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Military.com Forums Military Life, Spouses and Community Military Spouses and Friends Germany visa for my fiance?|
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New Member |
Hello everyone. I am about to PCS to Germany next month, and my fiance wants to move with me. We plan to wed a few months after we have settled in (Europe, romantic, etc.). She is looking for employment there online both on and off-post. We have a few questions I'm hoping you can help us with.
1) Since she is only my fiance and not my spouse, how difficult will it be for her to find a job on post through cpol? She's a college grad with her TEFL certification, which is why we've been focusing on an off-post job. BTW, we are going to Wiesbaden. 2) When we arrive, will she be permitted to stay in the hotel I'll be in while in-processing? (If it matters, my grade is O-1). 3) Finally, when we do wed, Will the Army then provide her with a spouse visa or will we need to handle that through the German government? Sorry this was so long, but so far our efforts to get these questions answered thorugh other channels have not returned the info. we need. Thank you from the both of us for all of your help 2LT Stevens, Charles J. |
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Forum Project Manager |
she will not be eligible for an on base job unless she gets hired as a contractor before she gets over there.. like in the School system.
Hotel: probbaly not as a non CS guest. while you have orders,she is not on them and thus she may not be permitted to stay overnight on base. since you are not married you will almost certainly be getting a BOQ immediately. you will have to apply for comamnd sponsorship. she may NOT stay more than 90 days in country without it and will have to return to the US to take care of the overseas screening. There can be no freedom without sacrifice |
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New Member |
Thanks for the quick response and info! From the sounds of it, it's just going to be easier for her to get a job first on the economy and then follow me over. I just hope she likes the apartment I find for us!
Thank you again very much. 2LT Stevens, Charles J. |
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Moderator Military Spouses Forum spousemod.mturnb@gmail.com |
It would actually be easier if you got married now, got your orders amended to be accompanied and started processing for command sponsorship.
If you don't get married until you get there, the possibility exists that you may not be able to get your orders changed to accompanied (not a big possibility but a possibility) and, unless she already has a work visa for Germany, she may have to leave the country while you are working on obtaining command sponsorship. |
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New Member |
Whilst i'm no expert on the situation, especially not where it comes to Germany, however I have personally experienced a similar situation.
My AD fiance and I were married whilst he was stationed in Japan (I got a Japanese work visa to be there with him). Once we were married (and I got an ID card, entered into DEERS) I completed the overseas screening for command sponsorship etc in Japan - I did not return to the US, I was seen onbase. My husband got orders to Germany after our marriage but before command sponsorship was approved, so he went to Germany without me and I remained in Japan awaiting command sponsorship and his orders to be ammended. That part didn't take long (a month maybe) and at no time was there a problem. I cannot say you'd have the same experience getting command sponsorship and ammended orders, just letting you know it can be done in unusual circumstances. |
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New Member |
I can't even imagine the headache it would cause if she had to fly back out of country, esp. if she is job-hunting or I'm in the field. I think we'll just have to have her fly over once she's received a letter of intent to employ from a company there (or from a contracted position through cpol).
Thanks again everyone! |
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Member |
honestly mate the easiest thing would be to go to the court house and get the legal paper part of your marriage done.
that way travel is covered and your fiance can job hunt while being here, because until you get married she will not have access to base (unless you sign her on) and you will not draw base priviliges. and if you do have to leave pdq she will get looked after a fiance wont. |
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MODERATOR Military Life, Spouses & Community If you want something said ask a Man; but if you want something done, ask a Woman! Margaret Thatcher  |
But in Japan it is totally different. You do not have to have the SOFA stamp to shop at the commissary, exchange, and use other things. In Germany you do. Even Retirees are not allowed to be in certain areas on base, sometimes they cannot even get into lodging at all. They are very strict on SOFA regulations in Germany so that is a factor to take into consideration. |
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Member |
but once you get married your wife can go to the passport office on base and have it done within a few minutes providng you take all your paperwork
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MODERATOR Military Life, Spouses & Community If you want something said ask a Man; but if you want something done, ask a Woman! Margaret Thatcher |
Do you mean for the No Fee passport doesnt always work that way. Some will require command sponsorship before you can apply for that passport or at least her name on the orders. If he had unaccompanied orders because he wasn't married then those have to be changed. She can get her Tourist Passport or reapply for it with her changed name if she is going to change it. |
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Member |
I'm not in Germany, but Korea also has SOFA restrictions. It definitely puts limitations on your fiance, especially if she gets a job on the economy.
OP - Why put yourself and your fiance through all the hassle? As some other members posted, why don't you guys get the legal portion out of the way, have her added to your orders, and do your wedding ceremony when and where you/she want to later down the road? Also, I would recommend you contact your gaining installation's Housing Office to verify that you will be allowed to live off-post on unaccompanied orders. For Korea (OCONUS) it is mandatory assignment on-post unless we exceed a certain occupancy rate... I cannot tell you how many young officers that were irate at the fact that they were not authorized to reside off-post. So you might want to verify that before you tell your fiance that you will be able to live together on the economy. If you're assigned a BOQ on-post, you will not be receiving a housing allowance, so plan a worse case scenario that you and your fiance will have to maintain a household for just her off-post without the benefit of OHA. Just some thoughts: If your fiance gets a job on the economy, will she be able to have access to medical care and medical insurance coverage? What about dental? How will she be transporting herself? Public transit, or will she be buying a car there, or are you shipping your vehicle? How will she get her stuff there, like household goods and whatnot? You as unaccompanied are only allotted a certain weight to transport, which is not as much as someone who has accompanied orders. Do guys have a good emergency cash reserve, in order to buy plane tickets for her to get there, and to get back to the States, just in case? Not trying to knock you down, but hopefully you guys think all this through. Good luck to you.  |
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Member |
europe has nice national facilities so med care wouldnt be a prob also single officer IS living off base (we dont even have enough housing for married couples), korea its because its korea, and from what i was reading they have alot of open houses and what not to put people in |
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New Member |
I double-checked my orders and I am authorized off-post housing. I also contact the American Arms Hotel on post and was told that as long as we pay the fee ($7.50/day), my fiance can stay with me even though we are not married. I am authorized to stay there up to 30 days while inprocessing/house hunting (I would have to sign her on and off post).
A large portion of her goods are already on the way (shipped with mine). Neither of us had a lot of goods, so staying under the weight limit wasn't an issue. I am shipping my POV, however our plan at the moment would be for her to commute via rail (we're looking at positions both around Wiesbaden and in the Frankfurt vicinity). From what I've researched, it's only about 20 min. rail ride to Frankfurt (if I'm wrong please correct me!). Our thinking is that it would be too expensive for us to own 2 vehicles, especially on top of moving and closing costs on wherever we would decide to live. Plus car insurance in Germany is outrageous. We had discussed the idea of just getting married quickly here and then having the ceremony later. My concern is that right now I'm in Airborne (Benning) and she's finishing her employment back home (Chicago area). I leave a week after I (hopefully!) graduate Airborne. Since that's not enough time to get the orders changed, why not just do it when we get to Germany? The only advantage I can see with us marrying here and then having her follow me would be that it would make her eligible for the spouses-preferred program for on-base employment. The question I seem to be getting mixed responses about is whether or not she can stay on post indefinitely once I sign her in. I know Korea you had to sign visitors back out by curfew. Since we know she can stay at the hotel, does anyone know for certain whether or not there a "visitor's curfew" at Wiesbaden? I'm glad I posted the original message. We've learned a ton of info. in the past few days. Thank you again to everyone! 2LT Stevens, Charles J. |
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Lead Mod Navy and Recconect America Forums catherine0830@msn.com Democracy will survive until the government figures out it can bribe the people with their own money. |
By regulation, even if you were still underweight you are NOT allowed to let her to ship her stuff with yours. That move was for YOUR things only, not hers.
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Member |
Oops, it must not have been explained to you what HHG are. You were not authorized to ship her goods with yours. Per the Joint Federal Travel Regulation, HHG are only items that belong to you prior to your PCS. Having her travel by rail is a good idea because there are certain rules regarding who can drive a USAREUR registered vehicle, and you will need to get permission in order for her to drive your vehicle in Germany. Have you already checked what will be needed in order for you to get married in Germany? If she goes to Germany before you are married and before she has a job, she will be considered a tourist and only allowed to stay in country for 90 days per each six month period. This may mean that she will need to buy a round-trip ticket so she can prove that she intends to leave the country. Most overseas bases/posts do not allow you to sign someone on and then have them wander around unescorted. |
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MODERATOR Military Life, Spouses & Community If you want something said ask a Man; but if you want something done, ask a Woman! Margaret Thatcher |
That is there but no guarantees it will happen. There is lots of spouses that apply for jobs, but a limited number of jobs available. |
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Member |
you are NOT allowed to leave your guests at all!! they are not allowed to be even in a hotel room without you being there. you must be with your guest(s) the entire time they are on the base instilation. also she has no rights to buy anything on base, not even food if someone was doing their job correctly
i personally would recommend having a junk car for emergencies even if shes travlling by rail, i live out in the sticks from my base and my husband has our one car, and it sucks not being able (we do have a rail station 5 min walk from our house but to get to base to run errands or go to the hosptial etc i'm kinda screwed) also its best to see the train system in work, because i don't know abt here but in the uk a 20 min ride could add on a 1 hour wait and that was from a large trainstation to a large one with 5 trains an hour just to that stop so... might be worth looking into that one see if you can find anyone to give you better on the ground info there is something (not sure if the army does it but af its all in a big packet we got anyway when we pcsd) about aquiring a dep in route, maybe ask your CoC about this . |
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Member |
Glad to see you are getting good and helpful answers. Out of curiosity, does anyone know if his fiance gets a job on the economy, will that affect the OP's ability to get married? I was just wondering how that would affect his security clearance if he is marrying someone working for a foreign country? |
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Member |
That is not entirely correct. She would not be able to buy items at the commissary or the PX, but she would be able to buy food at the food court or items from AAFES concessionaires outside the PX. |
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Lead Mod Navy and Recconect America Forums catherine0830@msn.com Democracy will survive until the government figures out it can bribe the people with their own money. |
Interesting. This was happening in Pensacola with flight students as well recently. The Officers were ****ed they had to back out of leases because they were forced to live in either the BOQs or housing. had they talked to housing first, it never would have been an issue. |
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Military.com Forums Military Life, Spouses and Community Military Spouses and Friends Germany visa for my fiance?
