Residence permit question...

[SuzanneD]

My Finnish partner and I lived together in Amsterdam for 2 years, and now we have just moved to an apartment here in Finland (BTW I'm American). I understand that if you've lived with a Finn for at least 2 years, you can apply for a residence permit based on that. My question is what sort of living-together documentation do they ask for? A copy of something like a bill or bank statement from each of us showing that we had the same address? Or is it more complicated than that (I hope not, but I want to be prepared when we head over to the police station to apply...)? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Hank W.]

Well, the draft from Amsterdam Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie (GBA) records showing your residence together. Which of course you got before you left

Its a similar system in Netherlands as in Finland basically, going first to the Aliens Police and then register with the municipality.

Bills nor bank statements don't really "prove" anything.

[kmboll]

I'm going through this same thing right now. My gf and I lived in the US in a house that I owned......so there's nothing official showing she lived there. The US doesn't register when/where people actually live. My gf talked to the Finnish police to see what we need and if bank statements and a license would be enough and they wouldn't really give her an answer. I guess they were like, "It could be, but you want proof" But if you don't have any government tracking or a lease it gets harder to give absolute proof.

[daryl]

The evidence begins with your own consistent statements about where you have lived. Add to this any evidence that you can reasonably provide (an entry stamp in the US passport is the obvious place to start). All you need is a prima facie case and then the burden of proof shifts to the authority if it wishes to dispute your claim. You can reasonably be expected to provide official documentation from countries that have domicile registers, but the contents of a domicile register are not conclusive.

If you are telling the truth, then there can hardly be anything to worry about. An investigation by the authority can hardly be expected to disprove your true assertion, and the authority is required by law to request your opinion on any evidence that it obtains from a third party where this evidence counts or could count against your claim.

daryl

[SuzanneD]

I really appreciate your input. It's nice to have this board as a reference point! Daryl, what you said in particular made me feel a real sense of relief about the process. Much appreciated!