Schengen visa for Thai GF of a Brit

[Mike Teavee]

I'm sure this has been asked & answered before (if so can somebody please share a link & hopefully the Mods can close this thread). 

 

In a nutshell I'm British & would like to take my Thai GF to Europe (1 to visit her family in Germany but also to take her to see Paris & Rome, it's been a couple of decades since I've visited either so these are more for me than her) but I have no idea, as a Brit, what's required following Brexit.

 

Scenario is... 

1. I'm Early Retired (56) with no active/provable income but do have tax returns that show approx. £18,000 pa of passive income pa.
2. Have very little cash in the bank in the UK but do have an "Open Plan" mortgage which means I technically have a 6 figure (GBP) sum there which is offsetting what I owe on my mortgage, I can easily carve off 60% of this into my normal bank accounts if I needed to do to support a visa application but obviously I don't want to do this as it will mean me paying mortgage interest on the money I take out. 
3. My GF (36) has employment history from when she worked in a Mall but since I retired here (Feb 2020) & asked her to give up her job (the plan was we would go travel then she would get a new job) she hasn't worked... She does have approx. 750K THB in the bank & a house/land (not sure if it's in her name or her mums) + evidence of regular income going into her account (I make sure to xfer at least 8K every month into her account since she stopped working).

 

I have around 6 months to plan this so can arrange for cash to be in my UK account if I need to & would be grateful if anybody could share details/experiences of what's required to get a Schengen visa (supported by a Non-EU citizen, in particular a Brit) to take a Thai girl on a trip to Europe. 

 

Edit: It took me typing that out to think of a couple of other options... 

1. Would it be easier for her family in Germany to support her visa (they are only moving there this year, she is very close to them hence the topic has come up... Hubby is Dutch, wife is Thai with a Dutch(EU)/Thai passport,2 kids also have dual citizenship)
2. Is there an easier EU country to apply for a Schengen visa to than Germany (as mentioned planning to visit France/Italy as well so can do these 1st but a pre-holiday trip to Spain/Portugal wouldn't be unwelcomed). 

[mrwebb8825]

Do you need accommodations for your private jet and yacht as well? ????

[Mike Teavee]

2 minutes ago, mrwebb8825 said:

Do you need accommodations for your private jet and yacht as well? ????

Lol, I only mentioned my finances as I figure I would need to be able to show a certain amount of cash in my bank in the UK & at the moment I have <£1,000 which I'm guessing won't be enough. 

 

The fact that I have a large amount of cash available to me is because my mortgage is an "Offset" mortgage, whereby any money you have in your account is offset against what you owe on the house, so if I were to take £20,000 & put it into my "Real" bank account to show for a visa, I'm basically borrowing £20,000 against my mortgage (and will need to pay mortgage interest on it).

 

 

 

 

 

[mvdf]

10 minutes ago, Mike Teavee said:

The fact that I have a large amount of cash available to me is because my mortgage is an "Offset" mortgage, whereby any money you have in your account is offset against what you owe on the house, so if I were to take £20,000 & put it into my "Real" bank account to show for a visa, I'm basically borrowing £20,000 against my mortgage (and will need to pay mortgage interest on it).

Sounds like a scary but convenient strategy. Never had a mortgage so I can't really imagine how borrowing against an already existing loan works apart from the fact that, yes, mortgage interest and repayments are bound to increase. 

 

Embassies want to see a strong incentive to return to the visa applicant's home country. Solid finances are a plus, if in her name, as well as any supporting documents and assurances you can provide to strengthen the contention of an existing relationship and her intention to abide by the visa's conditions. 

 

This just reminds me of my Cambodian friend's experience. He works for Aeon in Phnom Penh and had about USD 4k in his bank account when he applied. That and a letter from his employer. He applied at the French embassy and was granted a Schengen visa for 30 days. Profile: single, early 30s, earns $600/month, prior travel to Singapore and Bangkok, no supporting documents from anyone in Europe. He went to Paris and is back in Phnom Penh now.

 

Then again, I know a phone shop owner who was rejected despite having far more assets. 

[arithai12]

You as a Brit do not need a visa, provided you stay less than (3 months?). You'll need a valid passport which obviously you have if you live in TH.

 

You have to decide which country will be your first entry (D, I, F?) and then she should obtain a visa at that Embassy. They should have requirements on their websites. As she is your gf and not wife, she will probably have to do this independently from you. If she has family officially living in D, then perhaps that would be the easiest approach. Still she should be prepared for some annoying questioning.

I am not updated, but I think that at least some western Embassies do not accept applications directly but through VFS.

 

Enjoy a nice trip. btw, France and Italy have a lot of charming places to visit, I'd cut Paris and Rome to a very minimum.

 

 

[theoldgit]

15 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

• Would it be easier for her family in Germany to support her visa (they are only moving there this year, she is very close to them hence the topic has come up... Hubby is Dutch, wife is Thai with a Dutch(EU)/Thai passport,2 kids also have dual citizenship)
• Is there an easier EU country to apply for a Schengen visa to than Germany (as mentioned planning to visit France/Italy as well so can do these 1st but a pre-holiday trip to Spain/Portugal wouldn't be unwelcomed). 

 

She should apply via the consulate that juristiction for the member state of her main destination, not the one that is perceived to be easier.

 

If she plans to spend an equal amount of time in a number of member states, then she should apply via the consulate with juristiction for her entry into the Schengen Area.

If you plan on staying with friends or family then they'll have to formally invite her, if you plan on staying hotel then she'll need to provide evidence of booked accomodation for the duration of the trip, along with flights to and from Schengen and insurance.

 

Member States have different available finace requirements, it not only varies from State to State, but also whether you're staying in hotels or with friends and family.

 

If you can provide evidence that you're in a subsisting relationship here in Thailand, hence reasons to return, I really don't think she'll have a problem.

 

No real changes since Brexit for her, apart from the fact she could have previously applied for a free visa, with very little evidence, as the partner of an EU National living together in a subsisting relationship, via the Freedom of movement clause, you will have to ensure that your passport complies with the rules for other third party nationals, those have changed.

[Jen65]

Very difficult to get a Schengen visa for Thai girlfriend ( or gurlfriend !) -  tried a few years ago and if you don't actually live in the Schengen area even more difficult !!

The best way is get you girlfriend to book a "holiday "  with a travel company with say a coach tour to different destinations , then they look after the visa bit .   Your girlfriend uses the outward flight and maybe stays at the 1st destination accommodation for 1 or 2 night , then ditches the tour and as long as has the visa , book a return flight before it expires !!  It's the only hassle free way to do it without lengthy paperwork , huge costs and no certainty of approval of the visa at the end -  they don't have to give a reason for refusal AND that refusal will be in your girlfriends passport and registered with the immigration !!       

[theoldgit]

43 minutes ago, Jen65 said:

Very difficult to get a Schengen visa for Thai girlfriend ( or gurlfriend !) -  tried a few years ago and if you don't actually live in the Schengen area even more difficult !!

The best way is get you girlfriend to book a "holiday "  with a travel company with say a coach tour to different destinations , then they look after the visa bit .   Your girlfriend uses the outward flight and maybe stays at the 1st destination accommodation for 1 or 2 night , then ditches the tour and as long as has the visa , book a return flight before it expires !!  It's the only hassle free way to do it without lengthy paperwork , huge costs and no certainty of approval of the visa at the end -  they don't have to give a reason for refusal AND that refusal will be in your girlfriends passport and registered with the immigration !! 

 

That's certainly not my experience, and is at odds with the experience of many of my friends.

 

My girlfriend, subsequently my wife, has applied for, and received, numerous Shenghen Visas over the years we've been together, without an issue, visas have been either for the length of her visit right up to the validity of her passport, I'm a British National.

 

It's often harder for a an applicant to be granted a visit visa to visit a partner in a member state as the decision maker may believe, rightly or wrongly, that it's the applicants desire to stay in Schengen. A tourist is unlikely to encounter this if they are able to prove their ties to their home country, especially if their partner also live with them in their home country, as seems to be the case of the OP.

 

You're suggestion of joining a tour and then "jumping ship" is dangerous one to recommend. 

 

The fact remains that most genuine applications are approved. 

[sandyf]

16 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

In a nutshell I'm British & would like to take my Thai GF to Europe (1 to visit her family in Germany but also to take her to see Paris & Rome, it's been a couple of decades since I've visited either so these are more for me than her) but I have no idea, as a Brit, what's required following Brexit.

In a nutshell your relationship is no longer of any significance, you yourself will be there on a visa waiver as opposed to being an EU citizen.

Your GF can apply for a Schengen visa as any other but I would avoid making Germany  your main visit. I have had 3 Shengen visas for my wife and Germany was the most difficult. Once in the EU you can travel elsewhere so you could book a week in Paris and just say on the application an intention to visit other cities. Unlike the UK the requirements are fairly straightforward and you could supply a letter to the effect that you will travel together and that you would also be providing financial support.

Your GF would need to make the application so all confirmations of bookings would need to have her name, or preferably both names.

Although the visa could be obtained in the UK it would be safer to get it in Bangkok before travelling, a friend of mine had difficulty with the French in London.

[Mike Teavee]

34 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Your GF can apply for a Schengen visa as any other but I would avoid making Germany  your main visit. I have had 3 Shengen visas for my wife and Germany was the most difficult

Thanks @sandyf

I've more or less settled on the plan of getting her Schengen visa on the grounds of visiting her family (Plan is to make the trip next May so they'll have been there approx. 8 months by then & will provide invites, confirmation that they'll support her stay etc...) with me proving additional support but from the sounds of it, there is very little support I can offer as a Non-EU citizen.

 

If we do have problems getting her visa from the German embassy then plan B would be to look to get it at the French embassy but it sounds like I might need a Plan C! 

 

 

Also, it looks like we'll be scrapping (at least one of) the France/Italy legs in favor of a trip to the UK, (obviously I will need to arrange for a separate visa), would a Schengen visa allow multi-entry into the EU (e.g.  Germany - UK - France) or would I need to do the EU legs of the trip in one go (e.g. Germany/France/Italy - UK)  

  

[Thalueng]

I would suggest you apply for a UK visa first, which is not a Schengen country. Check with your embassy the financial or garantee requirements. Make it multiple entry.

 

Apply for a Shengen visa after that, it will be easier to get. You will need flight bookings at the time of application, which you could rearrange afterwards if needed. Again apply for multiple entry, but you probably need supporting flight bookings.

 

Imo the family option is a weaker path. Any embassy or officer could easily make the conclusion she wants to go live with her family as they just moved there and are not even German. Proving that this is not her real intention is not easy.

[theoldgit]

20 minutes ago, Thalueng said:

I would suggest you apply for a UK visa first, which is not a Schengen country. Check with your embassy the financial or garantee requirements. Make it multiple entry.

 

Apply for a Shengen visa after that, it will be easier to get. You will need flight bookings at the time of application, which you could rearrange afterwards if needed. Again apply for multiple entry, but you probably need supporting flight bookings.

Good advice, in fact if the OP is intending to visit the UK as part of the trip, most Schengen States, if not all, require that the UK Visa, or that for other destination, is obtained first.

[hotandsticky]

2 hours ago, Jen65 said:

Very difficult to get a Schengen visa for Thai girlfriend ( or girlfriends !) -  tried a few years ago and if you don't actually live in the Schengen area even more difficult !!

The best way is get you girlfriend to book a "holiday "  with a travel company with say a coach tour to different destinations , then they look after the visa bit .   Your girlfriend uses the outward flight and maybe stays at the 1st destination accommodation for 1 or 2 night , then ditches the tour and as long as has the visa , book a return flight before it expires !!  It's the only hassle free way to do it without lengthy paperwork , huge costs and no certainty of approval of the visa at the end -  they don't have to give a reason for refusal AND that refusal will be in your girlfriends passport and registered with the immigration !!       

 

 

Nonsense. My missus has had approx 10 Schengen visas.

 

 

As mentioned above get the UK visa first as that is a prerequisite for a Schengen visa if you arriving from the UK.

 

The Schengen requirements are VERY specific, in that the applicant has to show the required bank balance (bank letter required), flight and accommodation details (in her name) plus the insurance cover of EUR 30,000 minimum (easy to do online with MSIG)..

 

In terms of the application you cannot really have the luxury of flexibility in wanting to go somewhere when you feel like it. The dates are rigid. That does not mean you cannot change your plans later and take advantage of a multi-entry visa - but be prepared for questions if you encounter an Immigration Officer who is on the ball. As Old Git said you need to apply to the embassy/agent of the country in which you intend spending most of your time. 

 

 

[Pdavies99]

You as a UK Passport holder need to do nothing, your girlfriend, however, needs to apply for a Schengen Visa ideally for the Port of Arrival country.  It is fairly simple, having done it several times for a Phillipino girlfriend.

 

Of course, now as of January 1, 2021, the United Kingdom is officially no longer a member of the European Union and its relationship to the Schengen Agreement remains unchanged. The Schengen visa does not however give permission to travel to the UK

[Almer]

All you have to do is to convince the visa officer that your girlfriend has every reason to want to return to Thailand, Job, family, a couple of supporting letters from an employer, people you are visiting, then it’s easy.

Once the officer gets doubts that the intention is to not return then it’s an uphill battle and every refusal makes the next application harder

[Mike Teavee]

5 hours ago, Thalueng said:

Imo the family option is a weaker path. Any embassy or officer could easily make the conclusion she wants to go live with her family as they just moved there and are not even German. Proving that this is not her real intention is not easy.

Thanks for highlighting this, I  hadn't even considered it as she has no intention of living in Germany but I can see how an officer could come to that conclusion so best to avoid (I also note the points made about a rejection stamp in her passport making any future visa requests even more difficult). 

 

I think it's quite clear now that I need to focus on getting her a UK Visa (something I can/do have a lot of input into) & once she has this apply for a Schengen visa to visit EU from the UK.

 

Thanks again for all of the input guys, I really appreciate it. 

 

 

[sandyf]

5 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Thanks @sandyf

I've more or less settled on the plan of getting her Schengen visa on the grounds of visiting her family (Plan is to make the trip next May so they'll have been there approx. 8 months by then & will provide invites, confirmation that they'll support her stay etc...) with me proving additional support but from the sounds of it, there is very little support I can offer as a Non-EU citizen.

 

If we do have problems getting her visa from the German embassy then plan B would be to look to get it at the French embassy but it sounds like I might need a Plan C! 

 

 

Also, it looks like we'll be scrapping (at least one of) the France/Italy legs in favor of a trip to the UK, (obviously I will need to arrange for a separate visa), would a Schengen visa allow multi-entry into the EU (e.g.  Germany - UK - France) or would I need to do the EU legs of the trip in one go (e.g. Germany/France/Italy - UK)  

  

I would support much of the other advice, i had assumed that you would be dealing with the UK visa first, it stands you in good stead for a Schengen visa.

The Schengen visa is a visitor visa and has no grounds as such and bringing in the family may have adverse consequences. In possession of a UK visa and reasonable funding there is no reason why a visa would not be granted. One of the benefits of the strict UK immigration.

I found the visa conditions to be a bit arbitrary, for a week in Spain we got 2 weeks multi-entry, for 3 days in Germany we got 4 days single entry and for 5 days in Malta got 10 days multi-entry.

The Schengen visa can be for up to 3 months so you would need to provide an itinerary that indicated your requirements. As has been said it would need to show the longest period in the country where you intend to apply.

Most EU countries have VFS visa centres but for Germany you deal with the Embassy direct. They are very efficient, when you make the application you are talking to an embassy official and you get an answer there and then. Their processing is however different to the others and very strict with little leeway. As ours was a family application I was allowed into the embassy but not sure if you would be, I saw many filling in forms out on the pavement. I am not a fan of VFS but in this case I would suggest a better alternative.

[theoldgit]

4 hours ago, Pdavies99 said:

You as a UK Passport holder need to do nothing, your girlfriend, however, needs to apply for a Schengen Visa ideally for the Port of Arrival country.  It is fairly simple, having done it several times for a Phillipino girlfriend.

I’m sorry but that’s not correct, the applicant needs to apply via the Consulate of the Member State which is the main destination, only if you are spending an equal amount of time in a number of countries should you apply via the country with jurisdiction for the entry point into the Schengen Area.

 

A friend of mine of mine was flying into Paris, spend three days there before traveling to Italy for a week, on her return journey she intended to fly to Bangkok from Paris, after spending two days there.

 

She applied via the French Consulate and they refused her visa as Italy was the main destination, she applied there and the visa was issued.

 

 

[KIngsofisaan]

11 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

Lol, I only mentioned my finances as I figure I would need to be able to show a certain amount of cash in my bank in the UK & at the moment I have <£1,000 which I'm guessing won't be enough. 

 

The fact that I have a large amount of cash available to me is because my mortgage is an "Offset" mortgage, whereby any money you have in your account is offset against what you owe on the house, so if I were to take £20,000 & put it into my "Real" bank account to show for a visa, I'm basically borrowing £20,000 against my mortgage (and will need to pay mortgage interest on it).

 

 

 

 

 

In the real world that means you do not have any cash.

[Mike Teavee]

2 hours ago, KIngsofisaan said:

In the real world that means you do not have any cash.

That's one way of looking at it...

 

Maybe another way is that I have the cash with no barriers to withdrawal (not like I need to sell anything) if I need it...  is that the same as having cash? 

 

I don't know about you but I decided before I retired (for the 1st time at 40) that I'd rather not have mortgage interest to pay so once I'd payed the house off I could either close my account (credit line) & pay a couple of £100s for somebody to hold my deeds... or I could keep an excess of £500 in my account & they pay me £0.16p every month for the privilege of holding my deeds. 

 

Yeah... I guess that really means that I don't have any cash... 

 

 

Edit What really makes me laugh is I haven't lived in the UK for 15 years so why on earth would I keep any money there that I didn't have to have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[digbeth]

On 6/23/2022 at 4:58 PM, Mike Teavee said:

Would it be easier for her family in Germany to support her visa (they are only moving there this year, she is very close to them hence the topic has come up... Hubby is Dutch, wife is Thai with a Dutch(EU)/Thai passport,2 kids also have dual citizenship)

this is a double edged sword, having significant ties in the western countries mean there are means for her to stay and get jobs and not return to Thailand once her visa period is over

 

this is dependent on her travel history and current employment/prospect in Thailand

 

also be mindful of the length of queue to get visa processed in Bangkok 

[Mike Teavee]

46 minutes ago, digbeth said:

this is dependent on her travel history and current employment/prospect in Thailand

Thanks for this... We have travelled (Bali & Singapore and will be visiting Siem Reap when my parents visit in November) so she has a couple of stamps in her passport & she used to work at Central Mall so has a few years employment history but I asked her to give this up when I retired in Feb 2020 so we could go travel.

 

The Plan was always for her to go back to work once we'd finished travelling but Covid meant there's not much demand for a girl selling make-up (Irony being she has a degree in IT & me, an Ex-IT Director at one of the UK's top 5 Banks, doesn't)

 

She spent longer working as a Nanny (off book to pay her way through Uni) for her family who's moving to Germany which is why she has such a strong bond to the 2 kids hence since we've learnt they're relocating she's really keen to go visit.

 

Thanks again for all the advice shared here, it's made it much clearer for me what I need to do & I really feel confident now that I can get her a visa to visit the UK (Have family there who will support the application) & once we get that it will make it easier for us to get a Schengen visa to visit her family. 

 

 

[Pdavies99]

6 hours ago, theoldgit said:

I’m sorry but that’s not correct, the applicant needs to apply via the Consulate of the Member State which is the main destination, only if you are spending an equal amount of time in a number of countries should you apply via the country with jurisdiction for the entry point into the Schengen Area.

 

A friend of mine of mine was flying into Paris, spend three days there before traveling to Italy for a week, on her return journey she intended to fly to Bangkok from Paris, after spending two days there.

 

She applied via the French Consulate and they refused her visa as Italy was the main destination, she applied there and the visa was issued.

 

 

Pedantics, I was asked and said the France, then UK, then Spain, so they told me to use French arrival port as the initial Schengen destination, ie for me it was France for 3 days, then the UK for a month, finally 10 days in Spain before return to Thailand.

[chalawaan]

Consult each embassy of each EU country youll visit, as she'll def. need pre arrival visas, the fact she will have leave to enter the UK once she applies to Schengen bloc is immaterial to each individual EU bureaucrat, the boorish behaviour of the Brexit delegates in Brussels wont be easily forgotten or forgiven  you MIGHT get a visa on arrival, depending. Though overall, unfortunately, you have zero special rights as a Brit now, immigration line up everywhere you'll go. 

Still at least you wont have to wait hours for her to clear on the landside of each barrier like when we were in the EU family!

[GinBoy2]

Hmmm, no real input here, but your situation is terribly familiar to anyone trying to take an un married Thai woman almost anywhere in the West.

 

The default position from any Western Embassy CO is 'will they return'? The family in Germany I would think would be a huge Red Flag, so I'd skirt around that.

 

The tour group seems to be a good option. It takes you out of the equation, since you are probably also a huge Red Flag. Get to Europe, get married, and we're off to the races so to speak!

 

Before me and Mrs G decided to get formally married and subsequently move to the US where she's now a permanent resident, we tried a couple of times to get both a UK and Schengen tourist visa so we could do a European tour. All denied of course!

 

After she became a US permanent resident, we've gotten both UK and Schengen visa's for Euro vacations without any problem.

 

It's all down to that thorny problem of a Thai resident traveling then disappearing into the Thai Diaspora

[CartagenaWarlock]

I read Greece Embassy is easy to get Schengen visa. Least number of rejection for Pakistan/Bangladesh passport holders. Once they land in Greece, they make their ways to Portugal and become illegal by not leaving the country. Huge number of illegal Pakistanis/Bangladeshis in Portugal now. 

[theoldgit]

9 hours ago, Pdavies99 said:

Pedantics, I was asked and said the France, then UK, then Spain, so they told me to use French arrival port as the initial Schengen destination, ie for me it was France for 3 days, then the UK for a month, finally 10 days in Spain before return to Thailand.

 

Not pedantics at all, it's the rules as applied via by the actual staff who process the applications in a accordance with the Schengen Handbook, your information is misleading, unless others had the same itinerary as you, and could well cause the OP to have their application declined.

 

In the circumstances you outline you initially entered the Schengen Area via France and as you were leaving for the UK before entering another Member State, France was your main destination for that part of the trip, so they, whoever "they" were, correctly advised you, the subsequent visit to Spain would have been classed as a second visit using the multi entry part of the visa.  

[sandyf]

13 hours ago, Mike Teavee said:

That's one way of looking at it...

 

Maybe another way is that I have the cash with no barriers to withdrawal (not like I need to sell anything) if I need it...  is that the same as having cash? 

 

I don't know about you but I decided before I retired (for the 1st time at 40) that I'd rather not have mortgage interest to pay so once I'd payed the house off I could either close my account (credit line) & pay a couple of £100s for somebody to hold my deeds... or I could keep an excess of £500 in my account & they pay me £0.16p every month for the privilege of holding my deeds. 

 

Yeah... I guess that really means that I don't have any cash... 

 

 

Edit What really makes me laugh is I haven't lived in the UK for 15 years so why on earth would I keep any money there that I didn't have to have.

 

As far as the Schengen visa goes your financial situation is of little significance, from  what you said in the OP I have little doubt your GF could get the visa in her own right. A letter from you indicating you live together in Thailand and will travel together would just strengthen the case.

What will be more of a challenge is the UK. You need to be much more specific on the reasons to return. You will need to highlight things like the length of relationship, the fact you live in Thailand and how you fund living here. It would help if you can establish if your GF has an interest in the property.

The UK visa application is quite tedious and I would suggest you make a dummy application to get some experience on the information required and how to make responses. At the end you can just delete the application without completion.

[Mike Teavee]

@sandyfThanks again for taking the time to share you thoughts & advice, I can see you've been through this process more than most so I really appreciate you taking the time to help a 1st timer out ????

 

I am clear now, get the UK Visa first & then look at getting the Schengen Visa...

 

 

 

 

 

[hotandsticky]

7 hours ago, sandyf said:

As far as the Schengen visa goes your financial situation is of little significance, from  what you said in the OP I have little doubt your GF could get the visa in her own right. A letter from you indicating you live together in Thailand and will travel together would just strengthen the case.

What will be more of a challenge is the UK. You need to be much more specific on the reasons to return. You will need to highlight things like the length of relationship, the fact you live in Thailand and how you fund living here. It would help if you can establish if your GF has an interest in the property.

The UK visa application is quite tedious and I would suggest you make a dummy application to get some experience on the information required and how to make responses. At the end you can just delete the application without completion.

 

7 hours ago, sandyf said:

As far as the Schengen visa goes your financial situation is of little significance, from  what you said in the OP I have little doubt your GF could get the visa in her own right. A letter from you indicating you live together in Thailand and will travel together would just strengthen the case.

What will be more of a challenge is the UK. You need to be much more specific on the reasons to return. You will need to highlight things like the length of relationship, the fact you live in Thailand and how you fund living here. It would help if you can establish if your GF has an interest in the property.

The UK visa application is quite tedious and I would suggest you make a dummy application to get some experience on the information required and how to make responses. At the end you can just delete the application without completion.

 

 

Personally. I think any letter from the male partner is of no value. I could accept that the living together in Thailand MIGHT strengthen the case for return, but IMO the Schengen application places less emphasis on the risk of flight than UKVI.

 

The applicant is judged on her own merits and, unlike the UK visa, the 'sponsor' is irrelevant.

 

There are exact amounts required per day for each member state and the bank letter/statements must reflect this. The applicant must be named in all hotel/flight bookings.

 

Once a track record has been established  a multiple entry visa, for 12 months, will usually be issued.