Tourist Visa For Sweden Or Germany For Thai National, Easy To Get ?

[North]

Does anyone have experience about getting a tourist visa for your wife/girlfriend to Sweden or Germany ?

My wife and I plan to visit my country (Denmark) next year, but it is a real pain in the a** to get a tourist visa for my wife, so if it is easier to get a visa for a neighbour country we might go there first and then visit Denmark from there.

Any information appreciated.

North

[Rajah]

You are legally married and have these problems?

Sorry, but I don't have any experience with Schengen Visa in the German embassy, when already married. I know about a number of Thai gf been rejected. Not (yet) married. No explanation given.

[lingling]

Does anyone have experience about getting a tourist visa for your wife/girlfriend to Sweden or Germany ?

My wife and I plan to visit my country (Denmark) next year, but it is a real pain in the a** to get a tourist visa for my wife, so if it is easier to get a visa for a neighbour country we might go there first and then visit Denmark from there.

Any information appreciated.

North

If you are legally married and can prove that you live here (i.e. has no intention to move there) I doubt they will deny her a visa. Yes, most embassy staff have an attitude problem but if you let them have their little power trip and act like you are the little guy etc then they should get over it.

Other than dealing with the embassy staff, the documentation requirement, 9-page application form etc are the same for all Schengen countries.

I have no experience with the German embassy, but my experiences at the Swedish, British, US, Norwegian etc embassies have all been similar...

[North]

Does anyone have experience about getting a tourist visa for your wife/girlfriend to Sweden or Germany ?

My wife and I plan to visit my country (Denmark) next year, but it is a real pain in the a** to get a tourist visa for my wife, so if it is easier to get a visa for a neighbour country we might go there first and then visit Denmark from there.

Any information appreciated.

North

If you are legally married and can prove that you live here (i.e. has no intention to move there) I doubt they will deny her a visa. Yes, most embassy staff have an attitude problem but if you let them have their little power trip and act like you are the little guy etc then they should get over it.

Other than dealing with the embassy staff, the documentation requirement, 9-page application form etc are the same for all Schengen countries.

I have no experience with the German embassy, but my experiences at the Swedish, British, US, Norwegian etc embassies have all been similar...

Well, I understand what you mean, and we are legally married, but honestly I think I have a problem with acting like the little guy.

I just had a look at the websites from the danish and german embassies, and there are differences, like:

Denmark:

My wife´s visa appl. will most likely be sent to Denmark, processing time between 1-3 months.

They need " Confirmed hotel reservation for all Schengen countries to be visited "

and " An itinerary for the tourist visit (sightseeing schedule etc.) "

Application fee: 1.660 baht

Germany:

Processing time: "Duration of procedure:

Two or three working days. "

Applicatione fee: 35 Euro = approx. 1.620 baht but husbands/spouses of EU-citizens are exempted.

There are more requirements, I am sure, I just had a quick look at the websites, but based on the few facts listed here I would rather go to the german embassy for the visa, because I do have relatives in Germany too and can rent a car cheaper there than in Denmark, where everything cost way too much.

more comments/info appreciated

North

[lingling]

Well, I understand what you mean, and we are legally married, but honestly I think I have a problem with acting like the little guy.

I just had a look at the websites from the danish and german embassies, and there are differences, like:

Denmark:

My wife´s visa appl. will most likely be sent to Denmark, processing time between 1-3 months.

They need " Confirmed hotel reservation for all Schengen countries to be visited "

and " An itinerary for the tourist visit (sightseeing schedule etc.) "

Application fee: 1.660 baht

Germany:

Processing time: "Duration of procedure:

Two or three working days. "

Applicatione fee: 35 Euro = approx. 1.620 baht but husbands/spouses of EU-citizens are exempted.

There are more requirements, I am sure, I just had a quick look at the websites, but based on the few facts listed here I would rather go to the german embassy for the visa, because I do have relatives in Germany too and can rent a car cheaper there than in Denmark, where everything cost way too much.

more comments/info appreciated

North

Wow, in that case I would try the german embassy if I were you. The processing time at the Swedish embassy as I remember it is about a week and they will not waive the application fee for spouses.

[lingling]

I just had a look at the websites from the danish and german embassies, and there are differences, like:

Denmark:

My wife´s visa appl. will most likely be sent to Denmark, processing time between 1-3 months.

They need " Confirmed hotel reservation for all Schengen countries to be visited "

and " An itinerary for the tourist visit (sightseeing schedule etc.) "

Application fee: 1.660 baht

Germany:

Processing time: "Duration of procedure:

Two or three working days. "

Applicatione fee: 35 Euro = approx. 1.620 baht but husbands/spouses of EU-citizens are exempted.

Swedish embassy website:

http://www.swedenabroad.com/bangkok

Visa info etc:

http://www.swedenabroad.com/pages/general____16989.asp

About the guy that will interview you:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=43282

[Kaysfeld]

Does anyone have experience about getting a tourist visa for your wife/girlfriend to Sweden or Germany ?

My wife and I plan to visit my country (Denmark) next year, but it is a real pain in the a** to get a tourist visa for my wife, so if it is easier to get a visa for a neighbour country we might go there first and then visit Denmark from there.

Any information appreciated.

North

It is much easier to go through the Swedish embassy than the Danish embassy in Bangkok because they normally can provide you with a Schengen visa in 1-2 weeks time where the Danish embassy can use 2-4 month to do the same thing.

I am Danish myself, married to a Thai, though I now live in Sweden.

The first time I applied for a visa for my then girlfriend in 2001, the Danish embassy used 2 month to complete the visa, and the Danish lady at the Embassy, who interviewed my girlfriend, was very impolite, treating her like a prostitute. I think, by default, they treat all younger ladies from Thailand like potential prostitutes, and therefore make it very difficult and unpleasant for them.

I didn’t want my girlfriend to have to go through this again so I moved to Sweden.

When we later in 2001 applied for her first Schengen visa though the Swedish embassy, they treated her very nice at the interview, and she had her visa in 4 days.

When you are an EU citizen living in another EU country, but your own, the EU law say that you can bring your spouse with you, girlfriend or wife, with no problem. When I brought my girlfriend to Sweden, she was issued with a 5 year visa to Sweden. On this visa she can also visit Schengen countries for up to 3 month.

If you want to apply for a Swedish or German Schengen visa for your wife, and you are living in Denmark, I think that Sweden or Germany have to be your final destination. If Denmark is your final destination on your visa application it might be refused.

The Swedish Embassy has made it more difficult to apply for a visa, with some Thai employees as the first control, before you are allowed through for the visa application. Not all of these Thai employees treat other Thais that nice, but if you show up with your wife, I don’t think that they will dare to make any problem.

Your wife will need a travel insurance that covers the length of the stay. The Swedish Embassy works with an insurance company in the same building as the embassy. You also have to pay the visa fee in a bank in the same building as the embassy, and bring the receipt and travel insurance with you with the visa application.

If you plan to travel more that once in a year, then the cheapest way to buy travel insurance is to buy a 1 year travel insurance, because it cost the same as a 3 month travel insurance, but will cover for several travel trips within a year, but maximum 3 month per trip. AIA have such 1 year travel insurance and surely other will also have such insurance.

I don’t have any experience with the German Embassy.

The Danish immigration law also make it very difficult for any Danish citizen to bring their spouse to Denmark to live, if she/he is a national of a country outside EU, because you then have to prove that you and your spouse have more belonging to Denmark than to your spouse home country, and this isn’t an easy thing to do.

There is a way around this. If you have lived and worked in another EU country, then the EU law say that you can bring you spouse with you I you move to another EU country, regardless of her citizenship. This also goes if you move from Sweden to Denmark. Even though the EU law does require this, the Danish immigration requires that you can prove that you have lived and worked for minimum 3 month the other EU country.

I could move back to Denmark without problems now because I have lived and worked in Sweden for 3 years now, but I will not do this, because this will mean that my wife have to go though the nasty people at the Danish immigration, and I don’t want her to go through this again. And Sweden is also a nice place to live, and I can be in Denmark and Copenhagen in less that 1 hour by car. Even less if you live in Malmö.

Good luck.

[Kaysfeld]

Even though the EU law does require this, the Danish immigration requires that you can prove that you have lived and worked for minimum 3 month the other EU country.

Should have been:

Even though the EU law doesn't require this, the Danish immigration requires that you can prove that you have lived and worked for minimum 3 month the other EU country.

sorry

[the scouser]

Just to add to what Kaysfeld wrote: your wife's visit visa for either Germany or Sweden should be free providing that you can substantiate your claim to be legitimately married and that you demonstrate you are a Danish citizen.

Scouse.