French visa for Thai spouse

[cm17]

I am a French citizen legaly maried to a Thai national. I wish to get a short stay visa for my wife to visit France. After a few searches on the embassy and TLScontact sites, I am very surprised that they request so few documents. If somebody had the same experience, any advice would be warmly welcomed. D'avance, merci.

[French mate]

Its normal, Shegen visa for spouse of an europeen is free and limited to the proof of the relation, and when you french and apply for france as main destination its even more easy.
You will get a 1 year visa that can be used by 90 days steep, with mean you can theoricaly use it for a maximun of 2x 3 months as long you wait 90 days bettewen both trip (or you can do many small trip of fews weeks/days during the year)

I renew it every year for my wife, so she always "visa ready" to jump in the plane for go France with me when i need.

Here the document you need to bring (from TLS contact asked to me in february 2017  for a thai spouse of a french citizen  applying to go in france for a short stay) :

1.
Two recent, developed identity photos
Color photo on a white background Format 3.5 cm x 4.5 cm Taken from the front; without obstruction Recent (less than 6
months old) The photo must be a close-up of your head and the top of your shoulders so that your face takes up 70-80%
of the photograph.
2.
Passport (original)
(Passport expiration date must be 3 months after the date of your return from the Schengen Area. Passport shall have
been issued within the previous ten years , with two blank visa pages with the mention “visa” to affix the visa sticker)
3.
Passport (copy)
(Photocopy of the identity page, as well as pages with Schengen visas or stamps)
4.
Old passports (original)
(If you are in possession of one or more previous passports, it is mandatory to bring all of them) (Copies of the passport
identity and pages having Schengen visas or stamps)
5.
Old passports (copy)
(If you are in possession of one or more previous passports, it is mandatory to bring all of them) (Copies of the passport
identity and pages having Schengen visas or stamps)
6.
Integral copy of the French marriage certificate issued in the last 2 months or transcription on
the French civil registrar
(Family book cannot be considered as copy of the French marriage certificate) To obtain an integral copy of the French
marriage certificate, please contact the French civil registrar where your marriage was registered either the civil registrar
of the Embassy of France in the country where your marriage was registered or the civil registrar of the City hall in
France where your marriage was celebrated.
7.
Name change certificate, in case applicant’s name/surname is different between the passport
and the French marriage certificate
8.
Proof of spouse’s French nationality
National identity card or French passport or citizenship certificate or copy of official document granting French nationality
9.
Proof of spouse’s French 10. nationality (copy)
Letter from the French citizen to confirm that they are living together, the visa application and
the non-dissolution of the marriage

[theoldgit]

This is the current list of documents required for the Spouse of a French national, this more or less mirrors the details in the previous post. tlscontact.spouse_Fr_less90

[French mate]

Thai spouse of french national, if the spouse isnt thai more paper are required for apply from bangkok, their want be sure she can come back in Thailand after.

And sorry to post something already existing, i only see the question,and anwsered as i used to do that visa myself.

Got to add, the last visa my wife got is valid for 5 years (same as her passport validity) , im not sure what have make them do that i think its the number of visa you got prior that make them give you longer duration after.

Edited March 13, 2017 by French mate
extra info

[Harveyboy]

Hi im english but live and work .pay taxes in france im looking to take my thai wife and son to france for 2 weeks ..but as yet its been a nightmare with all the paperwork that i been told they will need 

[French mate]

Unfortunatly, that is because England has never been part of the shengen agreement so the rule that apply to a french national wont applies to your wife.
She pretty much considered as a normal tourist.
I suppose your son have the english nationality and don't need a visa.

In this case I woud not worry too much because behind the paper work they have peoples who will read her application and will make the final decision. Thai tourists are known to make very little trouble and so the french embassady got instruction to go easy with Thai visa application.

Make sure to write a letter explaining your situation, give the extra document to prove it and if you cant give some of the required document just explain why (like you in Thailand now and so you cant do the picture of your home). Do not worry about the document you cant provide or are really a pain to get, like about her work, just say she not work, as long you can show you have suffisant fund that wont be any trouble. (last 3  bank account statement should do it nicely if they dont end in negative, or any income proof that cover at least 3 months, and anything who can show you and her arent starving, the more the better).
Same about your relation a marriage certificate (The english one as is it or Thai one translated in french by an approved translator see https://th.ambafrance.org/Liste-de-traducteurs) and a word in the letter saying your marriage haven't be broke will do it.


Provide what you can, and more important what is relevant, basically the point is to show that she doesn't present a risk to stay in France after her visa validity expire. With your situation its should not be hard to make the point.

Edited November 26, 2019 by French mate
typo !

[theoldgit]

14 hours ago, French mate said:

Unfortunatly, that is because England has never been part of the shengen agreement so the rule that apply to a french national wont applies to your wife.
She pretty much considered as a normal tourist.

Whilst the UK isn't part of the Schengen Area they are, currently, in the EU so the OP's wife should be able to apply for an expedited visa, free of charge to visit him, under the Freedom of Movement Directive, to do this she would need to prove that she's married to an EU National and either travelling with him or going to meet him in France.

If the UK leaves the EU with a deal then there is a transition period until the end of December 2020, during which time the FoM will still apply.
If the UK crashes out without a deal, then the FoM Directive route will no longer apply and she will have to apply for a visa as third party national

 

https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en_US/web/france-visas/family-of-european-national

[French mate]

23 hours ago, theoldgit said:

Whilst the UK isn't part of the Schengen Area they are, currently, in the EU so the OP's wife should be able to apply for an expedited visa, free of charge to visit him, under the Freedom of Movement Directive

You right except unfortunately that very theoretical and not used in practice, at least in the way EU to UK.

My personal experience is when I wanted to visit England with my Thai wife i asked to the UK embassade in Thailand and they tell me she got to ask a normal tourist visa, and they was no free visa or simplified paperwork for the wife of an EU national.

They have plenty discution in french forum about this (its apply to all the french who have a wife with a nationality who require a visa) and way to make "your right" respected, i read repport of few people who have been successful, but they was no constant report of a way to follow for be successful, its seem its a case by case situation.

I don't know if in the way England to shengen they will apply the directive, but since they refuse it from shengen to England I would not place high hope on that.

[theoldgit]

21 minutes ago, French mate said:

You right except unfortunately that very theoretical and not used in practice, at least in the way EU to UK.

My personal experience is when I wanted to visit England with my Thai wife i asked to the UK embassade in Thailand and they tell me she got to ask a normal tourist visa, and they was no free visa or simplified paperwork for the wife of an EU national.

They have plenty discution in french forum about this (its apply to all the french who have a wife with a nationality who require a visa) and way to make "your right" respected, i read repport of few people who have been successful, but they was no constant report of a way to follow for be successful, its seem its a case by case situation.

I don't know if in the way England to shengen they will apply the directive, but since they refuse it from shengen to England I would not place high hope on that.

If you'd wished to travel to the UK with your wife, exercising your fight to free movement, you should have applied for an EEA Family Permit, they are free of charge  https://www.gov.uk/family-permit I am aware of a number of people who have gone down that route.

 

Yes, Shengen countries follow the directive, my wife has obtained visas under the directive, from the Dutch, Italian and Danish Consulates, she's also had a couple from the French, though I did need to remind them, or rather the staff at their Application Centre, of the rules contained in the Schengen Visa Handbook, but they did comply.

[French mate]

Thank for the information, i will try that next time !