Between couple violence and expulsion: How can migrant persons whose residence status depends on marriage find a way out of intimate partner violence? Everyone who experiences violence within the partnership should have access to help facilities. However, for affected people who have come to their host country through marriage and are subject to migration regulations, this access is difficult. The study shows that in these cases there is a clear tension between the private and the public space. Building on a European perspective, the author explores the question of how this problem challenges public policies in the EU member states studied, Germany, France and Italy, how competent aid institutions deal with this problem and how affected persons find their own strategies.