Civil unions and registered partnerships
If you are an EU citizen living in another EU country, your family, including your registered partner, can join you.
Warning
If you are an EU citizen and have never lived in another EU country, only national rules will apply.
If you are in a same-sex registered partnership, your host country should grant your partner residence rights under the same conditions that apply to either registered partners or other relatives.
Your partner is an EU national
As an EU national, your registered partner may live in your host EU country under his or her own right, according to the conditions that apply to EU nationals. If your registered partner is working or looking for a job, receives a pension or is studying, check the conditions and formalities for:
Staying as your dependant
If your partner doesn't plan to work, look for a job, or study and he or she doesn't receive a pension, they can still join you as a family member. Some EU countries treat registered partnerships in the same way as they treat married couples. In this case, you should check the applicable residence rights and conditions for spouses.
Other EU countries do not recognise registered partnerships as equivalent to marriage. Check the applicable residence rights and conditions for other relatives or find out more about the recognition of registered partnerships in Europe.
Your partner is not an EU national
Some EU countries treat registered partnerships in the same way as they treat married couples. Check the applicable residence rights and conditions for non-EU spouses. Other EU countries do not recognise registered partnerships as being equivalent to marriage, but your registered partner may be able to join you under the same conditions that apply to other family members. Check the applicable residence rights and conditions for other non-EU relatives.
Find out more about the recognition of registered partnerships in Europe.