The wife's been granted 3 Schengen Visitor Visas in the last 2 years (2 France, 1 Austria) and has never been asked about insurance.

Well, I said I would post the result of the Schengen application at the French embassy, well here it is...

We went to the French visa place this morning and collected my wife's passport. In the passport was the Schengen visa, 90 days, multiple visits.

NO INSURANCE REQUIRED.

We made an application where the only problem was that we had to prove we were maried by getting more paper-work from the British Embassy. I also included a cover letter with the application explaining we only wanted to go to Paris for four days. I also said we would get insurance when we booked the trip. That was it.

So, all those that said you would only the visa for the one trip, you are wrong. All those that think you have to have insurance, again you are wrong.

But I repeat, this visa was for my wife and she now has an SV visa for the UK. If your circumstances are different then I cannot comment on what you need. But like the man at the British Embassy stated, If the lady is your wife and you have an SV visa, then your entitlement to a free Schengen visa is for sure.

So that is the story, hope this helps others when applying.

Well done, Paul.

Scouse.

Good on you, SirP.

Thanks for all the help and support.

My wife applied to go to France, does this mean she has to go to France first, or can she now go to any of the Schengen countries?

She's supposed to go to France first or as her main destination for the holiday/visit. You/she can always try to go to another Schengen country first and say that you're going to France in a few days time.

She's supposed to go to France first or as her main destination for the holiday/visit. You/she can always try to go to another Schengen country first and say that you're going to France in a few days time.

Cheers for the info, most useful!

I need to get a Schengen Visa for my Wife asap.

Can anyone recommend an agent in Bangkok?

Time is an issue as we are flying to the UK on 1st July. The earliest appointment at the French Embassy (BKK) is 8th July.

We are going to France on July 19th so might not be enough time to apply in UK.

Another option is to apply to a different (Schengen country) embassy even though we aren't visiting that country - can that be done?

I emailed the French Embassy and explained our situation and they granted an earlier appointment.

In my letter to accompany my wife's application I requested that the visa be granted beyond our travel dates to France as we planned to visit Spain but had no firm travel plans.

We collected her passport on Friday and they have issued us a visa vaild until the end of the year, so we are quite pleased with that.

We bought an insurance policy to cover both our trip to the UK and France we had to show a copy of this when she collected her passport, they also wanted to see a copy of her return flight details from England.

As we hadnt had our marriage certificate endorsed by the British Embassy we had to pay a fee. If we had got the endorsement then it would have been free.

It seems that the French Embassy in London releases new appointments on its website every Thursday so if you need an appointment at short notice and are applying from the UK then that is your best bet. Full details are available on their website.

We have now been to Paris using the Schengen Visa. Went on Eurostar, no problems apart from non of the staff at Waterloo, London or in Nord, Paris being trained to speak Thai

Did have a problem booking the holiday at one agent, they wanted us to contact the French embassy before going. Went to another holiday agent and they agreed with me that this was stupid as my wife already had a one year Schengen visa. There is no need to contact any embassy in the Schengen area once you have the visa. This was proven by the fact that we had no trouble at all going or coming back.

So, you apply for the visa once you have the SV visa. They can make it difficult but they have to give you a Schengen visa for free. They make it difficult to try and charge you for the visa. With the application you do not need insurance, just proof of Marriage and an SV visa. Do not pay for the Schengen visa.

My wife was given one year Schengen visa and can stay in any of the Schengen countries for 90 days. It was free as she already had the SV visa.

Good luck with your applications - Remember it is one form so there is no need to employ an agent. We applied for the Schengen visa in Bangkok after receiving an SV visa from the British Embassy.