i just moved with my husband (active US Army) to Germany..I have my country's passport and my husband is a US Citizen..I know for tourist,that its up to 90 days to live in Germany..Im command sponsored but was told to get a SOFA stamp in order to reside in Germany..For those who were stationed in Germany or overseas know that its about 2-3 years to be stationed overseas..i was told in order to get a SOFA stamp,i need to get some kind of USA visa (green card)..theres some spouse,same situation,just applied for SOFA stamp and got approved without getting a permenant residence card (green card)...the military legal is no help and its hard getting thru the US consulate..any suggestion would help..thanks :)
You're in a burocratic muddle, all right. It's not insoluble, though, as evidenced by your observation that another spouse has achieved what you haven't yet. You need a couple of different things: The first is a SOFA stamp. The next is a green card. And the last is some sort of resident visa from Germany. Each of these has its own burocracy, its own application process, and its own dangers for being denied. Gotta guess that you have a temporary 90-day visitor visa from Germany, or you wouldn't be there. You need another, longer-term visa, right? In order to get that, you need a SOFA stamp in your passport, and in order to get the SOFA stamp, you need a green card. You don't say where you moved from. If you have lived in the US, you've got a green card. So that should help you get the SOFA stamp. If you are married and don't have a green card, you really should try to expedite that, since at some point, your husband will rotate to the US and a marriage certificate or a CAC card won't be enough to get admitted. Try one more time for that SOFA stamp, bringing what you have to demonstrate that you're command sponsored. Don't give up. The military is no help? I think today's military are all pretty terrific at what they do. Don't go in with a chip on your shoulder and see if you don't get what you need. If you tried for help with a green card from the military's legal, it's natural for them to send you to the consulate. The green card is a document from Homeland Security, not Defense. The consulate has staff who deal with those issues, not Defense. Would you go to the consulate for a CAC card? Of course not. So if you need that green card, get it from where everyone else gets it. If you need the SOFA stamp, just try again, since you're command sponsored. And if you bring a receipt that you've applied for a green card, that might help, too. You'll have a great time in Germany. Just don't let some frustrations embitter you. ... Take care!!
you don't want a green Card with the intention to get a settee Stamp. this is purely incorrect. All acceptable solutions are for 10 factors. in case you're command subsidized, and you're saying you're, you're taking your passport and a replica of his orders to admin and enable them to technique the settee Stamp for you.
You don't need a green card. It's no longer a stamp, but a card. Either way, depending on where he is stationed have him contact the Passport/SOFA office. You need your passport, marriage certificate, a copy of his orders with your name on it and you should be good to go. NB: Citizens of certain countries may not be eligible for the same day issue. It may require processing but they should be able to tell you and your husband if that is the case with you.
