SCHENGEN SHENANIGANS

[Russia]

So big topic, affects alot of people, confusing as hell, and causes a load of grief. The following applies to only those of us at or on the top of the food chain - The chain as I see it is as follows; 1) Spouse of an EU citizen of country embassy to which you apply ie: Dutch national at Dutch Embassy, 2)Spouse of EU citizen of another country ie: British national at Dutch Embassy 3) Everyone else!

So, according to SOLVIT the EU complaints investigators and the information on the EUROPA website http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/fr ... try_en.htm - actually getting a Schengen visa for a visa national spouse of a EU citizen should be no more difficult than going into tesco's and picking up a cheese sandwich (but thankfully its cheaper than that )

SOLVIT said to me today 'the citizen only needs to provide a passport or identity card and proof of the relationship, ie a marriage certificate, the visa should also be issued subject to an accelerated procedure and be free of charge. The fact that a visa is required is in line with the Directive, but it must be free and without undue formality.'

So there you have it, walk into an Embassy provide a copy of the EU passport, marriage certificate and then walk out again a few minutes later with visa affixed to spouse passport. The visa should be valid for upto 3years, it should be multiple entry, and it is largely irrelevant which Embassy you go to - but wise to say at least you intend to enter or intend to make that particular Embassy's country you main destination.

Incredible as it sounds practically every Embassy in Moscow sees the rules differently - they are knocking back applicants left right and centre, sending us around the houses, and making us pay not only a visa fee but also in many cases a handling fee!

If anyone on here has had any such problems, please either post a brief description or PM me, SOLVIT would like to gather as many case examples as possible. This is a very serious matter so please step up and do your bit.

[Row]

Well I guess my husband may of been lucy but he booked an appointment online at the French embassy. He got the appointment for the next weeek and it was in the afternoon and he arrived at 2pm and it was issues by 5pm.
Hope this is helpful,
Row

[Russia]

actually this confirms some results my investigations this morning and my report back to the SOLVIT department, here's an extract...

...Saturday morning, and I have just spent twenty minutes viewing EU Embassy websites in London - what I have discovered is staggering.
The German Embassy indicate a fee is chargeable, though the document demand seems correct however, only German citizen spouses may enter the Embassy without prior appointment for Schengen visas. The Italian are likewise, but the Dutch in addition to visa fee and handling require more documents than is required (similar policy to Moscow). It is only the French that seem to have grasped the rules relating to EU spouses - though even they require an appointment booked through an automated service at a cost.

Well done ROW, it is good to hear a positive experience.

[Rozen]

but the Dutch in addition to visa fee and handling require more documents than is required.

Really? I'm a non-EU Dutch spouse, and when I applied for a schengen visa (at the Dutch Embassy) to visit Holland, all they asked for was my passport, my husband's Dutch passport and our marriage certificate. No appointment needed, no filling in the asterisked questions on the visa application form and certainly no "visa and handling fees"! Visa issued within hours!

Perhaps it helped that I went with him in person, or maybe we were just lucky. Sometimes the websites give different information from what they actually do in practice, which is quite annoying, really!