going to england and then a cruise

[beaufoy]

I am british and my wife is thai. It is our intention to visit england and whilst there go on a northern europe cruise. There should be no need for me to get any visas. However, my wife will need a UK visa and I suspect a shengan visa .....is there a way to make the visa problems more easy

[rasg]

I wouldn't have contemplated a cruise with my Thai wife before she finally got her British passport late last year. Which countries will you be visiting on the cruise?

 

If they are all on this list a Schengen visa should be all your wife needs.

 

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

 

Our only trip outside the UK with Schengen was to Iceland and we were very lucky as they did it while we waited back in 2017 but it is a bit of a faff.

 

[scubascuba3]

An agent will make it easier but cost more

[Srikcir]

On 6/2/2024 at 7:52 AM, beaufoy said:

There should be no need for me to get any visas.

Remember Brexit. It's not 2017.

"But from 2025, Brits need to apply for the European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS) - a visa waiver that costs €7 (£6) to get. This is valid for 3 years, or until your passport expires." Apr 9, 2024 

[geisha]

Not if you’re going on a cruise . Brits will be stamped when entering a Schengen country. Then you are a tourist in Schengen countries with the rules corresponding., you musnt overstay. As for your Thai wife I’m not sure, but she’ll need a uk visa. Best to ask an agent and the cruise company you will be using. 

[geisha]

Just look online at Visa requirements for European cruises. There’s a Fred Olsen one which looks good. I’m sure they could advise you on your wife’s requirements. None for yourself . 

[MangoKorat]

Both UK and Schengen visas are straighforward - no need for any agent.  You will have to provide a considerable amount of paperwork to support your wife's visa applications and there is no way an agent can remove the need for any of that.

 

If you still decide to use an agent, use a British or European one, I've heard horror stories from people who used Thai agencies.

[rasg]

22 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

An agent will make it easier but cost more

 

Not necessarily. Unless you use an OISC accredited agent you are almost asking for trouble. All an agent does is gather the information from the person applying and present it coherently and it's not difficult to do yourself. It will definitely cost more.

I put three visit visa applications together along with a fiancée (Settlement) visa, two FLRs, one ILR, Citizenship application and a slightly complex passport application without any issues problems for my wife. It is time consuming though as so much of the information my wife needed had to come from Thailand.

 

A visit visa for the UK is far more complex than a Schengen visa. For a cruise ship, a Schengen visa should be a doddle though as it's a definite booking and the times spent in the different countries is a definite timetable.

Edited June 3 by rasg

[scubascuba3]

2 minutes ago, rasg said:

 

Not necessarily. Unless you use an OISC accredited agent you are almost asking for trouble. All an agent does is gather the information from the person applying and present it coherently and it's not difficult to do yourself. It will definitely cost more.

I put three visit visa applications together along with a fiancée (Settlement) visa, two FLRs, one ILR, Citizenship application and a slightly complex passport application without any issues problems for my wife. It is time consuming though.

Op says "...is there a way to make the visa problems more easy" a good agent obviously with experience and recommended would make it easier than doing it yourself for the first time

[rasg]

And my suggestion is still to use and OISC accredited agent or do it yourself.

[MangoKorat]

11 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

Op says "...is there a way to make the visa problems more easy" a good agent obviously with experience and recommended would make it easier than doing it yourself for the first time

Whilst it can seem daunting the first time, collecting the supporting documents is the most time consuming and you have to do that whether you use an agent or not.

 

There are probably people on here that can help the OP just as much as an agent can.

11 hours ago, rasg said:

And my suggestion is still to use and OISC accredited agent or do it yourself.

Absolutely.

 

I once helped a friend out who'd previously applied for a UK visitor's visa using a Thai agency in Bangkok. The agency had encouraged her to lie on the application, the lie was discovered and the application was refused.  She was effectively 'banned' from applying again because she had lied.  It took almost a year of emails going back and forth between myself and UK Immigration to get the decision reversed and another 6 months before she got her visa. Apparently she could have been banned from applying for 10 years but after translating an e-mail from the agent to the applicant, UK Immigration accepted that the agent was the culprit.

 

I believe we have a UK visa agent on here, although I haven't seen him post for quite some time.

Edited June 4 by MangoKorat

[rasg]

Yes. It happened to a friend of ours. She paid an agent who lied and she got a ten year ban. It made life extremely difficult as her very young baby was here in the UK with her husband when she was banned.