Schengen

[silverdales]

Hi

I want to get my a shengen visa so we can go to Europe. I reckon from reading that France is the easiest and realise that our Thai wedding certificate needs to be verified/translated by the Thai embassy in London before applying to the French embassy, I think a 2 day trip to Calais will be OK with a hotel confirmation but later in the year I want to take her to my parents home in Spain, will the visa be long for how long....? - In reality how long is it valid for and do they normally allow travel to other countries as a matter of course as I see there are 2 different versions... Also the french embassy say travel insurance is required will a cheapo online travel insurance do the job?.

Thanks in advance

[7by7]

A Schengen visa is valid for all the member states, no matter which state issued it..

It can be multi entry and valid for 6 months, with a maximum stay of up to 90 days in that 6 month period. I think that she will need to ask for this in her application otherwise she may just be issued a visa valid for the first trip.

As she is the spouse of an EU national, many of the questions and requirements wont apply and the visa will be free; provided you will be traveling with her.

Cheapo insurance will do the job for the application; but will it do the job if you need to claim?

[theoldgit]

A cheapo insurance policy will suffice for the visa requirements, but you will need to provide a copy of the policy which shows you are insured to an appropriate level.

[silverdales]

Yes that's a good point... I also see a annual policy is more likely to attract a longer visa. On the checklist for spouses of eu nationals the French embassy website it does nit mention about projects travel.... Necessary?

Also anyone knowing the turnaround time/cost for the Thai embassy in London to certify/translate our wedding certificate? Thanks in advance