Foreign Residency As A Married Couple

Feb. 10, 2011:

"Kathleen, I get your wonderful e-mails and enjoy reading every one!

"I have a question. I assume the answer depends on the country, but I am wondering if it is advantageous to be legally married when moving abroad?

"My husband (of 14 years) and I are not legally married, with the paperwork and so on. We are completely committed as life partners, but there were tax reasons here that precipitated our choice to keep the U.S. government out of the mix.

"Anyway, in our plan to move abroad, would it be to our benefit to get married before we leave the United States?"

--Andrea L., United States

It depends on how you plan to qualify for residency. In some cases, yes, being legally married could have big advantages.

Generally (as you say, though, it depends on the country), if you are married (that is, if one is the "legal" dependent of the other), then you can apply for residency with one of you as the dependent of the other on the application. This means you have only a single financial requirement to meet.

Take the pensionado residency visa in Panama, for example. This requires proof of income of US$1,000 per month for a single applicant and of US$1,200 per month for a husband and wife applying together.

If you aren't technically married, then each of you would have to qualify on your own application, proving income of US$1,000 per month apiece.

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