How Can A Thai With Uk Settlement Visa Most Easily Travel Around Europe Before They Acquire A Uk Passport ?

[Mercury]

So your partner has a UK settlement visa but you want to travel on regular short trips to Europe. What do you have to do ?

It will be impractical to keep applying for visas and we will want the ability to travel without advance planning. Now one part of me finds it illogical that someone who has been settled legitimately in the UK needs a visa to travel to Spain for the weekend but is the only solution getting a visa for Spain or a Shengen visa for a group of other countries ?

It seems madness and I hope there is a viable medium term solution until she gets a UK passport.

[bangla]

not much you can do about it.

UK != schengen therefore she'll need a visa.

only thing you can do is the EU-route.

then she can apply for an EU resident card (see EU directive 2004/38/EC)

but getting a UK passport is probably easier and cheaper

oh, you can always try the BRAX/MRAX ruling.

EU countries should give your wife an entry visa free of charge at their borders because she's a family member of an EU citizen.

airplane companies can still refuse to let her board tho'.

don't forget your marriage cert.

Edited August 11, 2010 by bangla

[7by7]

EU regulations mean that if she has an endorsement in her passport stating that she has permanent residence in the UK as the spouse of a named EU citizen, then she does not need a visa to enter another EU country if accompanied by that named citizen (not sure about that last bit; can someone confirm?).

This means that until she has ILR she will need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area and the appropriate visa to enter other EU states.

Once she has ILR, technically she should not need a visa; however there have been many reports of EU immigration officers not recognising UK ILR as 'permanent residence' so a visa may be a good idea anyway; as she is the spouse of an EU citizen it is free and most of the questions on the application form don't apply.

[Mercury]

Not married or civil partnership so any regulations which are particular to spouses will not apply unfortunately.

Presuming she gets her visa, she will have ILE subject to KoL but say after a couple of months and ILR, then it would seem wrong to insist on her having a visa if she has permanent residence, not based on marriage, in the UK. I must admit I cannot see how that can ultimately be defended. More research here I think.

On the Shengen visa. Can it be granted for 10 years or similar ? or is it a one off thing ?

[bangla]

the multiple-entry visa allows several stays on the territory of one or several Schengen States, provided that the total length of the visits does not exceed 90 days in any half-year from the date of first entry. The stay may be continuous or spread over several periods within the validity of the visa. The multiple entry visa are issued with a period of validity between six months and five years, for travellers providing sufficient guarantees.

http://www.mediavisa.net/schengen-visa-categories.php