Multi year Schengen Visa

[Negita43]

I'm a UK national with a longstanding Thai girlfriend. She has a 10 year UK visa and a 10 year USA visa. Approximately every other year we go to Europe (via UK) usually our point of entry to Schengen is Spain and everytime we go she has to apply for a new Schengen. We have asked the Spanish embassy about a longer Schengen visa but without any positive result. VFS are OK for normal applications (1 time I entry) but trying to talk to them about multi year Schengen is impossible. Does anyone have experience of getting a multi year Schengen? We have no intention of living in the UK or Europe but would like to avoid having to supply all that paperwork every time we want to go to Europe.

 

Thanks

[Donutz]

A general rule of thumb is that frequent travellers with a positive history get s Schengen visa valid for longer and multiple entries (MEV). Say a 1 year multiple entry visa after the 2nd or 3rd application, 3 years there after and 5 years (the max) after that.

 

Some consulates seem to be as flexible and welcoming as a concrete wall.

 

Solutions:

- make a formal complaint with the Spanish embassy and MGS against the visa type that was issued.

- go to a more welcoming (Schengen) country. The Dutch also recognize durable partnerships, allowing you to get a free visa ASAP with .minimum hassle and paperwork.

- Get married, under EU directive 2004/38 the spouse of an EU national traveling to an other member state gets a free visa ASAP with minimum hassle.

 

- share your experience with EU home affairs at JUST-CITIZENSHIP {at} ec.europa.eu

[Donutz]

The EU handbook which is a guideline for embassy staff regarding how to apply the Visa Code can be found here on EU home affairs:

 

https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/visa-policy_en

 

On page 69 it says:

"Under the following circumstances a multiple-entry visa (including for the purpose of transit) shall be issued: 

 

An applicant having proved his integrity and reliability, in particular the lawful use of previous uniform visas or visas with limited territorial validity, his economic situation in the country of origin and his genuine intention to leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa applied for and who proves the need or justifies the intention to travel frequently and/or regularly, in particular due to his occupational or family status: (..)"

 

Edit2: note that VFS are just optional paperpushers and do not decide on the type of visa issued or have anything to say at all. Also note that the use of VFS or other external service providers  (BLS, TLS) is entirely optional and you are entitled to bypass them and deal with the embassy directly. Saving you a service fee in the process.

 

See the Schengen sticky topic for details.

Edited April 5, 2017 by Donutz
Bloody auto correct was set to Dutch... 555

[Negita43]

Thanks for all that info Donutz.

 

As i said Spain Embassy unhelpful really although she now has 5 Schengen visas issued through their Embassy.

 

Maybe we will try the Dutch Embassy as you suggest.

 

One more Q. If she was successful with a Dutch multiple entry Schengen would she have to enter through the Netherlands every time she visited Europe?

[Donutz]

You need to apply at the embassy that is the main destination. But you are free to visit an other member state first or leave via an other member state.

 

On successive visits to the Schengen zone there is no need to visit the country that issued the MEV.

 

So if you did things by the book you could make NL your next main holiday destination, apply at the Dutch embassy and use the visa to travel to the mainland. You could enter and leave via any member state but if you were honest you'd of course spent the most time in NL. If the Dutch issued an MEV (which I would expect them or most sensible embassies to do after multiple visits) then on your next visits to the mainland you could skip NL entirely. 

 

If NL is too much of the same pleasant weather that England has and you rather spent time in a more sunny area you could try an other country further south (one with a more friendly embassy than the Spanish). 

Edited April 6, 2017 by Donutz

[mgb]

10 hours ago, Negita43 said:

As i said Spain Embassy unhelpful really although she now has 5 Schengen visas issued through their Embassy.

 

Simply apply for one.
Visa application form
Field 24 -> multiples entries
Field 25 -> 90
Field 29 -> say 1. june 2017
Field 30 -> 31. may 2018 or 31. may 2019 or 31. may 2022

[Negita43]

Hi MGB

 

The info given for direct approach to Spain Embassy or via VFS and app form from Spain embassy also?

 

I have a camper van sitting in Spain and our intention to tour Europe for extended periods (4 to 6 months) probably every other year

 

Regards

[Donutz]

28 minutes ago, Negita43 said:

Hi MGB

 

The info given for direct approach to Spain Embassy or via VFS and app form from Spain embassy also?

 

I have a camper van sitting in Spain and our intention to tour Europe for extended periods (4 to 6 months) probably every other year

 

Regards

?? The application form and other papers are the same regardless of a direct application at the embassy or the optional route via vfs. Vfs are paperpushers who forward the application to the embassy. So you fill in the same regardless of direct or indirect applications.

 

Edit: though a sensable embassy would start issuing MEV by their own initiative if they see you are a frequent traveler it's also smart to explicitly ask for one. Worst case: they ignore the request.

Edited April 6, 2017 by Donutz

[mgb]

1 hour ago, Negita43 said:

I have a camper van sitting in Spain and our intention to tour Europe for extended periods (4 to 6 months) probably every other year

 

4 to 6 month is not so good. The max you can get from a schengen visa is 90 days in a 180 days period. If the days are used up the visa validity doesn't help.

[Donutz]

Some background info, not directly useful:

 

Indeed a single 4-6 month trip through the Schengen area is not possible on a visa. Those are issued for max 90 days and the limit is 90 days within any 180 day window.

 

Well technically a married couple could legally travel around the Schengen area for months if they kept on moving about between member states -staying no longer than 90 days in any EU/EEA/CH state- but you would have a lot of hassle with various authorities so it would be ill advice. 

 

In the proposed new Schengen rules there was a proposal for extended visa durations to tour through Europa but that quickly disappeared from the drafts. I have not checked on recent drafts (no decision has been made yet on passing a new Visa Code) but sadly this idea Brussels had seems to go against the wishes of the majority  and thus we probably won't see it unless member states change their mind:

 

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-14-347_en.htm

 

--------

April 2014 press release:

 

 

More flexible visa rules to boost growth and job creation

 

Many non-EU nationals wishing to travel to the EU are often faced with cumbersome, lengthy and costly visa procedures. The proposals presented today will seriously shorten and simplify the procedures for those wanting to come to the EU for short stays, and induce more cost savings and less bureaucracy, whilst maintaining the level of security. Making the access to the Schengen area easier for legitimate travellers will facilitate visiting friends and relatives and doing business. It will boost economic activity and job creation in, for instance, the tourism sector as well as in related activities such as restaurant and transport industries. A recent study shows that in 2012 a total number of 6.6 million potential travellers from six of the countries with the most travellers were 'lost' due to cumbersome visa procedures.i It also showed that more flexible and accessible visa rules could lead to an increase in trips to the Schengen area of between 30% and up to 60%, only from these six countries.ii This could mean as much as €130 billion in total direct spending over five years (in accommodation, food and drink, transports, entertainment, shopping, etc.), and could translate into some 1.3 million jobs in tourism and related sectors.

(...)

 

Repeated visits will be much easier with the introduction of mandatory criteria for obtaining a multiple entry visa (MEV) valid for three years and subsequently for five years for 'VIS registered regular' travellers. Applicants whose data are registered in the Visa Information System (VIS) and who have previously lawfully used at least two visas within the past 12 month period will benefit from these facilitations. This change of rules is also possible thanks to the roll out of the Visa Information System (VIS), which is expected to be completed in 2015, enabling Member States' consulates to access the visa applicants' 'history'.

 

As they would be able to travel more spontaneously, travellers in possession of longer validity Multi-Entry Visas are likely to make more trips to the Schengen area than they otherwise would. An increasing number of trips would spur economic growth within the Schengen zone.

 

- To establish a Touring Visa. This new type of Visa will allow legitimate non-EU nationals entering the Schengen area to circulate for up to 1 year in this zone (without staying in one Member State for more than 90 days in any 180-day period), with the possibility of an extension for up to two years (provided that the applicant does not stay for more than 90 days in any 180-day period in the same Member State). This would for instance, apply to live-performing artists who tour the Schengen area for a prolonged period, but also to individual travellers, such as tourists, researchers and students who wish to spend more time in Europe.

(..)

 

-------

[Negita43]

Hi thanks for the info. I didn't realize it was 90 days but that's not a big problem as her 10 year UK visa  has a 180 day limit. so in theory I think it would be possible to do 90 in Europe 180 in UK and 90 back in Europe - not that I think we would - Even in the summer the UK is often too cold for her!!

 

The thing I;m not looking forward to is probably after actual BREXIT I will have to start applying for

Schengen !!!!

[ajarngreg]

On 4/5/2017 at 10:33 PM, Donutz said:

A general rule of thumb is that frequent travellers with a positive history get s Schengen visa valid for longer and multiple entries (MEV). Say a 1 year multiple entry visa after the 2nd or 3rd application, 3 years there after and 5 years (the max) after that.

 

Some consulates seem to be as flexible and welcoming as a concrete wall.

 

Solutions:

- make a formal complaint with the Spanish embassy and MGS against the visa type that was issued.

- go to a more welcoming (Schengen) country. The Dutch also recognize durable partnerships, allowing you to get a free visa ASAP with .minimum hassle and paperwork.

- Get married, under EU directive 2004/38 the spouse of an EU national traveling to an other member state gets a free visa ASAP with minimum hassle.

 

- share your experience with EU home affairs at JUST-CITIZENSHIP {at} ec.europa.eu

 

Even after Brexit? 

[bobrussell]

Nobody knows what is going to happen after Brexit. Any comments would be pure speculation and unlikely to be of any use to the OP!