Wife is in UK on settlement visa but not yet ILR but we wish to travel regularly to Europe. At present we need to get a visa for X months but is there a way to get a longer visa for a Shengen country ?

We are looking to buy property overseas and cannot really wait at the behest of various embassies each time.

As far as I'm aware, for visits; no. Though I am more than willing to be proven wrong on this.

If you were exercising an economic treaty right to actually live in another EEA state then she could live here with you.

Assuming you are British, once your wife has ILR and has lived in the UK for at least three years she can be naturalised as British and get a British passport; then she can use that to travel to and from Europe and so wont need a Schengen visa any more.

Watch your trips to Europe, and Thailand, though. There is a residential qualification for naturalisation. She must have been in the UK on the exact date 3 years prior to the UKBA receiving her application and during the intervening 3 years have spent no more than 270 days out of the UK with no more than 90 days in the final year.

NB, Both the UK and Thailand allow dual nationality so becoming British wont have any effect on her Thai nationality or rights as a Thai citizen.

As far as I'm aware, for visits; no. Though I am more than willing to be proven wrong on this.

If you were exercising an economic treaty right to actually live in another EEA state then she could live here with you.

Assuming you are British, once your wife has ILR and has lived in the UK for at least three years she can be naturalised as British and get a British passport; then she can use that to travel to and from Europe and so wont need a Schengen visa any more.

Watch your trips to Europe, and Thailand, though. There is a residential qualification for naturalisation. She must have been in the UK on the exact date 3 years prior to the UKBA receiving her application and during the intervening 3 years have spent no more than 270 days out of the UK with no more than 90 days in the final year.

NB, Both the UK and Thailand allow dual nationality so becoming British wont have any effect on her Thai nationality or rights as a Thai citizen.

She can apply 3 years from the date she first entered the UK for citizenship once she has ILR, if she has visited on previous visit visas these count also (subject to meeting time spent outside the country etc).

My efforts thus far have come up against various Shengen signatories who do purport to offer longer term visas to certain qualifying classes akin to a 1, 2 or greater year multiple entry visa. However, when you dig into it, these seem usually for specific reasons; study, work etc. and not merely for tourism. I am trying to see whether there is an angle for investment but not holding my breath.

As ILR (with passport back) is still a year or so away and a UK passport 2 years away, then it would be really useful to get a 2 year visa as this could be used for a wide variety of countries. It would also permit the spontaneity of seeing a cheap Ryanair deal to somewhere and jetting off the following day, which is impossible at the moment.