As dearest got her UK visit visa super quick we have time for he to go and get a French visa I think on the back of the UK one being granted. So I am online on the TLS France visa application. Drop down box asks Member State of First Entry .... but there is no UK/Great Britain as we are not in Schengen so I cant progress the application online to a point where she can download a Schengen visa application and make an appointment.

Any thoughts, experiences?

Vulc

I would imagine you enter France in the dropdown as that's your first entry to a member state.

Just found if I select Print Visa now it fills the basic info in then you fill the rest by hand.

Also you can only apply up to 90 days in advance - we wanted to go in July so looks like it will have to be in June but cant amend so will have to ask TLS - this is not easy!

Ok so I put France down as the first member state - I will ask TLS also. Thanks

The question is about where you're going to rather than coming from.

Good luck with the application.

I doubt that you can make an online application, as they will take fingerprints. Called "VIS" or something similar.

Edit: Upps, thought you do the application in BKK,

However, TDS website says:

"Citizens from some non-EU countries are required to hold a visa when travelling to the Schengen area – to apply here, you must be resident in the UK."

You can only apply 3 months (or any time less) in advance for a Schengenvisa (this will be extended to up to 6 months if the new Schenge Visa Code is accepted but the EU parliament and member states are still processing the proposal from 1-4-2014).

You can chose to go via TLS but you may also bypass them entirely saving you a service charge. An appointment (direct or via TLS) should be given within 2 weeks of the request (though ofcourse an appointment can be made later, up to 3 months in advance).

They question regarding the country should be concerning country of entry to the Schengen zone, question 32 on the application form " Border of first entry or transit route". If you travel from the UK to France, the answer is France.

If you are married (you didn't state your marital status), the visa will be free, handled ASAP and with minimal paperwork/requirements (EU/EEA family). Making the educated guess (555) that you are a British national. If this is the case you will also be able to apply at a Schengen embassy in the UK (French embassy if that's your main destination), failing this you could alsoo obtain entry at the border if you manage to reach the border and can show that you and your Thai partner are family (by marriage). Regular applicatns who are in the UK as tourists can only apply from there if it would be unreasonable to refuse processing such as unexpected and important reasons to have to visit the Schengen area.

More info on regular and EU/EEA family member application can be found in the stickied Schengen topic.

You can only apply 3 months (or any time less) in advance for a Schengenvisa (this will be extended to up to 6 months if the new Schenge Visa Code is accepted but the EU parliament and member states are still processing the proposal from 1-4-2014).

You can chose to go via TLS but you may also bypass them entirely saving you a service charge. An appointment (direct or via TLS) should be given within 2 weeks of the request (though ofcourse an appointment can be made later, up to 3 months in advance).

They question regarding the country should be concerning country of entry to the Schengen zone, question 32 on the application form " Border of first entry or transit route". If you travel from the UK to France, the answer is France.

If you are married (you didn't state your marital status), the visa will be free, handled ASAP and with minimal paperwork/requirements (EU/EEA family). Making the educated guess (555) that you are a British national. If this is the case you will also be able to apply at a Schengen embassy in the UK (French embassy if that's your main destination), failing this you could alsoo obtain entry at the border if you manage to reach the border and can show that you and your Thai partner are family (by marriage). Regular applicatns who are in the UK as tourists can only apply from there if it would be unreasonable to refuse processing such as unexpected and important reasons to have to visit the Schengen area.

More info on regular and EU/EEA family member application can be found in the stickied Schengen topic.

Thanks that's a lot clearer. Not married, and I am a UK national so she would apply at BKK and do all the finger print stuff. Yes it was Question 32 that was vexing me so thanks for the info. TLS have to change the application for me to complete online so its within 90 days then I can get her sorted with a appointment quickish as she is coming back to the UK with me on the 8th May. It will be tight what with Songkran holidays but it might just work out if I get her an appointment next week as I can send her all the supporting information including a hotel booking in France which they require.

Its all about how things are worded for dyslexic like me!

I guess we won't be going. Submitted paperwork to TLS today and they stamp our hotel bookings in France with a red stamp "not confirmed" and then the GF said afterwards that she did not take in the mandatory medical insurance docs!!!!

Then I would contact the embassy directly and forward the insurance papers asap. TLS bein (optional!) paperpushers who's task is not to remove papers, they may advice that a certain document is not neccesary or missing but the applicant should clearly be able to submit the application as presented. TLS didn't do their job properly so a complaint to them and the embassy would be in order.

As far as reservations go: the French might be one of the few that want to see "confirmed" booking reservations. Not sure how they would check such a thing though unless all has been paid for but that shouldn't be the case as this would leave applicants with serious financial impact if the visa would be refused and the hotel would not give a (full) refund, besides going through the hassle of camceling (various) hotels.

That's why I would try to avoid the French and avoid crappy optional TLS/VFS "services" who can screw your application and dare to charge a "service fee" for the inconvience of going by them rather then direct applications. If you'd go via the French again I'd go for a direct appointment at the embassy (they must give one within 2 weeks of your request).

Hope you can sort the mess out that TLS created. If the French care about tourism and service they'd be ontop of this...

Good point. I have e mailed the visa section of the French embassy with the missing documents and explained what we were trying to achieve.

If they don't grant a visa, I can get a refund on the hotel bookings and I'll take her Scotland instead. The hotels were booked using a 3rd party and the confirmation email says confirmed in it. I will contact TLS later this week.

What about Ireland?

Thais, and certain other nationalities, who hold a valid UK visit visa can enter the Republic without an Irish visa; provided they do so via the UK.

What about Ireland?

Thais, and certain other nationalities, who hold a valid UK visit visa can enter the Republic without an Irish visa; provided they do so via the UK.

That would be good and I thought I would have to do the Schengen thing for Eire as well. That being the case if we don't get to France I can do a long weekend over to Eire which she will enjoy.

Just checked and yep she can go to Eire, so will look to take her over. I would rather help the Irish with there tourism given the chance!

Enjoy the trip.

I've been in Ennis, Co Clare for the Fleadh a few times; very enjoyable. It's in May, though, so may not fit your timetable.

BTW, like the UK, Eire is not in the Schengen area.

*deleted* wrong topic.

She got declined due to lacks if funds even though I am picking up the tab. Off to Eire and Scotland we shall go instead.

You could try applying to the Netherlands or Germany as you appear to have time, if you so wished, vulcan.

My wife's one and only Schengen application was successful through the German Embassy, though that was from the German Embassy in London. As you would expect from our German friends it was a fast and efficiently processed application. Unfortunately, for one reason or another, we didn't get to utilise the visa.

Might be worth a shot.

Shame is has to go back before Ockoberfest! Berlin would be nice as I last went to see the Berlin Wall come down. Thx, I will consider.