Schengen Visa for Spain. Thai wife in UK.

[baannambua]

Hi everyone. Please can someone tell me what's the best way for my wife to get her hands on a Schengen Visa to visit Spain for 2 weeks? She has a full Residence permit for UK and currently waiting for Citizenship ceromany date.

We were just going to wait for her Citizenship to be processed but as it may take a few more months we want to apply for a Schengen Visa. I have read a lot but there doesn't seem to be a clear cut way of doing it. Do I have to book a holiday first to show them ? Also any ideas how long it will take?

Desperate for a holiday now and Thailand is too far and too expensive, plus a pain to drag our 2 young kids there aswell. Any help much appreciated.

Thanks

[Donutz]

Short on time, quick response, have a look at the Schengen FAQ (pinned topic at the top of the forum) and then look at the following links and start from there:

- http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/819851-practical-experience-of-schengen-for-spouse-of-eu-citizen-application/page-2?hl=%2Bspain#entry9616095

- http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/835166-holiday-to-tenerife/?p=9545621&hl=%2Bspain

[chickenslegs]

This link may be helpful.

http://es.vfsglobal.co.uk/Manchester/all_about_visa.html

There is a "Contact Us" link about half way down the page on the left.

Or, for London, the Midlands, south of England and Wales: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/LONDRES/en/Consulado/Pages/Demarcacion.aspx

Or, for Scotland and the North of England: http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/EDIMBURGO/en/InformacionParaExtranjeros/Pages/VisadosUniformeSchengen.aspx

[baannambua]

Hi thanks for those replies. As I live in North Wales, Manchester or Liverpool are probably the best places but I remember a while back someone saying the Spanish consulate in Manchester closed?

I will drive pretty much anywhere but don't fancy going to London. I'll have to take my kids with us when we go and will be a nightmare. Are we eligable to apply to Endinburgh?

From what I've read it sounds like we just need to make an appointment go there and fill out the application correctly? As we are married is it true we don't have to proove our income and length of relationship and all the other fun stuff we had to show the British Embassy before she came here?

Thanks again.

[Donutz]

Hi thanks for those replies. As I live in North Wales, Manchester or Liverpool are probably the best places but I remember a while back someone saying the Spanish consulate in Manchester closed?

I will drive pretty much anywhere but don't fancy going to London. I'll have to take my kids with us when we go and will be a nightmare. Are we eligable to apply to Endinburgh?

From what I've read it sounds like we just need to make an appointment go there and fill out the application correctly? As we are married is it true we don't have to proove our income and length of relationship and all the other fun stuff we had to show the British Embassy before she came here?

Thanks again.

See my earlier post with links: since you are an EU national traveling with non-EU national(s) the visa will be free, handled ASAP and with minimal requirements (proof of marriage, proof of ID of all familymemers, proof of non-EU family joining EU national on the trip). If you chose the optional external service provider VFS a service charge needs to be payed. Have you read the sticky and the other links? If anything specific is unclear, do tell so I or others can be of help.

I don't know about how Spain organizes visa's from NW (consulate or VFS), those instructions should be on either the website of the Spanish consulate and/or VFS site.

[baannambua]

I didn't read the sticky to begin wih because it said applying from within Thailand. ( unless I mis-read it). I'll go back and double check. I have seen the VFS service which is Manchester but the Counties and areas listed don't include my area. Thanks for your information though. I'll go have another read. Cheers.

[Donutz]

The sticky is geared towards applying from TH but the general information and specifically the information on EU/EEA familymembers apply to all regardless of where you'd apply from.

An other reason for the title is so those googling for Schengen visa (from) Thailand find this topic/forum to help them along. The original title was just "Schengen visa, FAQ" but it did not rank high on google.

[baannambua]

Well I think I have all the info I need now. Going to try get the Mrs booked in at the embassy instead of the VFS place incase there are any complications, although there shouldn't be. The amount of times we have applied for visas for the UK now we should be proffesionals. Thanks again for the help.

One thing though when I visited the VFS site,where it said contact number it was just blank. Unless that's just my phone ? Anyway, cheers.

[baannambua]

Having just checked the VFS site she can't apply there anyway as our residing area isn't on their list.

[baannambua]

I have spoken to VFS in Manchester today and they say we have to travel to the London application center! Anybody know if there is a way around this? Such a backwards way to do things.

They say it is County specific and my County comes under London. Such a pain.

[theoldgit]

You can make an appointment directly to the Consulate, though it is in London.

You have to write for an appointment, yes they make it difficult, though as the spouse of an EU National they say there will be no charge.

http://www.exteriores.gob.es/Consulados/LONDRES/en/Consulado/Pages/BookAppointment.aspx

[Donutz]

If the Spanish embassy would apply freedom of movement (Directive 2004/38) properly they would offer every facility, ASAP to facilitate these type of applications. So the EU/EEA spouse could:

- apply at any embassy or consulate in the world (that has the capacity to process visa applications ofcourse)

- apply without appointment or be given an appointment as soon as possible (within max. 2 weeks of the request) .

This would mean you could apply at any of the Spanish consulates or (at a fee) the VFS offices, that you could make an appointment with the embassy by any means such as phone or mail. So firing of an e-mail requesting an appointment would be just fine, followed by a snail-mail request if that makes them happy but they'd need to supply an appointment ASAP since the date of request for an appointment so it only is a waste of time for the Spanish to insist on sending them a letter, plus it's hardly to be concered ' granting every facility' like they should.

Being practical might be play along with their instructions but officially they would need to facilite you ASAP at any location. It's not a regular visa appointment afterall. If you prefer an other location you are fully entitled to go there. Solvit might be of help, and a complaint can also be sent to the EU Commission.

- http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm (Solvit can be contacted via a link at the bottom)

- http://ec.europa.eu/atwork/applying-eu-law/complaints_en.htm

- just-citizenship AT ec.europa DOT eu