Unmarried Partner Visa in Europe: Which EU Countries Allow Boyfriend or Girlfriend Residency?

Living together in Europe is simple when you are married, as you have a simple option to apply for a spouse visa in that country in Europe. However, it becomes more complicated when you are in a serious relationship but not legally married. Many people search for a boyfriend or girlfriend visa in Europe that allows them to live with their partner in Europe, even though they are not married yet.

You have to understand one thing: Europe does not offer you a unified relationship visa. Each country applies its own immigration rules when its about apply unmarried partner visa or a visa on the basis of an informal relationship, etc. Some countries accept your long-term unmarried relationships, while others require marriage or formal registration that you have to submit when applying for a visa, etc. Whether you are an EU citizen (both), or a citizen of a specific European country, and others include one or a non-EU national.

So that’s why we have decided to write a blog on this topic, where we try to explain to you how your unmarried partner’s residency works in Europe in 2026, which countries allow you to apply to, and the exact requirements you must meet.

 

What Is an Unmarried Partner Visa?

An unmarried partner visa (sometimes called a durable partner or de facto partner permit) allows you to live with your partner without marriage if your relationship is genuine, stable, and long-term.

It is normally issued as a temporary residence permit, not a tourist visa, so don’t confuse yourself when visit visa. However, with this visa Immigration office (where you applied, I mean the country where you want to go) carefully examines proof of your relationship and shared life.

 

European Countries That Allow Unmarried Partner Residency

Below are options in 2026 to move to Europe through unmarried partner residency that we bring for you after thorough research in this area, including specific eligibility requirements for each country, which we are going to share with you one by one below.

 

1. Czech Republic

Czech Republic is the first country in our list that offers you a  Long-Term Partner Residence Permit if you meet certain requirements based on your nationality, e.g.

 

a. If Your Partner Is an EU Citizen (Not Czech)

• You apply under EU Free Movement rules as a durable partner.
• You are required to provide proof of a long-term relationship.
• Czech authorities must assess your application fairly.

 

Author note for you

If you are accepted, you would get a  Residence card valid up to 5 years, plus you are free to work in the Czech republic wether it’s a full time or part-time work.

 

b. If Your Partner Is a Czech Citizen

• You can apply under the Czech family residence rules.
• You still need to have a Long-term relationship proof required.

 

Author note for you

You have to prove your Financial stability and housing, plus your Criminal background check will be held by the immigration office through your PCC, of course.

 

Author note about residency

You will initially get a 1–2-year contract,   which is, of course, renewable in the future. while the work rights will be the same.

 

c. If Your Partner Is a Non-EU Legal Resident in the Czech Republic

• Your partner must hold a valid long-term residence permit (work, Blue Card, business).
• You have to apply under family reunification for unmarried partners.
• Just like others, for this, you need to have Income thresholds and housing when you apply for this visa.

 

Author note about this visa for non-EU

Although you can have a chance to get approval of your relationship visa in the Czech Republic as a non eu citizens but of course, the process and requirements will be stricter then eu citizen who moves to the Czech Republic.  They will see your case as an individual and evaluate it. When you are non-EU , and your partner is also non-EU, then the requirements will be more strict then eu partner.

 

Author note about income in the Czech Republic

There is no fixed minimum income rule, which I can say but if I say the standard household income, then it should be around CZK 35,000–40,000 per month, which you can consider when you apply for your partner, either EU or non-EU, etc.

 

2. Ireland

The second country in our list is Ireland, and its visa name is De Facto Partner Residence Permission. Although its name is different, but act as a visa or permit based on umarried partner or an informal relationship in Ireland.

 

a. If Your Partner Is an EU Citizen (Living in Ireland)

• You can apply as a qualifying family member under EU Treaty Rights.
• You need to have a minimum of two years of continuous cohabitation with your partner, even with this informal relationship that you have.

 

Author note for you

You must have strong documents to prove when you apply for a visa, of course. When it’s about work permission, which is a key thing for you when you are in irland then you have to keep in mind that you will get this permission after you complete your registration.

 

b. If Your Partner Is an Irish Citizen

• You will apply under the national immigration policy for de facto partners, which is the name of this visa in Ireland.
• Two years of cohabitation is mandatory here too, even if your partner is Irish.

 

Author note for you

If you are an Irish citizen and want to sponsor your partner who is not Irish (EU or non-EU then you must meet the income requirement; otherwise, the visa may be rejected. As a matter of fact, you have to support your partner who is coming or living with you in the future based on this visa.

So if your visa application is accepted, you, as an applicant, will get a visa or residency for 1 to 3 years.

 

Author note about income

When you sponsor your non-EU partner, you, as a main sponsor, typically need to show a combined income of approximately 40,000 euros or more over three years. The reason is that you have to prove to the immigration office that you can support yourself and your partner in the long run, as your last three-year statement proves your stability in your income.

 

c. If Your Partner Is a Non-EU Resident in Ireland

• You, as a Sponsor of your partner, must hold long-term permission (Stamp 1, Stamp 4).
• Your income must be enough to support your partner when applying for a visa in the early years in Ireland.
• Your Relationship must meet the same cohabitation requirements, e.g., 2 years, which we already discussed.

 

Author note about non-EU Residents

Here its mean if your partner is not EU citizen, not a irish citizen, and still wants to apply for a partner visa or permit based on an informal relationship or unmarried partner, then the requirements will be slightly tougher (income, visa status, etc.) . so I can say that the visa approvel is tough but still possible if you complete the requirements.

Remember that the cohabitation period will be the same for all applicant whether your irsh, eu or non-EU. Read more about De Facto Partner Residence Permission.

 

3. Spain

Spain is their county in our list that offers you umarried partner visa, or you can say that an informal relationship visa. They named this visa the Stable Partner or Digital Nomad Residency in Spain. So this name is different then irish visa but work same, of course.

 

a. If Your Partner Is an EU Citizen

• You may apply as an unregistered partner under EU residence rules because you are an EU citizen.
• You have to make a Registration as a stable couple or partner if you want to apply for a visa.

 

Author note for you

If your application is acceptbe which is not that hard to be accepted as you are an EU citizen, and for an EU citizen its quite simple and easy process, then you will directly get a Residence card which is valid up to 5 years.

 

b. If Your Partner Is a Spanish Citizen

• You must usually register as a pareja de hecho (civil partnership) in Spain.
• After registration, you apply for family residence.

 

Author note for you

Although your partner is a Spanish citizen, you need to have an income source. Most importantly, you have to have a Proof of shared address together, as the office looks for these documents to confirm that you have a shared address where you both live together. So if you are non eu citizen and your partner is Spanish, then your Spanish partner has to provide these documents that what I mean to say here.

 

c. If Both Partners Are Non-EU

• In case of non-EU One of you must have a partner who must have a visa or permit based on these options, e.g., digital nomad, work, entrepreneur, etc.
• Your second partner applies as a dependent partner on you.

 

Author note for you

Suppose you are a non-EU citizen and your umarried partner is also non-EU in this siuttion you one of you must have these above residency so that second partner is elgible to apply on behalf of you so it’s a kind of dependent visa or residency but of course other things apply like other which include your Relationship proof with partner and income that you can manage your partner living and other related cost.

 

Author note about income

For digital nomad and partner-based residency, you, as a main applicant, generally need to earn around 2,700–3,000 euros per month, with additional income required if a partner joins the application. If you are already there and earning this amount even through a remote job, you can apply for your partner on your behalf, but your income should not be less than that. If you are a common jobholder, you can still consider this amount.

 

4. Malta

Malta is another EU country that offer visa for an unmarried couple, or those who are just informal partners. This permit name is Nomad Residence Permit in Malta.

 

a. If Your Partner Is an EU Citizen

• You will apply under EU free movement regulations as a durable partner.
• You also consider other standard requirement e.g., house address, etc.

 

b. If Your Partner Is a Maltese Citizen

In order to mention the requirements, etc., you must know that generally in Malta, you are required to have a marriage or civil union for family reunification.

While the fact is in malta Informal partners rarely qualify under national rules. So, for a Maltese citizen, it will be different compared to an EU or non-EU citizen.

 

Author note about civil union.

The civil union is not a marriage, nor a boyfriend or girlfriend relationship. I can say it’s in between both mean its is basically a legal partnership between a couple that the country or state recogined where you have to share responsibility like married people do.

 

c. If Both Partners Are Non-EU

• If you both are non-EU citizens, then both partners may apply together under the Nomad Residence Permit, which you can get through a remote job too.
• One of you must meet income requirements to let your another non eu partner apply for this kind of residency.

 

Author note for you

If one of you, as a non-EU resident already settled in Malta, and meets the requirements, then you, as a second partner, apply for this visa, and you submit your partner’s documents, e.g., income, residence, insurance, and any documents that prove you both are in a relationship that should be around two years or more. I mean, the older your relationship, the more its show genuine relationship in general.

 

Author’s note about the income requirement in Malta

If you are Applicants for your parnter then you have to have around 3500  under Malta’s nomad residence program because they see your annual income, which is around 42000 euro so if you multiply by months, so its around 3500.

 

5. Croatia

Croatia recently join eu and the Schengen country that also offer you an unmarried or partner visa, which they call the Digital Nomad Permit.

 

a. If Your Partner Is an EU Citizen

Just like other countries above country you have to apply under EU family rights as a durable partner, which is common in many eu countries.

 

b. If Your Partner Is a Croatian Citizen

Croatia generally requires marriage or a formal partnership, but only for the creation citizen, not for others. So you, as an informal partner, face limited approval options when you apply for croation visa.

 

c. If Both Partners Are Non-EU

• You both should apply together under the digital nomad program.
• One of you partner meet income criteria.

 

Author note for non-EU citizens.

You can both apply from your home country as well, or from Croatia too, if you both or one of you lives in Croatia. However, your visa is only approved when you meet the requirements.

If you are doing a remote job, you can still apply for your partner too, but when you apply, you have to keep in mind that you relation ship should be old enough to provide that it is a serious relationship, probably around 2 to 3 years or more.

 

Author note about income

Before applying for your partner, you must have a monthly income of around 3,000–3,300 euros. However, if you earn that much, then you can show your bank statement with some amount that proves that you can manage your expenses with your partner during the stay time, then you will get this visa.

 

FAQs

How Immigration office Define an Unmarried Partner?

In generally the immigration office sees these key points:

1. You have a real and exclusive relationship
2. You have a Long-term commitment (usually 1–3+ years)
3. You have evidence of shared life or consistent cohabitation
4. You both have an Intention to live together permanently

 

Do I get eu visa if I have a casual relationship?

Casual relathishp do not simply help you to get a visa in Europe because the point is very simple that you are not unmarried but still have a serious relationship together, and when you have some thing causal that that you cannot proof long term or serous then it’s not easy to get eu visa.

 

Can I move to Europe with my boyfriend or girlfriend without getting married?

Yes, some European countries allow unmarried partners to live together if the relationship is long-term and genuine. You usually need strong proof, such as shared living history, financial ties, and long-term commitment. Remember that not all countries accept your informal relationships.

 

Which European country is easiest for an unmarried partner visa?

Countries like the Czech Republic, Spain, Ireland, Malta, and Croatia currently offer you a visa option as an unmarried couple, especially when one of your partners meets work, income, or residency requirements.

Read: Poland visa based on your relationship with a Polish citizen.

 

How long do we need to be in a relationship to qualify?

Most immigration authorities expect at least 1–3 years of documented relationship, and many require proof of your living together for a continuous period. So if you have proof that you have been together for 1 to 3 years, you can improve your chances to get visa.

 

Can two non-EU nationals apply together as unmarried partners?

Yes, in certain countries. One partner usually qualifies through work, business, or remote income, and the other partner joins as a dependent if the relationship is well-documented.

 

 Do we need to live together before applying?

In many cases, yes. Several countries require proof that you already lived together or maintained a stable shared household before applying.

 

Can savings replace a monthly income for partner visas?

Some countries accept savings instead of a monthly income, especially for short-term or digital nomad residence permits. The amount must normally cover your full stay and living expenses.

 

Does an unmarried partner get the right to work in Europe?

It depends on the country and permit type. Some residence permits allow full employment, while others only allow remote work or no local employment.

 

Can a tourist visa be converted into a partner residence permit?

Usually no. Most countries require you to apply from your home country or legal residence unless a special exception applies in your case.

 

Is marriage still the fastest way to get residency in Europe?

In most countries, yes. Marriage or registered partnership typically gives you clearer legal rights and faster processing than informal relationships.

 

Can we apply if we only have an online relationship?

No. Immigration offices or embassies expect from you real-life evidence of a relationship, such as time spent together, shared addresses, and joint commitments, which can be your joint ownership, etc.

 

Can I apply from my home country if my girlfriend is already in Europe?

Yes, you can apply for this visa in those countries that accept an informal relationship, but your partner in that country is financial enable to support you in living and must have a place where you can stay if your visa is accepted.

 

Can my girlfriend or boyfriend sponsor my visa if I am not an EU citizen?

Yes, your girlfriend or boyfriend sponsors you to apply for a visa if they are financially stable to support your expenses, e.g., have a proper job, earn a specific amount, and have a place to live, etc.

 

Can I get a visa easily as a non-EU citizen if my girlfriend sponsors me?

Well, its depend on your case and the relationship you have with your girlfriend, plus your girlfriend is financially able to bear your expenses. So the immigration office or embassy would review your case and see the evidence if everything match and if they are satisfied, then there will be higher chances that you will get a visa if you are a non-EU citizen.

 

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Europe Visa or Permit based on Investment with Process, Fee, and Requirements.

 

Disclaimer: this blog post is only for educational purpose not legal advice. The information we share here is based on our research with might not be error-free.  So we highly encourage you to check the official sources for up-to-date information.

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