Hi

Next year I shall take my Thai g/f to the UK (she's been before) but when there, we'd like to hop over to Spain for a few days to see an elderly relative I may never see again.

The UK visa should not be a problem, but can anyone tell me the ins and outs of a Thai travelling FROM the UK TO Spain and then returning to the UK?

Will she have to apply for a visa to Spain (I suppose we can't get her a Schengen visa, I think, as the UK is not a signatory). Do I have to go to the Spanish Embassy in BKK to make an individual applicaion, even though it is such a short stay (3-4 days max)?

I should add that we aren't married, if it makes a difference, but have been to gether for a (provable) 5 years.

Yes, she will need a separate Schengen visa, and she will have to apply in Bangkok.

She should apply for a Schengen Visa from the Spanish Consulate in Bangkok.

Similar requirements to her UK visit visa, genuine visit, affordability and reason to return with the addition of details of accommodation and travel out of Schengen, also some reports of details of flights to home country being requested, and medical insurance.

A pretty painless procedure, especially if she already has her UK visit visa.

Thanks for the replies and apologies for the delay in replying.

It all seems a bit of a faff, and given my relative is pretty grumpy and not in the best of health, I think he might find the hassle of supplying all the info too much for him. Further, I doubt he could cope with finding us a hotel nearby - he takes very simply nowadays and can't handle any disruption to his routine.

It would mean some fancy logistics too, trying to get flights to the UK, then others to Spain and return.

However, it's all a way off in the future so I will make enquiries at the Spanish embassy/consulate in the meantime and decide later if it is worth the palaver.

Thanks again, chaps.

Further, I have enough to do what with applying for the UK visa (which was pretty simple last time), but to apply for a second, and only going to go for a few days, it really does seem like a PITA! Further, the g/f can't speak Spanish, and mine is rudimentary at best so I think we might have some problems.