EU Residence via the Wife’s Company: Apartment, Income and Status for a Ukrainian Family

One trip by the wife to the European Union — and the family has a company, an apartment registered to that company, official income and a ground for a residence permit. The husband stays in Ukraine — with his business and obligations. Below is the whole structure step by step: entry figures, the tax side, the family’s status chain and three ways to complete the deal. The material is based on Alliance’s working practice: this is how we calculate and set up every structure.

HOW A FAMILY FROM UKRAINE CAN BUILD A FOUNDATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION WITHOUT RELOCATING

The starting setup is almost always the same. The husband is tied to his business in Ukraine — or leaving the country is closed to him. There is capital, but the family has no European foundation. The market answers with a price tag: in many countries, entry into European Union real estate starts at approximately €200,000–300,000. The family structure answers differently: the same elements — a company, an asset, official income and a ground for status — are put together with an entry of about €30,000. And one person puts them together: the wife, in one trip.

The family’s home, school and work stay where they are.

The foundation is built in advance — while there is still time to choose calmly. This is exactly the task the family structure solves: one owner, one route, one trip.

HOW THE FAMILY STRUCTURE WORKS: COMPANY, APARTMENT, CONTRACT

At the center of the structure is the wife. She opens a company in the European Union and becomes its owner and director — a real one, not a nominee: her signatures, her decisions. The apartment is registered to the company. The company carries out real activity: it rents out its own apartment and works in a field from the supported list — real estate agency, consulting, marketing, IT. Official income appears. The wife’s employment contract in her own company becomes the ground for a residence permit. Each element exists on paper: the register, the agreement, the contract, the payments — the structure can be shown to a bank, a notary, anyone.

An apartment by itself does not give the right of residence, and a company by itself does not give status. Only the combination works: a company with real activity, an asset owned by the company, official income and an employment contract.

The accounting is handled by Alliance and the property by a management company; the wife keeps the owner’s decisions on a clear calendar — a few hours a month. Control stays with the family, the routine with the support team.

HOW MUCH AN APARTMENT IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COSTS AND HOW THE INSTALLMENT PLAN WORKS

The building has been put into operation — a finished property, not a foundation pit. A two-room apartment with renovation and furniture costs about €100,000. The down payment is 30%: roughly €30,000. The remainder — about €70,000 — is an installment plan from the owner for 36 months, interest-free: roughly €1,900 a month; the exact amount is calculated for the specific apartment and fixed in the contract.

The company becomes the owner immediately, not after the last payment. The installment schedule is an annex to the contract: amounts, dates, transfer procedure. The order in which the money moves is fundamental: first the written opinion, then the company, then the down payment — and only then the installments on schedule.

Company formation — €1,300, approximately a month. Status support — €1,300, approximately three months. The full cycle — up to four months. All of this is built in Romania — a full member of the European Union and Schengen, a day’s drive from home rather than a flight halfway around the world.

IS TVA PAID WHEN BUYING AN APARTMENT THROUGH A COMPANY

The standard value added tax rate is 21%. With a properly structured transaction, this cost does not arise: the issue is checked and resolved before signing, for the specific property, and fixed in the purchase structure from the written opinion. The difference is significant: on an apartment of about €100,000, it is an amount comparable to the down payment itself.

An improperly structured purchase carries the tax — a fifth of the price. A properly structured one does not.

Source of funds, bank and structure are settled on paper before the first payment. This is not a trick or a discount — it is the result of correct paperwork, and you see the answer for your property on paper before the deposit.

WHAT STATUS THE WIFE, CHILDREN AND HUSBAND GET

The wife: an employment contract in her own company — a residence permit. The children: reunification with their mother — school, doctor, legal stay based on her status. The husband joins second — through family reunification: on the wife’s residence permit or later, on her citizenship; when he can or when he decides. The husband’s turn is determined in advance — it is built into the structure.

After 3 years — if there are legal grounds — the wife obtains European Union citizenship. The grounds are checked against documents and built into the structure from day one, already in the written opinion. And the wife’s passport opens the door for everyone else. Status, meanwhile, is optional: you can hold the company, the asset and official income without applying for a residence permit — the ground does not disappear. The company operates, income is declared, and the contract is drawn up when the family needs the status.

HOW THE DEAL IS DONE: IN PERSON, UNDER A POWER OF ATTORNEY OR THROUGH A MANAGEMENT COMPANY

The deal can be done in three ways. The first — the wife comes in person: one trip covers registering the company, viewing the apartment and signing, and everything after that is remote. The second — under a power of attorney: first, admissibility is checked under the law, with the specific notary and the specific bank, and then the power of attorney is drawn up. The third — through a management company. Which path is yours is determined at the assessment and fixed in the written opinion.

About the bank, plainly. For a well-prepared case with a clean source of funds, the review usually takes from a week. No company in Europe can guarantee passing bank compliance; we prepare the case so that every question from the bank is answered by a document. Source of funds, bank and structure are settled before the first payment — the family does not pay for mistakes after the fact.

THE COMPANY IS ALREADY OPEN AND SITTING EMPTY — WHAT TO DO

A common situation: the company was opened earlier, but there is no activity. An empty company does not sustain the ground: the employment contract in it looks formal, renewal of the status is in question, and the bank has questions about turnover. The solution is to build it out, not to start from scratch: formalize the lease of the company’s own property, add an activity from the supported list, bring the accounting in line with real turnover. The family receives the build-out plan in writing — with steps and timelines. This is the subject of a single assessment, not a verdict.

The first step of the whole route is always the same — a free compliance assessment with a written opinion: a recommended bank, a list of documents for your source of funds, the purchase structure and timelines. Before the deposit, non-binding; for Alliance it is a mandatory standard — we do not enter a deal without checking the money and the route. And a straight answer: whether this structure suits you. The opinion may also be a reasoned refusal — you will see it in writing before the first payment. The code word is АКТИВ.