Onlin Application "Join Partner" is not "free of charge"

[kilojulius]

Hi everyone,

we're a German/Kenyan couple. My wife has a German residence card with the information "28 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1" written on it. That's the only way German authorities show that someone is married to a EU citizen on a residence card. The airline Easyjet refused that we board the plane as the residence card should state "Family Member of a EU citizen".

We checked again on the gov.uk website and found out about the more detailed description of an Article 10 residence card and that Non-EEA spouses with a German residence card therefore need to apply "Apply for an EEA family permit from outside the UK" as the following website is titled.

https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

We're trying to apply for that right now. And on the same it clearly says the following:

Fees
An EEA family permit is free.

So, we now try to get to an online form for that, but at the following step of the process we loose the path of a applying for an EEA-member-spouse visa and we end up with charges of 176 Euro.

Has anyone of you ever have to go through that online process and ended up paying 0 Euro for the EEA family permit?

What to click in order to get there?

Update: We managed to get somewhere new:
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y/keny ... /no/no/yes

It asks to click on a link to apply for a family permit which leads us here:
https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

[abraCadabra]

Hi everyone,

we're a German/Kenyan couple. My wife has a German residence card with the information "28 Abs. 1 S. 1 Nr. 1" written on it. That's the only way German authorities show that someone is married to a EU citizen on a residence card. The airline Easyjet refused that we board the plane as the residence card should state "Family Member of a EU citizen".

We checked again on the gov.uk website and found out about the more detailed description of an Article 10 residence card and that Non-EEA spouses with a German residence card therefore need to apply "Apply for an EEA family permit from outside the UK" as the following website is titled.

https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

We're trying to apply for that right now. And on the same it clearly says the following:

Fees
An EEA family permit is free.

So, we now try to get to an online form for that, but at the following step of the process we loose the path of a applying for an EEA-member-spouse visa and we end up with charges of 176 Euro.

Has anyone of you ever have to go through that online process and ended up paying 0 Euro for the EEA family permit?

What to click in order to get there?

Update: We managed to get somewhere new:
https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa/y/keny ... /no/no/yes

It asks to click on a link to apply for a family permit which leads us here:
https://www.gov.uk/family-permit

Hi,

You need to go here: https://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/account/register

and then select:

Reason for visit: OTHER
Visa type: EEA/Swiss Family Member
Visa Sub Type: Family Member of an EEA National

[kilojulius]

Thanks I will try that! May ask how you found out about that service? Looks like a private (and therefore paid and expensive) agency to me...

[abraCadabra]

Thanks I will try that! May ask how you found out about that service? Looks like a private (and therefore paid and expensive) agency to me...

You get redirected there from https://www.gov.uk/apply-uk-visa

You go to Apply for all other visas, clickk the link Apply using the Visa4UK service

It is for the Visa applications from outside UK

nothing to do with paid and expensive, it is just that the application will be maid via UK VAC

[abraCadabra]

Thanks I will try that! May ask how you found out about that service? Looks like a private (and therefore paid and expensive) agency to me...

One more thing - when you register an account there, it is for you wife, not you, as it is SHE who is applying, not you.

Select Applying for myself as your wife is the applicant.

[kilojulius]

Hi, thanks yes that's clear. At the moment we're stuck with the EEA national number which I'm not aware of owning. Some Forums say it's possible to enter "Not Applicable" or a random number, but that technically is not accepted by the website. Also, the section "Under 18" wants some Input and we don't know why that is, since all dates entered aren't indicating that someone aged under 18 is part of the application, or what it should be

[kilojulius]

Okay, I found the reason for section "Under 18" requiring input. It was in the account details that a wrong date of birth was presented when first starting the application.

[kilojulius]

Okay, I found the reason for section "Under 18" requiring input. It was in the account details that a wrong date of birth was presented when first starting the application.

Correction: Above change to the birth date didn't cause the prompt for filling the "Under 18" section to disappear.

[kilojulius]

Something contradictory about the questions in section "EEA National":

1. This section is asking for passport information. I have to assume that's the passport information of the EEA national.

2. The exact words in the field for the name of the EEA national according to assumption 1. are addressing the person sitting in front of the computer "Family Name / Surname (If you only have one name, please enter it here and in the Given Name box)". This implies that the EEA resident is sitting in front of the computer.

3. Contradictory to that is the following question in the same section "How are you related to the EEA National?" This implies that the applicant (non EEA resident) is sitting in front of the computer.

I'm trying to consider this contradiction as a clue to solving the riddle, but so far I only find it contradictory.

[kilojulius]

Next contradiction. Maybe OFF TOPIC. On the page for "My applications" for the VISA4UK-process it says.

"BETA: This is the new UK visa application website. We are testing it. It is designed to make the application process simpler and clearer."

Then there's a purple information box saying:
There is an ongoing issue with the IHS portal that is impacting applications in some visa application routes. We are urgently working to resolve the issue. Customers whose IHS payments have already been made may notice a slight delay in the visa processing. Customers who are applying in routes that do not require payment of IHS are not impacted and the service is running as normal.

Welcome to the Visa4UK service, you can apply for a UK visa using this service if you’re an applicant who is not currently in the UK.

Register for an account using the 'Register an Account' button below to begin your application.

We are currently updating our online visa application service. You may be able to apply using our new service for visit visa applications if you are applying for a:

- Standard Visitor Visa
- Marriage Visitor Visa
- 1 month Permitted Paid Engagements visa

The link to the new service brings us back to the supposedly to this website https://visas-immigration.service.gov.u ... visit-visa which I suppose is the process we investigated yesterday an at the beginning of this thread.

Or should I go ahead and try that one? Will we loose the information already provided at VISA4UK?

[abraCadabra]

but you are not applying for any of these visas:

- Standard Visitor Visa
- Marriage Visitor Visa
- 1 month Permitted Paid Engagements visa


About EEA national (registration?) number, you don't have it, so put N/A.

About "your" address in the EEA National section, apparently they are asking about the address of the EEA National, not the applicant. So, if the EEA national is already in the UK, and the applicant would be joining them, it will be the UK address here (of the EEA national). If the applicant wants to travel together with the EEA national and now they live together, the address will be same as the applicant's address. Basically, they are asking where the EEA national lives. They do use "you" as if asking of the applicant's details, it is bloody confusing, but the questions refer to the EEA national.

I am filling in this application myself now. If I am wrong, please somebody on this forum correct me!

[kilojulius]

If you manage to get to "Confirm Application" with "N/A" in the field "What is the EEA National Registration Certificate number for the EEA National?" please tell me. Then I know if it's this or a different field that I didn't fill correctly.

[abraCadabra]

If you manage to get to "Confirm Application" with "N/A" in the field "What is the EEA National Registration Certificate number for the EEA National?" please tell me. Then I know if it's this or a different field that I didn't fill correctly.

I am not confirming mine yet, because I am still waiting for supporting documents. I am just saving it until I will have the documents and will be able to book an appointment.

You don't need to have the EEA National Registration Certificate number for the EEA National.

Do you live in the UK? If you don't, you can't have it. If you do, there is no requirement to have it for your wife to apply for an EEA FP.

[kilojulius]

Topic solved,

it was to fields that weren't filled correctly. Unfortunately I can't recall which ones.