: August 9, 2007

Being with someone who is not of my nationality and knowing couples who are of different races give me a lot of insights about intercultural marriage and relationship. The main thing I have learned about being in this situation is that one cannot simply say “it will work” or “it will not work.” It largely depends on a lot of things. For the first part of this topic, I listed below two points that you might want to consider before plunging into an intercultural marriage.

It depends on how well the other accepts being in a relationship with somebody of another nationality. This is the very first thing to consider. Is your partner OK with the idea that you are from where you are? Is she/he not ashamed to introduce you with your real background to other people? This may seem stupid but other people have this problem. Some my say “She/He is Chinese was he/she was raised in the US”.If it’s true, then it’s OK but what if it’s not? It shows that your partner is not comfortable with the idea that you are from where you are, that you are raised the way you are raised, and probably some other things about you as well.

It depends on how open the couples are to each other’s upbringing, principles, beliefs, traditions, etc. This is obvious and this should be give great notice at the start of any intercultural relationship because this may cause a lot of problems in the future. Are you sure that he is OK with the idea that you are a Buddhist? That you must go to church every Sunday? That he/she should call your parents Mama and Papa instead of your parents’ first names? That he (if you are a girl) is supposed to give a dowry to your parents before marrying you? That you don’t shave where he/she expects you to shave? I can go on and on with these little things that may seem very funny to a lot of people but are causing problems to some. So talk about your sturdy beliefs, your must-follow-traditions, your principles, and etc with your partner before the “I do” part to avoid future embarrassments, misunderstandings, quarrels, and yes… divorce.

Do you hope that things will change? Say for instance—you hope that someday you’ll convince him/her that it is not bad to shower everyday. Haha. Goodluck. Ignoring things or tolerating them for the time being will not make it work. Listen, you will be with this person for there rest of your life, if there is something you don’t want from the start you should immediately discussed it with your partner and vise versa. I should stop here.

There are still more but I will discuss the rest on the second part so ‘till then.