Schengen Visa For Thai Wife

[thaisail]

I am a US citizen by birth and a French citizen through marriage. I lived in France for 20 years before moving to Thailand in 2006. I am now 57 years old. I divorced my French wife in 2006 and I still own a home with my now ex wife in France. I am now happily married to a Thai woman since 2006 and have lived in Phuket since then. My Thai wife has had a 10 year multiple entry visa for the US since 2006 and our family has made several trips to the US without any problems. We have a daughter that is 5 years old who is a dual citizen of Thailand and the US. She was born in Phuket.

I married my French wife in the US in 1982 and we were divorced in Saipan under US law in 2006. We are still in very good terms and my ex wife often comes to Thailand to see us. My French ex wife is the mother of my two children who live in France who are now age 22 and 25.

Now, we have finally got around to settling our finances and since our house is now finally paid off with the French bank and our divorce papers have finally been recognized by French administration, I would like my Thai wife and daughter to travel with me this summer to France to stay with my ex wife who is still living in the house that we own together and my ex wife will now be able to get a bank loan to pay me my share of the house and I will sign over the deed to the house in exchange for the money as per our divorce agreement.

In the mean time, my Thai wife's sister has invited us to visit her and her Swedish husband in Sweden this summer. So now we are starting to plan our trip for, my Thai wife, our 5 year old daughter and me to fly to Paris from Phuket in the middle of June and we will stay there until I am called back to work on a ship as a marine engineer on a US flagged ship some time in the middle of July. When I go back to work, my Thai wife will fly to Sweden with my daughter and stay with her sister in Sweden until mid September when they will both fly back to Phuket from Sweden.

I am just starting to learn all the details about applying for the Schengen Visa for Europe for my Thai wife but I am getting so much conflicting information, that I am desperate to find out how this thing really works. From what I have been told, I must apply for the Schengen visa from the country where my wife plans to spend the majority of her stay in Europe. That country will be Sweden. We have been told by the Thai agent that we must go to Sweden first before going to France or the Swedish consulate will not issue the Schengen Visa. We really want to go France first since our business there is far more important and I need to be ready to go back on the ship when I am called to do so.

We have considered applying for the Schengen visa from the French Consulate in Bangkok but our experience with that place has been extremely negative with the staff who work there being far from helpful. The other concern, is that we have never translated our Thai marriage certificate or our daughter's Thai birth certificate into French which would entitle my daughter to a French passport mainly because of the fact that it took 6 years to get the French government to finally recognize our divorce. There will be at least $500 worth of Thai to French translations required to get our status correct for France. Since I now finally have the French divorce decree only since last week, I do not think I will have any legal problems when I go to France.

My Thai wife's Swedish husband has sent us a letter of invitation to visit them that he printed from the official website. He was also told that he must supply a photo copy of his passport showing the last visit that he had to Thailand. He and my sister in law own a house in Bangkok and he spends most of his vacation in Thailand. He was also told that he must supply a copy of his Bangkok "House book". My Thai wife must supply our "house book", and Thai birth paper of my Thai step daughter who's father died 15 years ago. Also our 5 year old birth paper even though she has a US passport which should allow her to go to Europe without a visa. I plan to buy a one way ticket for all of us from Phuket to Paris and then a return ticket for my wife and daughter from Stockholm to Bangkok in September as close as possible to the 90 day limit allowed under the Schengen visa. We are considering buying a rail pass so that we can visit friends in Italy and Denmark so it is possible that we may go to Sweden from France by train instead of flying.

My American company covers me, my wife and daughter under our group health insurance world wide. I have been told that my wife must purchase additional travel insurance in order to be issued a Schengen visa.

Here are the questions that I need help with from any of the Thai visa community on how this needs to be done.

1. Do I have to purchase my plane tickets before applying for the Schengen visa from Sweden?

2. Will I be allowed to fly to Paris before Sweden?

3. Do I have to buy the plane ticket from Paris to Stockholm before applying for the visa from Sweden?

4. Do I have to buy health insurance for the time that my wife is in Europe even though we all have full coverage for any health care issues?

5. Can I wait until we arrive in France to purchase our plane tickets or train tickets to Sweden from France?

6. Under these circumstances I am I now forced to deal with the unfriendly staff at the French consulate in Bangkok and get a visa for France instead of Sweden?

7. Since I still own the house in France which is in my name alone, will I be allowed to write an official invitation letter for my Thai wife to stay with me at my home in France, should I have no choice but to apply for the Schengen visa for France instead of Sweden?

I know that I have written a novel here which may be quite boring to read but it would be really great if others in the Thai Visa community out there can give me the true story on how to accomplish this seemingly impossible task in the time that there is left. I am aware that we will have to go to Bangkok at some point to make a personal appearance at either the Swedish or the French consulate but I am worried that we may have started this process a bit late.

[SantiSuk]

I have applied for German and French Schengen visas within the last 3 years. This is my take, based on that experience and having quickly relooked at current French requirements online

Ill use 'you', assuming I am addressing your Thai wife, who is the applicant here.

Is your husband an EU citizen? If yes then certain things become easier in your application. Print off the Schengen visa application form from the country you intend to apply to (see next point) and note that some starred items do not need to be answered by the spouse of an EU citizen (some I highlight below). I do not know whether your husbands twenty years in France and/or former marriage to a French lady gives him EU citizenship. Get him to discuss it with a French embassy or consulate if there is any doubt.

If you are travelling to more than one country during your trip you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa from the consulate of the country you intend to visit first, even if you are only staying one night before going top another Schengen country. Some websites still refer to old rules and state either that you should get it from the country you will spend the most time in or give you the option. This is now wrong advice.

You do not have to buy any transportation tickets, but you must provide evidence of your travel plans in the form of reservation/booking confirmations that gets you

- to that first country from Thailand and

- out of the Schengen zone to Thailand

How do you get a reservation without paying? Tricky - I have always gone ahead and bought the tickets. Either go to travel agencies in Thailand and ask whether they can book a ticket for you without committing you to pay, or buy tickets where there is a free or low price cancellation clause. Telephone a few airlines for assistance if you are not au fait with how to extract that information form the online consolidators (Tip: the big Middle East carriers tend to have fairly cheap cancellation clauses attaching to their good value seat prices)

You do not have to provide evidence of your travel within the Schengen area - ie between Sweden and France, even if you are entering Schengen thru' France and leaving it thru' Sweden (or vice versa).

If your husband is an EU citizen you do not have to provide evidence of your accommodation while in the Schengen area. If your husband is not an EU citizen you have to provide bookings of hotels and/or (where you are staying with an EU citizen) confirmation from them that he will be accomodating you. In certain countries (certainly Germany and mayapply Schengen-wide) there is a balls-aching requirement for that person to get their confirmation attested at some specified local administration (for which there may be a cost to your friend). If bookings are required it is much easier to book, not pay for and then cancel than it is for airline seats.but "Internet reservations without credit card guarantee could not be accepted" (quote ex French and maybe other Schengen area documents list).

If you are going to stay at your husband's house in France (is it his or is it joiint with his ex-wife?) then he may have to go through the same process as your Swedish friend if he is not an EU citizen. I said 'may' - since he is attending the appication interview personally and will present his identification there it may be sufficient to include a representation in a cover letter from him with the application. I would phone the French consulate to check this point out.

You will need to provide your planned itinerary. If your itinerary later changes, there is no need to inform authorities. Of course, if your itinerary change affects your country of arrival you may (/will?) need to purchase a different Schengen visa. Minor changes of dates of arrival into the Schengen area are not going to cause problems. Departure dates from the Schengen area are only going to be checked on exit to ensure that you have left within the validity period of the Schengen visa. Nobody will check whether your internal to Schengen plans were activated.

If your husband is an EU citizen then there is no need to demonstrate financial resources to cover the cost of your stay in the Schengen area. If he is not then he will have to provide documentary evidence for his income and assets (bank statements etc). For someone with complex finances (many different accounts) like me, this is a right pain in the @ss.

You must provide evidence that you have travel medical cover that will pay for any medical bills and repatriation costs up to at least 30,000 Euros (I have a feeling that this is not required if your husband is an EU citizen, but check before relying on that as I cannot be sure). France requires this cover to be provided by an EU or Thai company. [Germany was happy with worldwide cover that I bought online from a US insurer, so Sweden may also be more relaxed if you turn out to be applying for a visa from Sweden]. There is no requirement for you to buy specific insurance if your husband's existing insurance can clearly demonstrate to the visa clerks that you are covered. Not if his employer uses a non-EU or non-Thai insurance provider though in the case of French and maybe Swedish Schengen visa applications.

You will not be dealing with French consulate staff, but with VFS. Past dealings with the French consulate are unlikely to be troubling. If you think that the French staff are difficult to dela with then try Germany!! All visa applications are potentially annoying and troublesome. If your husband has inherited the French cultural love of confrontation and annoyance, then give him good Karma before he goes through the door for the application. TIP: YOU MUST ANTICIPATE THAT YOU WILL COME AWAY FROM THE FIRST VISIT TO THE VISA HANDLING AGENCY WITH THINGS LEFT TO DO (ie other documents to provide). So, if he can afford the time your husband's visit to Bangkok should allow for visit one and visit two a few working days later.

Good luck to you both. Keep your cool!

E&OE - research the documentation and application forms of your chosen Schengen country thoroughly before applying. If it gets too much and/or your husband cannot attend the visa processing interview it may well be worth paying a visa handling agent such as the ones advertised on Thaivisa.com. Anyone who says that first time Schengen applications are straightforward was either extremely lucky, extremely bright, or go-ho!

[thaisail]

I have applied for German and French Schengen visas within the last 3 years. This is my take, based on that experience and having quickly relooked at current French requirements online

Ill use 'you', assuming I am addressing your Thai wife, who is the applicant here.

Is your husband an EU citizen? If yes then certain things become easier in your application. Print off the Schengen visa application form from the country you intend to apply to (see next point) and note that some starred items do not need to be answered by the spouse of an EU citizen (some I highlight below). I do not know whether your husbands twenty years in France and/or former marriage to a French lady gives him EU citizenship. Get him to discuss it with a French embassy or consulate if there is any doubt.

If you are travelling to more than one country during your trip you will need to obtain a Schengen Visa from the consulate of the country you intend to visit first, even if you are only staying one night before going top another Schengen country. Some websites still refer to old rules and state either that you should get it from the country you will spend the most time in or give you the option. This is now wrong advice.

You do not have to buy any transportation tickets, but you must provide evidence of your travel plans in the form of reservation/booking confirmations that gets you

- to that first country from Thailand and

- out of the Schengen zone to Thailand

How do you get a reservation without paying? Tricky - I have always gone ahead and bought the tickets. Either go to travel agencies in Thailand and ask whether they can book a ticket for you without committing you to pay, or buy tickets where there is a free or low price cancellation clause. Telephone a few airlines for assistance if you are not au fait with how to extract that information form the online consolidators (Tip: the big Middle East carriers tend to have fairly cheap cancellation clauses attaching to their good value seat prices)

You do not have to provide evidence of your travel within the Schengen area - ie between Sweden and France, even if you are entering Schengen thru' France and leaving it thru' Sweden (or vice versa).

If your husband is an EU citizen you do not have to provide evidence of your accommodation while in the Schengen area. If your husband is not an EU citizen you have to provide bookings of hotels and/or (where you are staying with an EU citizen) confirmation from them that he will be accomodating you. In certain countries (certainly Germany and mayapply Schengen-wide) there is a balls-aching requirement for that person to get their confirmation attested at some specified local administration (for which there may be a cost to your friend). If bookings are required it is much easier to book, not pay for and then cancel than it is for airline seats.but "Internet reservations without credit card guarantee could not be accepted" (quote ex French and maybe other Schengen area documents list).

If you are going to stay at your husband's house in France (is it his or is it joiint with his ex-wife?) then he may have to go through the same process as your Swedish friend if he is not an EU citizen. I said 'may' - since he is attending the appication interview personally and will present his identification there it may be sufficient to include a representation in a cover letter from him with the application. I would phone the French consulate to check this point out.

You will need to provide your planned itinerary. If your itinerary later changes, there is no need to inform authorities. Of course, if your itinerary change affects your country of arrival you may (/will?) need to purchase a different Schengen visa. Minor changes of dates of arrival into the Schengen area are not going to cause problems. Departure dates from the Schengen area are only going to be checked on exit to ensure that you have left within the validity period of the Schengen visa. Nobody will check whether your internal to Schengen plans were activated.

If your husband is an EU citizen then there is no need to demonstrate financial resources to cover the cost of your stay in the Schengen area. If he is not then he will have to provide documentary evidence for his income and assets (bank statements etc). For someone with complex finances (many different accounts) like me, this is a right pain in the @ss.

You must provide evidence that you have travel medical cover that will pay for any medical bills and repatriation costs up to at least 30,000 Euros (I have a feeling that this is not required if your husband is an EU citizen, but check before relying on that as I cannot be sure). France requires this cover to be provided by an EU or Thai company. [Germany was happy with worldwide cover that I bought online from a US insurer, so Sweden may also be more relaxed if you turn out to be applying for a visa from Sweden]. There is no requirement for you to buy specific insurance if your husband's existing insurance can clearly demonstrate to the visa clerks that you are covered. Not if his employer uses a non-EU or non-Thai insurance provider though in the case of French and maybe Swedish Schengen visa applications.

You will not be dealing with French consulate staff, but with VFS. Past dealings with the French consulate are unlikely to be troubling. If you think that the French staff are difficult to dela with then try Germany!! All visa applications are potentially annoying and troublesome. If your husband has inherited the French cultural love of confrontation and annoyance, then give him good Karma before he goes through the door for the application. TIP: YOU MUST ANTICIPATE THAT YOU WILL COME AWAY FROM THE FIRST VISIT TO THE VISA HANDLING AGENCY WITH THINGS LEFT TO DO (ie other documents to provide). So, if he can afford the time your husband's visit to Bangkok should allow for visit one and visit two a few working days later.

Good luck to you both. Keep your cool!

E&OE - research the documentation and application forms of your chosen Schengen country thoroughly before applying. If it gets too much and/or your husband cannot attend the visa processing interview it may well be worth paying a visa handling agent such as the ones advertised on Thaivisa.com. Anyone who says that first time Schengen applications are straightforward was either extremely lucky, extremely bright, or go-ho!

First I would like to let you know that I am a dual citizen of USA and France. I hold a French and US passport. My Thai wife has never been to Europe, but she has a 10 year multiple entry visa for the US that still has a few years left on it. She has been the states several times for short periods.

Second, my Thai wife is married to an EU citizen according to Thailand and the US since 2007. Our daughter was born in Thailand and is a dual citizen of Thailand and the USA and holds both passports. She is 5 years old.

My divorce to my French wife was not recognized by the French government until two weeks ago when finally a French judge signed the French divorce decree. We have started to do the translation of our Thai marriage certificate and also all the documents required by the French consulate in Bangkok. There are going to be in the end almost $500 to pay for all the documents to be translated. As soon as this is done, we must travel to Bangkok and present these documents and there are sure to be documents missing that will have to provided later. This process may take up to one year to complete. I do not think the French consulate will issue a Schengen visa to my Thai wife until all the documents have been translated by their approved translators and provided to the consulate and most likely they will tell me to wait for their decision and the issuance of the "Livrette Famille" Family book which is the official French way of issuing a marriage certificate. This book will entitle our 5 year old daughter to a French passport if she wants one. The problem with all this is "TIME".

The house in France is in my name alone though with community property laws of France, my former French wife is entitled to 50% of the house. The problem is that our divorce is now approved about two weeks ago. Our divorce agreement was written by an American lawyer and was approved by the American judge in court in Saipan (US law) in 2006. The agreement has never been translated to French but it will be by next week. The French have agreed to the divorce only by viewing a letter from the court in Saipan stating that after more than one year from the date of the divorce, no one has contested the divorce. That was a requirement of the French law that the US court was kind enough to do for us. So the issue about ownership of the house will be resolved as soon as we all get to France and sign the papers to transfer ownership of the house to my former French wife who will pay me my share of the house according to our US divorce contract. All is amicable and my Thai wife and my former French wife are on good terms with each other. In fact, my former French wife comes to Thailand and spends about one month with us during the winter every two years. She is planning to come to stay with us in Phuket, February next year.

In the mean time, my Thai wife's Swedish husband has sent us an official invitation letter from Sweden which should arrive tomorrow. The French translated documents will be ready in Phuket on Thursday. We plan to drive from Phuket to Bangkok next weekend with all the documents and we are prepared to stay in Bangkok as long as necessary to resolve the Schengen visa and the application for the French "Family Book" and get French nationality for our 5 year old daughter.

If the French consulate will not issue the Schengen visa this year, I will go to the THai agency that handles the Swedish Schengen visa and my wife will do the same as her other sisters that went to Sweden last summer for 90 days. We have been assured that we will get the visa as there appears to be no reason for Sweden to deny the visa unless they find she is married to an EU citizen. But since I am not really married to my Thai wife according to French law until the "Family Book" has been issued than my Thai wife will not be lying if she says that she is not married to an EU citizen, right?

The agency will charge 500 baht for the airplane ticket which will not be used. Once my Thai wife has her Schengen visa, we will buy our tickets to Paris from KL and hope that the French immigration officer will just give her the entry stamp. Then in July, my wife and daughter will fly to Sweden from Paris and stay with her when I have to return to the states to go back to work. Of course I will buy a one way ticket for my wife and daughter from Stockholm back to Bangkok for September just before her visa runs out.

My big question is:

1. Will this work?

2. Do I need to discuss this with a lawyer in Bangkok?

3. Does any one know of a good immigration lawyer in Bangkok, hopefully a French expat?

I am not really sure if anything I am doing is legal because I do not know the law concerning Schengen visas. There are many different rules which are very difficult to understand and they appear to differ from each of the Schengen countries.

[thaisail]

I am getting conflicting opinions regarding the law concerning entry into Schengen area. I have a choice between two flights. One will be from Phuket to KL and then KL to Paris. The other is Phuket to Bangkok, BKK to Stockholm with connecting flight two hours later to Paris. My Thai wife will have the Schengen visa from Sweden for 90 days. We plan to spend the majority of our stay in Sweden. But we must first go to France for one month for the sale of my house. I must know what the law is. Do I need to contact a lawyer?

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Thaivisa Connect App

[7by7]

No, you do not need to contact a lawyer.

A Schengen visa issued by one Schengen state is valid for entry into all Schengen states.

If questioned by French immigration simply say that your final destination is Sweden and she will be spending most of her stay there.

[thaisail]

We have just come from the Visa service agency in Bangkok and were informed that we must enter Sweden before visiting any other Schengen country.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[theoldgit]

That's not my understanding of the rules, what do you mean by "Visa Service Agency", sounds like you mean an agent, you may have been given duff info.

[thaisail]

We did use an agent but after buying the insurance and airline booking we went to another building where Denmark and Sweden visas were allied for. I have heard from other TV people that the rules have changed and that now you must enter the country issuing the visa before going to the other Schengen countries. I just want to know the law.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Thaivisa Connect App

[7by7]

Article 5, paragraph 1 of the agreement is very clear.

You should apply to:

• the country which is your only destination; or
• if visiting more than one country, the country which is your main destination; or
• if touring several countries with no main destination, the country which you will enter first.

I can find nothing official to say that this has been changed.

[beano2274]

to the OP since your wife is applying to see her Husband in his country there are different rules, and I believe you must visit the local Government offices in France to get a certificate proving you are French and that you are able to look after her whilst she is there, if you were not French but had another European nationality it would be a lot easier.

[Larsbo]

Hi

I am told that there is new rules for getting a visa for married couples and like to know how we do it correct this year.

My wife and I lived for many years in Thailand, and every year we take a 89 days holiday in Denmark to visit my family.

I now hear that she can get a Shengen visa more easy than the previous years

( We have been married for 11 years now and have every year had a 3 months vacation in Denmark and was married in Denmark )

Is it correct that we just come to the embassy in Bangkok with the Danish marriage certificate and the filled forms and now can get the visa in only two days ?

That we do not need to show any insurance anymore

That we can do all paperwork with the embassy and not with the VFS ( Expensive service )

Please advise

Write in English or in Danish

We will fly to Bangkok in April for the visa, and we will fly to Copenhagen 28 of June 2014.

Regards from FORNAVN EFTERNAVN
CPR xxxxxxxxx
Phuket

--------------------------------------------

Answer from The Danish Embassy

Hi Bo,

Nothing is true. I wonder where you heard it?

Everything is as usual. – But if you have been together for so long and your wife has been to SCHENGEN on such a regular basis I would advise you to apply for three year visa with multiple entries next time you apply.

Med venlig hilsen/ Best regards

______________________________________________________

ANNETTE ROSENQVIST / [email protected]

ATTACHÉ (CONSULAR / CULTURAL)

HEAD OF VISA SECTION

DIRECT + (0) 2 343 1121

ROYAL DANISH EMBASSY, BANGKOK

SATHORN SOI 1 (10 SOI ATAKARN PRASIT) / 10120 BANGKOK

PHONE +66 809 2 343 1100 7 WWW.THAILAND.UM.DK

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From Thai Sails Link

( " The French are incorrect about having to apply via TLS (or VFS), the Schengen. The French offer the option of going to TLS Contact, most other Schengen embassies offer the option of going to an external service provider (TLS Contact, VFS Global.) However this is NOT mandatory but entirely optional, the Schengen code (Code on Visa) dictates in artile 17 that you should have a genuine option of applying directly via the embassy witout the use of an external service provider. This is also explained in the Visa Handbook. " )





Posted Yesterday, 15:05
@Thaisail. Good to hear all went fine. But since you are a French national you should have been able to get a free visa fast and easy from the Swedish embassy (or any other Schengen embassy except the French embassy since you can't exercise these " freedom of movement" rights in the country that you have the nationality of) on your vacation last year. All that is required for the free application is that your wife proofs that she is your wife, a marriage certificate should be enough (if need be translated to English or another language that the embassy can read, and legalized by the Thai Ministry of foreign affairs.

The French are incorrect about having to apply via TLS (or VFS), the Schengen. The French offer the option of going to TLS Contact, most other Schengen embassies offer the option of going to an external service provider (TLS Contact, VFS Global.) However, this is NOT mandatory, but entirely optional, the Schengen code (Code on Visa) dictates in article 17 that you should have a genuine option of applying directly via the embassy without the use of an external service provider. This is also explained in the Visa Handbook.

Quote

4.3. The service fee
Legal basis: Visa Code, Article 17
As a fundamental principle, a service fee may be charged to an applicant using the facilities of an external service provider only if the alternative is maintained of direct access to the consulate incurring the payment of just the visa fee (see point 4.4).

4.4. Direct access
Maintaining the possibility for visa applicants to lodge their applications directly at the consulate instead of via an external service provider implies that there should be a genuine choice between these two possibilities.

EN 22 EN
Even if direct access does not have to be organised under identical or similar conditions to those for access to the service provider, the conditions should not make direct access impossible in practice. Even if it is acceptable to have a different waiting time for obtaining an appointment in the case of direct access, the waiting time should not be so long that it would render direct access impossible in practice.
The different options available for lodging a visa application should be presented plainly to the public, including clear information both on the choice and the cost of the additional services of the external service provider (see Part I, point 4.1).

See: http://www.thaivi...r-thai-gf/ and http://www.thaivi...-new-rule/


#17 Fastest Schengen Country For Visa?: post #17Donutz
Member

Members
PipPip
20 posts
Posted Yesterday, 16:16
Some useful links:

The visa code can be found here:
English:
http://eur-lex.eu...810:EN:NOT
French:
http://eur-lex.eu...810:FR:NOT

Handbook (also useful for details on visa for family members):
http://ec.europa....dex_en.htm

Visa for Non-EU family members explained (including examples):
http://europa.eu/...dex_en.htm

It's a real shame that various embassies do not abide the Schengen Visa Code due to either incompetence or even being unwilling to execute the rules properly (costing them too much time or money?). Complaining to the authorities does help: the EU Commission, SOLVIT, the ministry of foreign affairs of the particular nation you applied at, the EU delegation (" EU embassy" in Thailand etc.

From Thai Danish Forum

" I just called the embassy a week before we went to BKK to book a time , drove to the embassy and one hour later we left with a 90 day Schengen visa in my wifes Thai passport." G H

" I Think that you have to show a minimum sum of 300 DKR ( app 60 US$ ) a day you are in Schengen , to prove you can afford to stay there. G. H.

[Donutz]

Larsbo: The " free, fast and easy" visa is for those who can excersize their " freedom of movement rights" . This means that if you are Danish and you are married, then your wife can apply for a fast and free visa for a holiday to any Schengen country EXCEPT Denmark. So yuo could go on holiday to Germany or Spain, apply at the Spanish/German embassy with your passports and marriage certificate (translated to English, the orginal and translation stamped by the Thai ministry of foreign affairs) and apply for a visa. This should be granted free, fast and easy (the Spanish embassy is showing incompetence though, or unwillingness, see: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/703486-spanish-schengen-visa-new-rule/ ).

Also see: http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm (also available in Danish, select a language in the top right corner))

PS: And yes you can aplpy without going to VFS or TLS, all Schengen embassies should give people the clear option of the right of a direct application without giong to an external service provider at all. Sadly not all embassies respect the Schengen Visa Code (which they are bound to!!).

Edit: PPS the OP with US and French citizenship have applied at the Swedish embassy for a visa, which then shuould be granted fast, easy and free. Provoviding the marriage certificate should be enough (legalized by Thai authorities etc.). The child, carrying a US passport did not need a Schengen visa at all. If the OP went to the French embassy however then they would have to pay for the visa and provide all the documents including travel Insurance etc.

Edited March 12, 2014 by Donutz