Stand alone RC

[kitchcab]

Hello guys,
here I am again with confussion.
My RC is not sticked in my passport simply because Myself and my EEA wife requested our passport back before a decision was made on my application. As a result, the vegnnett was placed in A4 size paper.
I went to Brizilian Embassy to apply for a tourist Visa and the officer at the counter simply said such document is not acceptable. While i tried to convince him to check with UKBA, He insisted it is not the embassy's policy to stick a visa on a blank passport even when the RC is on a seperate A4 paper.
I called HO and was told it is wrong for the Embassy not to accept the RC on seperate paper, and there is nothing the HO can do about that.
The HO said I will have to make a fresh application if i want the sticker in my passport. I really doubt if I will want to go through the lenghty process of making application for another RC again.
Has any one be in such situation,which other embassy accept the RC on seperate paper, What ideas or suggestion do you have on this?

[SunBlue]

It's funny how Brazilian consulate is acting. In Brazil the residence permits are issued in a card format (and not a vignette in the passport).
And now they don't want to accept the same type of document that they issue themselves! Ridiculous!

[kitchcab]

Has any one with stand alone RC situation, ever had any problem in obtaining a visa ?

Or has anyone ever had any difficulties with the stand alone RC either travelling with or without the EEA spouse?

[kitchcab]

Has any one with stand alone RC situation, ever had any problem in obtaining a visa ?

Or has anyone ever had any difficulties with the stand alone RC either travelling with or without the EEA spouse?

Any ideas Please!! :

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

There have been others who have had problems with a Residence Card issued on A4. Not so many, but there were previous threads.

[kitchcab]

There have been others who have had problems with a Residence Card issued on A4. Not so many, but there were previous threads.

Thanks for the info. but can you give me an idea of how to find such threads so that i can read through?

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

There is a search function at the top of the page. I don't remember any super "answers" for you in the old posts, just that other people also had problems.

Is the UK Residence Card on a blank sheet of A4 paper, or is it on a sheet which contains UKBA logo or other writen information?

[kitchcab]

There is a search function at the top of the page. I don't remember any super "answers" for you in the old posts, just that other people also had problems.

Is the UK Residence Card on a blank sheet of A4 paper, or is it on a sheet which contains UKBA logo or other writen information?

Yes it is on a sheet containing UKBA Logo with other information and confirmation address.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Your Residence Card should work fine for European travel.

You may have to educate the Brazilians, and maybe others. Canada also has a not-in-passport PR card. A wallet size plastic card. I think a number of other EU countries issue stand-alone plastic cards as Residence Cards.

[hughie33]

My wife recieved the RC on a photocopied A4 paper as well, if I had not opened the envolope from the UKBA I would question it the document is real! my guess is the because of budget cuts the UKBA ran out of the non-eu national cards and resorted to the photocopy.

I got mine as a eu national on a blue folded card that fits into my passport.

[86ti]

My wife recieved the RC on a photocopied A4 paper as well, if I had not opened the envolope from the UKBA I would question it the document is real! my guess is the because of budget cuts the UKBA ran out of the non-eu national cards and resorted to the photocopy.

According to the ECIS, Chapter 5.11 Residence Cards are vignette endorsements placed in the passport except when no passport is available in which case the vignette is put on a so called immigration status document (ACD.2150). Is your document really just a 'photocopy'?

[kitchcab]

My wife recieved the RC on a photocopied A4 paper as well, if I had not opened the envolope from the UKBA I would question it the document is real! my guess is the because of budget cuts the UKBA ran out of the non-eu national cards and resorted to the photocopy.

According to the ECIS, Chapter 5.11 Residence Cards are vignette endorsements placed in the passport except when no passport is available in which case the vignette is put on a so called immigration status document (ACD.2150). Is your document really just a 'photocopy'?

Mine is a vegnette on A4 size paper with UKBA logo on the top and other details also written on one side of the paper.
I requested that the vegenette trasfered on my passport, but was told by the HO that i will have to make a fresh application that takes another 6 months to process.
Has anyone has any problem travelling with the documents both home and abroad ie Non Eu Countries?

[mcovet]

this is ridiculous, if it had been on that folded piece of cardboard, you could probably try and tamper with it and stick it into your passport but if it's on an A4... i can imagine what the border guards across the world could tell you to use it for. There should be some way to transfer the vignette into the passport without applying again, then again, UKBA has so much crap going on in there, this would never happen.

Apart from Brazilian Emb, the French also don't issue Schengen visas if the RC is not in the passport. Any other countries make a fuss?

My wife recieved the RC on a photocopied A4 paper as well, if I had not opened the envolope from the UKBA I would question it the document is real! my guess is the because of budget cuts the UKBA ran out of the non-eu national cards and resorted to the photocopy.

According to the ECIS, Chapter 5.11 Residence Cards are vignette endorsements placed in the passport except when no passport is available in which case the vignette is put on a so called immigration status document (ACD.2150). Is your document really just a 'photocopy'?

Mine is a vegnette on A4 size paper with UKBA logo on the top and other details also written on one side of the paper.
I requested that the vegenette trasfered on my passport, but was told by the HO that i will have to make a fresh application that takes another 6 months to process.
Has anyone has any problem travelling with the documents both home and abroad ie Non Eu Countries?

[Plum70]

The UKBA's approach is to reapply if you want a vignette transfered to a current passport.

kitchcab: always check with the embassy of the country you want to visit before booking trips. The French do not accept A4 sheets for sure and I suspect that the Americans don't also. The Swiss may...

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

kitchcab: always check with the embassy of the country you want to visit before booking trips. The French do not accept A4 sheets for sure and I suspect that the Americans don't also. The Swiss may...

If you have a UK Residence Card, you do not need to apply for a Schengen visa. So the issue is unimportant.

[Plum70]

kitchcab: always check with the embassy of the country you want to visit before booking trips. The French do not accept A4 sheets for sure and I suspect that the Americans don't also. The Swiss may...

If you have a UK Residence Card, you do not need to apply for a Schengen visa. So the issue is unimportant.

Needless to say that we do not reside in an ideal world where everyone follows the rules to the 't'. How many times have non-EEA family members in possession of a RC reported back of horrendous experiences (turned back at the border, detained, interrogated, families separated, holidays ruined etc) while trying to enter schengen/convince border guards to allow entry without a schengen visa?

It is in the OP's best interest to get one before travel. It doesn't hurt - it's free.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Plum70,

The new Schengen Visa Handbook, and Border Code, are both very clear now that a Residence Card for a family member of an EU citizen exempt them from requiring a visa. Somebody holding a UK Residence Card is in fact an example in the handbook.

I think it has gotten a LOT better over the past few years.

[Plum70]

Plum70,

The new Schengen Visa Handbook, and Border Code, are both very clear now that a Residence Card for a family member of an EU citizen exempt them from requiring a visa. Somebody holding a UK Residence Card is in fact an example in the handbook.

I think it has gotten a LOT better over the past few years.

Again, on paper it all sounds peachy, but what is the reality for a lot of families? See desi_parrot's post: http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... &start=320 - one of many.

Once again, I would advise the OP to get a schengen visa to avoid any heartache.

[Directive/2004/38/EC]

Apparently UKBA has never received any complaints about the Residence Cards they have issued. If you have had a problem, do complain!