Got my EEA Family Permit! Details

[criceto]

Hi everyone!
I got my Family Permit today. I've been married to an Italian citizen since May 2010. I applied on the 7th of April in Rome and still can't believe it took them just 2 days to make a decision! The list of the documents I submitted:

1. Marriage certificate (translated)
2. Our passports (original and copy)
3. A declaration letter from my spouse, an essay from me
4. Payslips from my spouse's current job for all the period of working, my spouse's work contract
5. A bank statement showing the money left
6. Around 60 photos (including those from our marriage)
7. Letter from my father-in-law
8. Letters from 2 of our dear friends
9. Printed airline tickets of the trips made together
10. Application printed
11. Certificate of residence for both (translated)
12. My permit of stay in Italy (with a copy)

I didn't provide our chat logs and email conversations. Both my spouse and I wrote in our letters that we prefer not to submit them as we consider this information highly intimate and personal.

By the way, one can't ask for the Permit to be issued with a remote starting date. It is valid straight from the issue date.

Hope this info will be useful to you guys. Feel free to ask.
Best

[86ti]

3. What kind of 'essay' would that have been? Unnecessary.
4/5. Unnecessary.
6. Only necessary if married only since recently.
7/8. I suppose for 6. but wouldn't be too sure how they actually can help.
9. Unnecessary.
11/12. Not sure they are really needed, the UKBA is unclear on that.

[criceto]

Totally agree, those papers might be unnecessary. But I preferred to submit more than less. And as I can see it didn't do any harm

[86ti]

Not only not necessary but legally not required and therefore cannot have determined the outcome.

[keffers]

Belt and braces is always the best policy.