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Perhaps it just looks like a trend, but there have been many questions about getting married to an EU citizen/in the EU while on a Schengen tourist visa. My reaction was to refer those people to Expatriates. But is Expatriates right or should it be Law? And would it make sense to have a good Travel answer on marriage as a tourist? I certainly don't know enough to write one ...

Marry Italian citizen

Can a nonEU visitor on a schengen visa marry an EU citizen? [on hold]

Getting married in Germany with a Schengen visa expiring soon [closed]

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    THE ONLY image that pops up in my head when I see these questions lately is this image of a young syrian man with an old german lady just to get a permit to stay: i.stack.imgur.com/QZCIV.jpg
    – Nean Der Thal
    Feb 10, 2016 at 18:59
  • Haha, so funny image
    – Suncatcher
    Dec 13, 2019 at 8:54

2 Answers 2

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There are two types of marriages to think about...

The standard marriage where somebody is in the country of their intended and wants to get married. These types of marriages usually envision settlement and hence have an immigration angle. It could be to get married in the EEA and settle in the EEA, or to get married in the EEA and settle in the other person's country. Regardless, I have it in mind that the various marriage regulations in the EEA are pretty straight-forward and would NOT by themselves be the occasion for a question. Instead it's the immigration aspect that gets complex and drives the need to ask some questions. The common thread for those questions you've cited are that someone's immigration status is imperilled and marriage is the way to 'fix' it. Accordingly, this type of marriage question belongs to Expats.

The other type is a 'destinational marriage'. This is where the couple want to get married at some thematically charged location like the Hohensalzburg Castle or Reichenbach Falls or the banks of Lake Como or wherever. They may or may not want to settle in the EEA, but the driving factor behind their question is not a perilous immigration status. These questions belong to us.

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    " get married at some thematically charged location like the... banks of Lake Como"... didn't work out so well for Darth Vader.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Feb 8, 2016 at 23:01
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    The summary I always use is "if you're going somewhere and coming back home, then it belongs on travel; if you're going to stay then expats".
    – Richard Gadsden
    Feb 9, 2016 at 12:08
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Unless the questions is also asking about moving to another country/the effect hat being married will have on their immigration options, then I don't think it is a question from Expats.

Certainly if the question is "how do I travel to X and marry Person Y there?" that seems like an on-topic travel question to me. Of course, sometimes the answer will be "you don't, unless you also plan to move there", but thats the way it is.

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    The questions which I referenced sound more like "Help. my tourist visa is running out and I want to marry somebody before I have to leave." Or perhaps "Help, my tourist visa is running out but I want to immigrate. Can I stay permanently if I marry somebody?" Either that, or young fools in love.
    – o.m.
    Feb 1, 2016 at 18:17

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