What Kind Of Visa For European Vacation

[Mike45]

My Thai wife and I want to visit Europe. We are living in the United States. We wanted to visit several countries over a course of a month.

I am a US citizen and Irish Citizen by Foreign Births registration.

My Thai wife has a 2 year green card that will be expiring in September 2008. She will be applying for a 10 year green card this summer.

What kind of visa would my wife be eligible for to visit Europe? Where should I apply for it?

Edited March 4, 2008 by Mike45

[flightcrew1]

My Thai wife and I want to visit Europe. We are living in the United States. We wanted to visit several countries over a course of a month.

I am a US citizen and Irish Citizen by Foreign Births registration.

My Thai wife has a 2 year green card that will be expiring in September 2008. She will be applying for a 10 year green card this summer.

What kind of visa would my wife be eligible for to visit Europe? Where should I apply for it?

Even though she has a green card she still needs a visa for whatever country she plans to visit. If you plan on visiting the continent she will need a Schengen visa whioch covers several countries but not the UK or Ireland where you will need to apply for separate visas. I don't know what city you are in but you will need to go to the embassy/consulate in that city and apply for the visa. You should pick the embassy of the country that you plan on entering first. Being an American green card holder will make it easier.

[jstumbo]

Just make sure to mention that she is a US Permanent Resident and send a copy of the green card when applying for the visas.

[the scouser]

Mike,

If you haven't already done so, get yourself an Irish passport and then present yourself as being Irish for the purposes of your wife's trip to Europe. As the spouse of an EEA national, he visa should then be free with the exception of for Ireland itself.

Scouse.

[Mike45]

Thanks for all the information so far.

I have a US and an Irish passport. I live near Boston Massachusetts.

So if I understand this correctly I should go to the embassy for the country we intend to enter in. We are unsure at this time but we may arrive in Ireland first. Then travel to the UK, France, Netherlands, Germany, Italy. Then either flying from Italy back to the USA or traveling back to Paris to fly home.

So she would need to apply for a visa to Ireland, UK and Schengen at the French Embassy.

Does the Schengen Visa allow multiple entries so we can enter the same country more than once on the same holiday?

I understand as a family member of an EEA national the Schengen Visa would be free what about the Ireland and UK visas….. also be free?

What kind of documents will she need to apply for these visa's? I assume her Thai passport, US Green Card some proof of Insurance...

Thanks

[the scouser]

Your wife will need individual visas for Ireland, the UK and the Schengen area. If you present yourself as Irish she will have to pay for the visa for Ireland, but the UK and Schengen visas will be free. In terms of the Schengen area, think of it like the US: once a foreign national has entered through, for example, JFK, he is then free, within the validity of his visa, to visit any one of the states as many times as he likes without further immigration border checks, and it is the same within the Schengen area.

Scouse.