Visas For Cruise?

[Gtto]

I am currently working on a cruise ship. My girlfriend will come and join me for a month on the ship in Europe. She went to VFS for a Shengen visa since she will be boarding in Amsterdam but they told her it should be applied for as a Norwegian visa since she will be in Norway more though she will never be overnight on land in any of these countries. When she spoke to the Norwegian visa section they didn't know what to do either. Does anyone know how this is supposed to work? Thanks.

[Thomas J]

It is my understanding that irrespective of how long she will be in any port that she would need the appropriate visa for any of the ports the cruise stops at. So what visas would be required would depend on her passport.  If she is a citizen of any EU country then she can travel without any visa to any of them.  If she is Thai  good luck, I doubt you could obtain what is required.  

[BritManToo]

She only needs a VISA for the ports she gets off.

Presumably she'll fly over so a VISA for the landing destination would probably be all that's needed.

Try Amsterdam again, and tell 'em she isn't planning on getting off anywhere.

 

They won't let her board the flight to Amsterdam with a Norwegian VISA.

Edited July 26, 2019 by BritManToo

[rasg]

Where is your girlfriend from? Are all the countries the ship is travelling to in the Schengen zone?

 

As far as I know of, a Schengen visa needs to be applied for at the embassy/consulate of the country where you first enter OR the country you will spend the most time in.

[rasg]

9 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

They won't let her board the flight to Amsterdam with a Norwegian VISA.

That is simply not true.

 

Where is your girlfriend from? Are all the countries the ship is travelling to in the Schengen zone?

 

As far as I know of, a Schengen visa needs to be applied for at the embassy/consulate of the country where you first enter OR the country you will spend the most time in. Norway is in the Schengen area so a visa for the Netherlands is the same for Norway too..

 

Out of interest, what do you do on the cruise liner? I used to work on them many moons ago as a photographer.

 

 

[durhamboy]

I think what the OP was told by the Dutch authorities in his original post is correct, i.e. it is the country where she will be staying the longest that she should apply to.

 

Norway is not in the EU but is in the schengen area. Therefore she gets the visa from Norway but is stamped in at Amsterdam. I don't think it makes any difference if she steps foot in Norway or not. She will be on the ship which will be in Norwegian waters for most of the trip.

[rasg]

7 minutes ago, durhamboy said:

I think what the OP was told by the Dutch authorities in his original post is correct, i.e. it is the country where she will be staying the longest that she should apply to.

But he should be able to apply at either of the country's consulate or embassy because both options apply and both are in the Schengen zone. 

[durhamboy]

rasg, I think you may be wrong. The advice given is that you apply to the country where you are spending the most time. I suppose you could apply where you will be arriving and they may grant it but they might not and may then refer you to the country where the most time is spent. That would mean more delay and expense (may be a free visa but there are other costs involved). 

 

The country where you spend the most time cannot decline the application because it is made to the wrong country.

[rasg]

According to the following, you are right but I have read about situations where people's circumstances have changed and they have entered a different country to that where they applied for the visa. Also a cruise means that you stop at various ports and the bulk of the time is spent on the ship. Here is what it says:

At which Schengen country’s embassy in the UK should I apply?

Depending on your purpose and/or length of visit – there are specifications that further clarify at which Embassy or Consulate within the UK you should apply.

• If visiting one Schengen country – you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate representing the particular country of your destination.
• If visiting more than one Schengen country – you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate representing the country of your main destination (the country of longest stay).
• If visiting more than one Schengen country with equal stay duration – you must apply at the Embassy or Consulate representing the Schengen country you will enter first.
• If you intend to stay in the Schengen area for over 90 days you must apply for a residence permit (Long stay visa), not a Schengen visa. Instructions are on the respective embassy/consulate’s homepage.

www.schengenvisainfo.com/apply-from-uk/

[Donutz]

What's not clear about the sticky topic?

 

- you apply at the Schengen country that is the main destination (most time spent). Only if there is no clear main destination one applied at the country of first entry. 

- with a valid Schengen visa you can enter,  leave and travel to any Schengen state. So it's perfectly fine to travel from BKK to AMS on a Norwegian or German Schengen visa.

 

Technically you would not be crossing the border if you don't leave the ship.  Though I did a cruise in Europe (Schengen only) once and there wasn't always an authority figure to check the paperwork.  In fact my wife was never asked about her papers except for at first boarding by the cruise company. 

 

########

Personally I would apply at the Norwegian embassy and just state that she will probably set foot on Norwegian soil. It doesn't matter that she will be back on board for dinner,  if she intend to hop off one or two times in Norway,  she spends the most time in Norway. Thus she can use a Norwegian Schengen visa and enter via Amsterdam.

 

Note that VFS is an optional service provider,  it's not mandatory to use their services.  She can also apply at the embassy via an appointment  (they should give her a time slot to visit the embassy within 2 weeks). You could ask the Norwegian embassy for an appointment there and confirm with them if they see Norway as the main objective of this short stay visa.

 

[macahoom]

10 hours ago, BritManToo said:

She only needs a VISA for the ports she gets off.

Presumably she'll fly over so a VISA for the landing destination would probably be all that's needed.

Try Amsterdam again, and tell 'em she isn't planning on getting off anywhere.

 

They won't let her board the flight to Amsterdam with a Norwegian VISA.

 

"She only needs a VISA for the ports she gets off."

 

I'm sorry but this is very wrong information.

 

The cruise line will deny boarding to any passenger who does not have a visa for every port of call. It doesn't matter whether the passenger intends to stay on the ship or not. Boarding will be denied.

 

A costly mistake!

 

 

[rasg]

I'm pleased you have given your input. It is the OP's girlfriend. Not his wife. I thought that made a difference in the way an applicant can apply.

I thought that the expedited visa could only be applied for if the applicant was a family member or spouse.

 

We don't 100% know what her nationality is as he hasn’t mentioned it either.

 

 

[macahoom]

To the OP:

 

Note: Gibraltar is outside the Schengen area. However, if one of your ports of call is Gibraltar, your girlfriend will not need a visa.

 

From a government of Gibraltar website: Visa requiring nationals who visit Gibraltar on board a cruise ship and continue their voyage on the same cruise ship do not require a visa to visit Gibraltar.