schengen visa

[alan and oscar]

before we all get up in arms over this, it is worth remembering the following:

1. (non-EC) family members who possess a residence card of a Schengen state would have been able to get in to another Schengen state anyway under the Schengen agreement "in their own right", ie without reference to their family relationship. So Directive 2004/38 has not changed anything for those people.

2. The UK is no more generous than Spain in its implementation of the Directive. It is still necessary for a non EC family member to apply for a UK-issued family permit.

3. The problem is, as has been the case all along, that the Directive is not clear enough on this issue and this has allowed virtually every member state to retract from what was the obvious intention of the Directive. Safest course is to get a Schengen visa - easy enough to get with a civil partership certificate so long as you leave enough time to do so. I know we should be all trying to get though without one and then complaining to solvit if we don't get in, but who needs the hassle of a spoilt holiday?