Anyone else having problems getting a Schengen appointment?

[clairey]

The Portuguese visa section is apparently shut for the time being.
The French embassy do not have any available appointments and cannot say when any more will be released.
The Spanish embassy's next appointment is 68 days away....

I thought getting a Schengen visa when married to an EU citizen was meant to be a simple procedure? We were hoping to go to either Spain or Portugal in June

Is anyone else having problems getting an appointment? I'm going to have to start trying other embassies soon, and going to Germany/Holland/Sweden etc isn't quite as cheap as popping to France for the day on the ferry....

[sakura]

Sorry, Clairey, I don't think they have special booking options for EEA citizens and their non-EEA partners...shame, really!

You can try any other Schengen embassy but they have different requirements; some want you to have a return ticket to the country (i.e. to Germany first), or even travel insurance, etc, so you'd need to check that out. Others might just want to see you have relevant funds to support yourself.

Might not be a great option...but you can try Switzerland, if you really want to go on holiday, as you get the visa in the country (umm..can't explain properly, but basically you don't apply for one before you leave, but you get it stamped at the airport..including visa nationals, if they have LTR in the UK, which your spouse does). Best to check the embassy website to read the requirements, but that is what my Sri Lankan friend experienced when she was a student in the UK (got a visa at airport in Switzerland). Should be quite cheap, too.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

You can try any other Schengen embassy but they have different requirements; some want you to have a return ticket to the country (i.e. to Germany first), or even travel insurance, etc, so you'd need to check that out. Others might just want to see you have relevant funds to support yourself.

If it is a visa for a non-EU family member of an EU citizen, they should not be asking for any of this, and they definitely can not require it. They are required to issue the visa if there is a real family relationship.

See http://tinyurl.com/ypwer5 for a pretty clear statement from the Irish that they do not require the extra information (any more).

Often the web sites are badly produced and misleading about what they require for family of EU citizens. And sometimes the staff at the embassies ask for things they can not require you to produce.

[Rozen]

Try the Dutch Embassy.

All you need is your partner's EU passport, proof of relationship and your own passport with valid LTR. You don't need to show proof of funds or accomodation, and certainly not your travel tickets. It's relatively straightforward.

Good Luck!

[clairey]

He's got an appointment at the Swedish embassy on 25th April. Unfortunately they don't issue the visa on the same day - they post the passport back to you. Oh well, perhaps this means I'll get a trip to Stockholm in the summer - yay!!

[Brit Chick]

Could you not have sent the application to the french embassy by post?

That's the way I was planning on getting my husbands visa sorted.

[clairey]

Could you not have sent the application to the french embassy by post?

That's the way I was planning on getting my husbands visa sorted.

Unfortunately the French embassy won't accept a postal application from us as we live in London.

I'm now a bit confused, as the Swedish embassy website says applications from spouses of EU citizens are free, but then it later says that citizens of certain countries (including Albania, where my husband's from) have to pay. Which is it??? Have emailed them, so I'll have to wait for their reply...

[Docterror]

...but Albania is not a part of EU.

[Wanderer]

...but Albania is not a part of EU.

But he's a spouse of an EU cit so shouldn't have to pay?

[Docterror]

Ah yes! I dont know what I was thinking. Must be the hangover from the coke I drank yesterday. In this case the Albanian husband should get the visa free of cost. The special rates mentioned in connection to those countries are for those who are applying by their own merit without being the family member of the British/EEA national.

[clairey]

Hehe thanks guys!! Was going to say but he's married to me, and I'm EU!!

[Rover8098]

My wife has just lost out on almost £200 as she bought me and her a weekend away to Lille (for my birthday) but despite trying for several weeks (and spending god knows how much on the 090 premium rate no. for the French embassy) to get an appointment at the French visa section, I could not get an appointment. There is also a new rule from most schengen countries that states that if you are married to an EU citizen, you have to apply in person - embassies are no longer accepting applications from spouses of EU citizens through visa agencies. The French embassy also states that spouses of EU citizens when applying at the embassy will have to attend with their EU spouse (both my wife and I work full time and she is a teacher, so getting time off during term time is not easy!!)
Surely all these additional requirements is clearly making life for spouses of EU citizens more difficult rather than making it hassle free??
EU policies clearly state that:
"If the family members are not EU nationals, the EU Member State(s) to or through which travel is intended may require an entry visa, depending on their nationality. This visa should be granted free of charge and without undue formalities by the competent consulate authorities. These freedoms apply to non-EU national family members only when they accompany or join an EU citizen." (source - http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/fr ... try_en.htm)

Someone needs to challenge this - time to get a petition going guys??

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Rover8098,

What is the non EU citizenship? Have they had a Schengen partner visa before? When is the weekend in Lille supposed to be?

One possibility would be to just go and try to use the ticket. Make sure you take your marriage certificate and a copy of the Directive in french and English.

Another possibility would be to go to small claims court and request the money from the french. They are supposed to issue these visas quickly and on the basis of an accelerated processes, and with minimal formality. If they do not, it would be interesting to push them a little.

[clairey]

Rover0898, sorry to hear about your trip

My husband has an appointment at the Swedish embassy on Wednesday - unfortunately they don't issue the visa the same day, so we have to take a pre-paid special delivery envelope and hope they send it back quickly! It says on their website the length of time it takes to issue it will depend upon your status in the UK (husband has ILR - hoping that will speed it up) but on his confirmation letter it says please allow several weeks for your visa to be issued. However, the confirmation letter is from the company that runs the rip-off premium rate phone lines to book the appointments, so I'm hoping they're wrong.

Will let you know how we get on.

[clairey]

Quick question that might sound stupid....

On the application form there is a box that says "Main Destination". As we're applying at the Swedish embassy, I guess I should put Sweden - even though it's more likely our main destination will be Spain???

[mirnat]

Claire

Just wondered if you managed to get an appointment now for a Schengen Visa?

My husband (who is finally back on a UK spouse visa) is applying for a Schengen Visa through the Belgium Embassy and it's relatively straightforward. They don't have an appointment system so we turned up outside at 8am this morning, they checked all the docs, took the processing fee which was £22 (no visa fee coz of being married to an EU national) and told us the Visa would be ready to collect next Tuesday. It usually they said takes only 2 days to issue the visa but they currently have a backlog. Anyway, obviously not good if u don't want to visit Belgium, but that's the only country we are going to coz my husband's brother lives there!

[clairey]

Hi mirnat,

Yes, my husband had his appointment. He had to take along photocopies of his passport, my passport and our marriage certificate, and a pre-paid recorded envelope. They didn't ask him any questions and he got his passport posted back to him 2 days later. Glad to hear your husband got his ok.

So now he has a visa valid until beginning of August issued by the Swedish embassy - can we go to Spain or Portugal say, and then go to Sweden at a later date? Or will that cause issues?

[thsths]

Someone needs to challenge this - time to get a petition going guys??

I am not sure that a petition is the right way to do this. I thought a petition is a way to start a law based on public demand. But the law is there, we only demand justice!

So I think the way to go is to complain with the European Commission. But you have to be personally affected to do this, so I guess the EU principal needs to launch the complaint. There is certainly enough to complain about, from delays, 0900 numbers and "processing fees" for a supposedly free visa.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

"processing fees" for a supposedly free visa.

Which processing fees are you referring to? I know of UK fees in China only. Are there others?

[Rover8098]

Thanks for your valued comments thsths.
As for the 'processing fee' - what processing fee?? This is the first I have ever heard of any schengen embassy charging a processing fee to the spouse of an EU citizen. I applied for a schengen visa 2 years ago from the Belgian embassy - the visa was issues FOC and I cannot recall having to pay any sort of processing fee.

I have also just checked the Belgian embassy's website and noted that only spouses of Belgian citizens are allowed to call at the embassy without a prior appointment - so anyone not married to a Belgian citizen, be careful!!

[Rozen]

Same goes for The Netherlands Embassy....Spouses of Dutch citizens do not have to make an appointment in order to apply for a Visa!

[mirnat]

Rover

I've just applied with my Albanian husband for a Schengen visa through the Belgium Embassy and we paid a processing fee of £22. This is on acount of the fact that they now have a new Belgium Visa Application Centre which is in a separate building from the Embassy of Belgium and I guess this is the reason for charging the processing fee. They say this centre is to make the whole process quicker, get the visa in two days etc. Although my husband got his Schengen visa, it took them one week!!

Claire re travelling to other countries beside Sweden first - not sure really coz the visa my husband got doesn't say first point of entry Belgium or anything, it just says 'Schengen States' - if u do try it that way, let me know coz we were also wanting now to go to Spain! Although, we'll go there second coz we're going to Belgium next Friday!

[mirnat]

ROVER - I'm British and my husband has just applied through the Embassy of Belgium for a visa and there was a service charge fee of £22. This, I suspect, is on account of the fact that they have a new Visa Application Centre (which probably needed to be paid for somehow!) to deal with applications from (amongst others) spouses of EU nationals. You are right to note that only spouses of Belgian Nationals can apply at the Embassy directly without an appointment, but those who are not married to Belgian but other EU nationals can still apply without an appointment, but through this new Visa Application Centre which is located in a separate building to the Embassy and which charges this service fee for the pleasure. The applications it takes in are then still sent to the Embassy of Belgium for a decision though. Anyway if u want, check out their website for more info www.vfs-be-uk.com (The Embassy of Belgium website also has a link to this site where it says on its home page "New Visa procedure as from 26 April 2007").

CLAIRE - not sure what to say about having been issued a visa from the Swedish embassy but using it to go to Spain etc first. If it's the same as my husband's visa it doesn't say first point of entry (in his case) Belgium, it only says it's valid for the 'Schengen States'. It does however give the number of entries as 1 (as Belgium is the only country we are going to) so presumably also visiting Spain for example might count as 2 entries in the Schengen States, I don't know!! I am aware that all embassies are different but with the Belgium Embassy we had to provide proof of return travel tickets to and from the UK and hotel bookings and (where applicable) travel by bus/train/air within Europe for all Schengen countries that we would be visiting on the same trip before they would give the Visa. If the Swedish Embassy didn't ask you for such evidence then you might be alright using it in other countries first - but let me know how you get on if u do!!