Hello everyone!

I'm a young Irish intern in Brussels and my problem is this: the love of my lives 3,000 miles away!

We me in the US whilst I was interning out there, but after five months living together I had to come back to Europe because my A visa expired and I didnt find a suitable job in time.
Although we have visited each other often since, finding the time and money has been a huge strain and we feel that a long distance relationship is not sustainable for much longer. We know that we definitely want to get married in the not too distant future, but we would like to do it on our own terms if possible, not because it is the legal only way for us to be together!

Here's what I've come up with:

1. We have looked into setting up a business and getting a professional card. My girlfriend even came over to talk to people in the Brussels Enterprise Agency and even found a great location in Brussels for her business. However, the problem is that she is lacks the start-up capital and the 16k to do the incorporation. She had also thought of teaching English on a freelance basis, so she went and got her TESOL/CELTA qualifications, did a specilisation in grammar, but it seems that she cannot get a professional card and be self employed as a non-EU foreigner without setting up a business. Is this true??

2. We've also briefly looked at cohabitation and all the paperwork required. I'm not living in Brussels 3 months yet, and I'm also not making the approx 900 Eur. stipulated for getting her a cohabitation visa. Even if I were making 900 Euro, there's no way we could both live on that! I would have to wait until I (hopefully) land a real job!

3. Finally, we've looked at marriage. The paperwork and conditions are similar to that required for the cohab visa. However, I have the impression that this is an easier procedure, or a least faster than getting a cohabitation visa. But I still don't fully understand it it would enable my girlfriend to work freely in Belgium!

I know there are many EU-US couples on this forum who have experienced all this, and I would love to hear about your experiences, what you did, how you did it, and what advice you may have, so that I can at least get the ball rolling on whatever I need to do.

Thanks for reading!

As far as I know, if she has some sort of tie with Belgium such as a Cohab Visa, student visa or family here than she can apply for a Work Visa with no problems. However, being self employed in Belgium is no easy task! You prepaying more taxes than what you earn and getting all the paperwork necessary to start it in the beginning is a hassle! I thought of becoming a freelance English conversation tutor when I first came to Belgium, but the more I looked into it the more impossible it became for that to become a reality! If she already has her TESOL/CELTA, then she is MUCH better off just applying to English Tutor Schools! That way her taxes are taken care of by the school and if she plays her cards right, she can even have whichever school/company apply for her work visa FOR HER! However, a lot of places won’t even interview you unless you already have a work permit!

I came to Belgium with a Cohabitation Visa & let me tell you, it has been really difficult! Marriage is certainly THE fastest way to get you papers done in Belgium! If you really want to get some questions answered, you can try and see if you can’t find anything on these sites!
http://www.diplobel.org/USA/TravelingBelgi...s/Employees.asp
https://www.socialsecurity.be/foreign/en/em...imosa/home.html
http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visaLan...sp?TEXTID=22015

I wish you the best of luck. It isn’t going to be easy but if you 2 really care about each other then it will be worth it!