Travelling to Non-Euro zones

[STEVENJAG]

Hi everyone, my wife and I want to go to Tunisia on holiday, or maybe Turkey.

Do we need to apply for a visa for her? She has Filipino passport and 2 year Residence Permit for UK. It's out of the EU Visa Zone, so can anyone give me any pointers how we make plans to travel and the route we take to maybe obtain any visa she may need.

Thanks

[marksroomspain]

Hi there your wife will require a visa to visit Tunisia or Turkey, please contact the relevant embassies for further info.

The only country that I know of with the similar flight times is Morocco where a visa is not required.

Good Luck...:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[STEVENJAG]

Thank you, we may go to Spain but seems it's a pain to get the visa. Don't agree that we have to book the holiday first!!! Anyone know, for the Schengen Visa she needs 3 months bank statements ...can these be mine as her salary goes in my account, she doesn't have one yet as it's been such hard work getting one.

[marksroomspain]

Thank you, we may go to Spain but seems its a pain to get the visa. Don't agree that we have to book the holiday first!!! Anyone know, for the Schengen Visa she needs 3 months bank statements ...can these be mine as her salary goes in my account, she doesn't have one yet as it's been such hard work getting one.

No Stevejag your wife doesn't have to show any bank statements with salary and neither do you.

Please note on the Schengen application form that the questions marked with an asterisk do not have to filled in, as the spouse of a UK/EU citizen the Schengen Visa is very straightforward and very easy to get as long as you supply the documents they ask for and it's also free for her due to being married to you.

The easiest Schengen to get in my opinion is the French one and even if you just pop over the channel for the day as your initial entry, you can then come back and visit as many other Schengen countries you wish.

Regarding the Spanish Schengen which my wife is applying for through VFS in Manchester is almost the same procedure as the French one the only difference is, is that you have to show return flight bookings and that you are travelling together but not accommodation details, insurance, bank statements nor a certain amount of money.

As I can testify because my wife has already applied and got a French Schengen previously. It is very straightforward and she received her passport back with visa within a week of applying...

If you need further info just ask...:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[marksroomspain]

Note to above:

On her French Schengen my wife and I travelled to Paris then 7 weeks later to Barcelona...

Easy peasy...:xxgrinning--00xx3:

[Dedworth]

Hi everyone, my wife and I want to go to Tunisia on holiday, or maybe Turkey.


Not top of the safe and civilised list

https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice

I'd save your money and stay in the UK

[Terpe]

Here is a very good resource for visa information. (http://www.visahq.ph/visas.php) Just input the destination.
It can be used to secure some great visa information for citizens of all countries.

Here's another good resource (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_Filipino_citizens) that shows all the countries that Philippine citizens can visit without visa

[Leen]

No Stevejag your wife doesn't have to show any bank statements with salary and neither do you.

Please note on the Schengen application form that the questions marked with an asterisk do not have to filled in, as the spouse of a UK/EU citizen the Schengen Visa is very straightforward and very easy to get as long as you supply the documents they ask for and its also free for her due to being married to you.

The easiest Schengen to get in my opinion is the French one and even if you just pop over the channel for the day as your initial entry, you can them come back and visit as many other Schengen countries you wish.

Regarding the Spanish Schengen which my wife is applying for through VFS in Manchester is almost the same procedure as the French one the only difference is, is that you have to show return flight bookings and that you are travelling together but not accommodation details, insurance, bank statements nor a certain amount of money.

As I can testify because my wife has already applied and got a French Schengen previously it is very straightforward and she received her passport back with visa within a week of applying...

If you need further info just ask...:xxgrinning--00xx3:


I applied last week for French visa and truly disappointed coz they ask for flight and accommodation bookings. When I ask how come some people get visa without providing those things the guy I talked to just said that the Embassy change the rules....so next week will apply again but this time to Spain since they just ask for flight bookings....not happy coz we booked our holiday for end of this month but we can't use it.....hoping to get my visa so we can have a holiday next month (fingers and toes crossed) :biggrin:

[STEVENJAG]

Many thanks again everyone for the help. Do you have a link for the site so we can set the ball rolling for the Spanish one? We don't have time off work to get to France first, so will just book some flights to Spain and take it from there...wondering what Morroco's like, been to Tunisia. Is it as nice in Morroco, anyone know?

[aprilmaejon]

Based on my personal experience with French Schengen visa, it was pretty much straight forward. They only asked me for my passport, BRP, marriage certificate, picture, and photocopy of my husband's passport. They did not require me to submit bank statements nor flight details. First application, they gave me 6 months of the visa. Me and My husband went to Spain for 7 days then before the visa expired, we went to Paris for 3 nights. Second application they gave me 2 years.

Every time I apply for French Schengen Visa, I always use this website: https://www.tlscontact.com/gb2fr/login.php
It is the website for the French consulate in London.

You have to make an account first. That website will guide you all the way through the application...a step by step guidelines to the visa application. From filling in the application form, selecting the appropriate visa, fees, booking of the appointment and tracking your application. Make sure your wife tick the right option for the visa, like for example tick the tourist visa then under that, tick a spouse of an EEA national, otherwise she will be asked to submit lots of requirements.

[aprilmaejon]

I applied last week for French visa and truly disappointed coz they ask for flight and accommodation bookings. When I ask how come some people get visa without providing those things the guy I talked to just said that the Embassy change the rules....so next week will apply again but this time to Spain since they just ask for flight bookings....not happy coz we booked our holiday for end of this month but we can't use it.....hoping to get my visa so we can have a holiday next month (fingers and toes crossed) :biggrin:

Did you go straight to French Consulate when you applied? Because if that's the case, they will normally asked you for requirements and will ask you lots of question...I witnessed a situation like that when I applied for my second Schengen visa.

So I suggest to use their website first, https://www.tlscontact.com/gb2fr/login.php fill the application form,tick the right visa (spouse of an EEA national)...then book the appointment there as well. During the day of the appointment, when they ask your wife questions like where are you going, just blog it and say France (they wouldn't know it anyway) as if you would say Spain, they will ask her to go to Spanish consulate instead but of course if you already have the visa, make sure you've been to France because if not, she will be blacklisted and will have problem with applying there again. They will grant the visa very quickly, within 5 working days. Like mine last time, I applied on a Friday, passport with the visa in it arrived on a Monday.

[Leen]

Did you go straight to French Consulate when you applied? Because if that's the case, they will normally asked you for requirements and will ask you lots of question...I witnessed a situation like that when I applied for my second Schengen visa.

So I suggest to use their website first, https://www.tlscontact.com/gb2fr/login.php fill the application form,tick the right visa (spouse of an EEA national)...then book the appointment there as well. During the day of the appointment, when they ask your wife questions like where are you going, just blog it and say France (they wouldn't know it anyway) as if you would say Spain, they will ask her to go to Spanish consulate instead but of course if you already have the visa, make sure you've been to France because if not, she will be blacklisted and will have problem with applying there again. They will grant the visa very quickly, within 5 working days. Like mine last time, I applied on a Friday, passport with the visa in it arrived on a Monday.


Well we applied to TLS contact and just did everything like you said but unfortunately im not the only EU spouse been denied to apply for not having flight and hotel bookings....the embassy changes the rules that's what the guy who look at my documents told me....I just applied recently though so what he says might be true and when you check their website even under EU spouse category one would notice in the list of requirements hotel and flight bookings are included.....when I told him it's not a problem to book hotel and flights he said I have to reschedule my appointment and apply again :yikes:......doesn't matter now we book flights for spain :biggrin:

[aprilmaejon]

Well we applied to TLS contact and just did everything like you said but unfortunately im not the only EU spouse been denied to apply for not having flight and hotel bookings....the embassy changes the rules that's what the guy who look at my documents told me....I just applied recently though so what he says might be true and when you check their website even under EU spouse category one would notice in the list of requirements hotel and flight bookings are included.....when I told him it's not a problem to book hotel and flights he said I have to reschedule my appointment and apply again :yikes:......doesn't matter now we book flights for spain :biggrin:

Awwww, that's odd. My colleague who is married to EU national applied there for a visa 3 weeks ago and been granted few days afterwards. She only submitted original and copy of her passport, BRP, marriage certificate, Picture, application form.

Hmmmm, maybe they did really changed the rules for visa application, but just when? Sigh...

Luckily, I already got my 2 years Schengen visa now, it would be enough until I got my British passport.

[Arthur Little]

Here's our experience:

2010 ... went to Paris and the French Embassy didn't ask us to submit details of flight or hotel booking. :NoNo:

2011 ... went to Rome and ... in total contrast ... the Italian Embassy expected us to supply BOTH. :doh

Seems European Embassies are a law unto themselves ... :anerikke: ... since it is my understanding there's never been any actual legal obligation for the spouse of a British national to provide such paraphernalia in the event of married partners travelling together.

[marksroomspain]

Here's our experience:

2010 ... went to Paris and the French Embassy didn't ask us to submit details of flight or hotel booking. :NoNo:

2011 ... went to Rome and ... in total contrast ... the Italian Embassy expected us to supply BOTH. :doh

Seems European Embassies are a law unto themselves ... :anerikke: ... since it is my understanding there's never been any actual legal obligation for the spouse of a British national to provide such paraphernalia in the event of married partners travelling together.

As I understand it Arthur via speaking to vfs Manchester who do the visas for Spain for the North East basically they do ask for flight bookings but not accommodation as to show that your non EU spouse is actually travelling with you which is part of the rules for a schengen visa for the spouse of an EU citizen, otherwise they said if we didn't show this then she could still apply for a schengen on her own accord but would have to show things like bank statements, accommodation, insurance etc.

So I suppose they sort of get round the rules by doing that but that saying its easy and free to get...:xxgrinning--00xx3: