Schengen visa for Thai wife residing in the UK with her British citizen husband
Apologies if this has been answered already but I couldn't quite find it.
I am a UK citizen, my wife is a Thai citizen.
We were married a year and a half ago in London, UK and she has a valid (marriage!?) visa to live and work in the UK for 2 and a half years. She has 1 and a half years left on her current visa. I own my own property outright which we live in within Greater London. I work full-time.
We would like to take a 2 week holiday to Spain later in the year (2014)
Firstly would she be able to apply for a Schengen visa and if so what documentation would be required.
She works in a Thai restaurant that pays cash in hand which seems to be sort of normal here in London for that sort of thing so I'm not sure she has any proper employment documentation (P60/payslips or whatever). Are these necessary?
She speaks good English anyway but is starting a part-time English course next week which may qualify her as a student if that helps at all?
Anything else she would need? eg Insurance - I've read somewhere is mandatory!?
How long in advance would we need to apply?
Best Answer
Please have a look at the sample case from EU website:
Marriage certificate enough to get a visa
Thomas is Irish and lives in Belarus with his wife Delia, a Belarusian national. When they wanted to visit Thomas's mother, now living in Spain, they applied for an entry visa for Delia.
She included their marriage certificate in the application, but the Spanish authorities also asked for proof of hotel accommodation in Spain and health insurance before they would issue the visa.
However, when Delia pointed out that no such additional documents were required under EU law, the Spanish authorities apologised for their mistake and immediately issued her entry visa.
Your wife needs to have an entry to visa to visit Schengen countries. But luckily, the only required document is marriage certificate and the application should be executed very quickly and free of charge.
Applying for a visa
If your non-EU family members need an entry visa, they should apply for one in advance from the consulate or embassy of the country they wish to travel to. If they will be travelling together with you, or joining you in another EU country, their application should be processed quickly and free of charge:
Countries which are members of the border-free Schengen area should issue visas within 15 days, except in rare cases, when the authorities should provide an explanation of their decision. All other countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, UK) should issues visas as quickly as possible. The documents your family members need to include in their visa application may vary from country to country. Before travelling, check which these are with the consulate or embassy of the destination country.
Visas issued by a country belonging to the border-free Schengen area are valid for all countries in that area.
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Does spouse of British citizen need Schengen visa?
We are pleased to confirm that British citizens do not require a visa for the Schengen Member States, if the duration of their stay does not exceed 90 days within any 180-day period.Can my Thai wife come to UK?
In order for your Thai wife to move to the UK, the chances are that she would need a UK Spouse Visa, often referred to as a UK Marriage Visa or UK Settlement Visa. If you are engaged to your Thai girlfriend then it is possible to initially move to the UK on a UK Fianc\xe9e Visa so long as you get married within 6 months.Does my Thai wife need a visa for UK?
If you are a British Citizen or you are settled in the UK, meaning that you have obtained Indefinite Leave to Remain (commonly referred to as ILR and also known as Permanent Residence) then your Thai Spouse will require a UK Spouse Visa to join you in the UK.How long can my Thai wife stay in UK?
Your wife is initially allowed to stay in the UK for 6 months if she gets the visa. After marriage in the UK, you can adjust the immigration of your fianc\xe9e so she can stay there for good.Paano mag-apply ng Schengen Visa while in the UK holding a Filipino Passport
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