.jpg){kind=link}
Find the family category used by the destination’s actual route, using the genuine relationship and civil status. Do not assume marriage, registered partnership and unmarried partnership are treated identically everywhere.
What the official guidance establishes
Your Europe’s family-residence guidance separates EU and non-EU spouses and children, civil or registered partners, parents and other relatives into different guidance paths for moves within the EU. Read Your Europe: family residence rights for the original scope and current instructions.
Describe the relationship before choosing a label
Record the relationship as it actually exists, any registration and the relevant civil records. Preserve the legal name of an overseas civil status rather than replacing it with the closest familiar English label. Identify a recognition question explicitly.
Read the route’s definitions
Use the destination’s official family guidance for the applicant and sponsor’s real circumstances. Copy the relationship category and its evidence instructions into the working sheet. Keep nationality, sponsor status and location in the enquiry so the authority can identify the appropriate framework.
Ask about unclear recognition
Prepare a concise question with the registration jurisdiction, document type and intended route. Seek case-specific legal or official advice if recognition is uncertain. Do not obtain or describe a different civil status merely to make an online form easier to complete.
Your working sheet
This is an optional IMMIGEUROPE planning worksheet, not an official application form or a new document requirement.
| Record | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Relationship | Genuine status and any registration |
| People | Applicant and sponsor’s relevant circumstances |
| Route category | Exact official wording |
| Evidence/question | Civil record and recognition issue |
Worked planning example
A fictional couple has a registered partnership from one country and plans to move to another. They research the destination’s treatment of that specific status rather than ticking “married” because it appears similar in everyday language.
Keep the actual document and the written route answer connected. Keep the next action in the moving planner and use the guide library for the next part of your move.