Schengen visa for Pakistani national married to British citizen wife
I am a Pakistani citizen holding a Pakistani passport, my wife is dual national meaning Pakistani and British citizen and lives with me in Pakistan; We have been married for 7 years and I have travelled to the EU 4 times previously on business with a Schengen visa. I would like to know: does my wife being a British national make it easier for me to get an express Schengen visa or do I have to follow the long tedious process? Also can my visa be denied if we are applying together to visit France? What benefits can I avail by being a husband of a British citizen when applying for a Schengen visa?
Best Answer
It all depends if you'll be travelling on your own, or with your wife.
As MeNoTalk pointed out, the UK is not part of the Schengen zone. This means that your residency permission in the UK doesn't allow you to travel in the Schengen area automatically. If your wife was French, and you were living in France with her, your residency would allow you to travel within the rest of the Schengen area. She's English, so that doesn't help. If you wish to travel on your own, you'd need to apply for a Schengen visa as normal, no special allowances.
However... The EU allows for free movement of its citizens throughout the area (EU/EEA), and also allows for Family Life. For more information on those, see the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights on the EU Commission or the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, or look up Directive 2004/38/EC.
This means that if you want to travel with your wife (but not on your own), then as she is allowed to travel anywhere within the EU, as her family you are allowed to come with her. These two European Commission pages cover a lot of it. You may sometimes need to be issued with a visa, so that border officials know your status, but this can't be denied, and shouldn't be charged for. This has a lot of details. The key part is:
If the family member has a “Residence Card for a family member of an EU citizen”, then they do not require a visa.
Where a visa is required, “Member States shall grant such persons every facility to obtain the necessary visas. Such visas shall be issued free of charge, as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure.“
The Europa.EU site has a good set of details on this. Based on the information there, it looks like as your wife is both British and a British Resident, you'll need to apply for a Schengen visa to accompany her to France as a non-EU family member. This should be issued for free and within 15 days, provided you supply the required details to prove your status. (The number of qualifications and warnings around trying for a visa-on-arrival means I really wouldn't suggest you try that one...)
Pictures about "Schengen visa for Pakistani national married to British citizen wife"
Do I need a Schengen visa if I am married to a British citizen?
Yes, the non-EU spouse of a UK national requires a visa to travel to the Schengen Area.Does the spouse of a EU national with UK permanent residence need a Schengen visa?
If you have a residence card as an EU national family member and you are not accompanying or joining your EU spouse / partner in the Schengen country, you must apply for a visa to enter that country.Can I bring my wife to UK from Pakistan?
2.1 to 4.2, must be fulfilled to be given entry clearance as a spouse. The applicant's sponsor has to be British or has restricted refugee or humanitarian protection leave in the UK. (Rather than Appendix FM, refugees may be allowed to bring certain relatives into the UK under the \u201cfamily reunion\u201d regulations.)How long does it take to bring spouse to UK from Pakistan?
Your partner will get a permit that allows them to come to the UK during a 30-day period. Once they arrive they'll have to pick up a biometric residence permit (BRP) within 10 days.How to get UK Passport by Marriage || British Passport for Pakistani Citizen (UK PASSPORT).
More answers regarding schengen visa for Pakistani national married to British citizen wife
Answer 2
The Schengen visa fee is waived for non EEA/non UK spouse/children of UK nationals. Only facilitation charges are take by service provider. The proof of relationship is required like marriage certificate, birth certificate for kids.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ethan Wilkinson, Krishna Studio, Plato Terentev, vectors icon