Travel to Schengen, without visa, for EEA-family members

Since this is a repetitive question with relevant answers scattered throughout the forum, I hereby try to wrap this up in 1 post, providing necessary links.

This will cover 2 parts, however please first note the following warning:

warning wrote:The problem with travelling in the way described here is that many embassy personnel, airline staff and/or border-guards never heard of this provision. So you might hear that what´s written here is incorrect (although it is correct) and you might have a hard time travelling this way in general. Be prepared to argue. Possibly a lot. You are legally entitled to travel, however some rare cases of being denied in spite of everything are known!

This is not legal advice - I´m not a qualified lawyer - I´m just presenting the result of my own research, which may be wrong partly or in its entirety!

EEA family member Residence Card holder (Part 1): This only applies to you if

• you are a family-member of an EEA-citizen AND
• legally living inside the EU but outside Schengen (=UK, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus) AND
• You have been given a "Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen"
  • If any of the above is not the case, check Part 2!

In this case you are legally entitled to travel to all of the EEA (not Switzerland ), as long as your partner travels with you, or you "join the partner".

• >>This<< thread contains all details (it was originally written covering Ireland, however it´s the same throughout the UK, Ireland, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus).
• The German Embassy in London issued this >>letter<< to someone from this forum, which confirms the same. (I cannot find the original post anymore, but would like to give credit... Can someone fill me in here?)
• Success stories (I will update this as they keep trickling in):
  • >>from London (UK) to Faro (Portugal) and back from Porto (Portugal) with a UK-issued EEA Residence Card<<.
  • >>from Belfast (UK) to Paris (France) with a UK-issued EEA Residence Card<<.
  • >>from London (UK) to Amsterdam (Netherlands) with a UK EEA Residence Card, issued based on a long-term relationship (not married)<<
  • >>from Dublin (Ireland) to London (UK) with an Irish 4EUFam<<

Please continue reading, but skip the next section!



EEA family member without Residence Card (Part 2): This only applies to you if

• you are a family-member of an EEA-citizen AND
• Not (yet) in possession of the residence-card as per Part 1 OR
• legally living outside the EU altogether

In this case you are still legally entitled to travel to all of the EEA (not Switzerland ), as long as your partner travels with you, or you "join the partner".

>>Article 5, Section 4 of 2004/38/EC<< reads as follows:

Where a Union citizen, or a family member who is not a national of a Member State, does not have the necessary travel documents or, if required, the necessary visas, the Member State concerned shall, before turning them back, give such persons every reasonable opportunity to obtain the necessary documents or have them brought to them within a reasonable period of time or to corroborate or prove by other means that they are covered by the right of free movement and residence.

In practice you take

• both passports AND
• some proof of residence AND
• your marriage-certificate, officially translated and if necessary with a Hague-apostil
  • basically you take all papers you would need to apply for the permit as per "Part 1"

and you´re legally good to go without visa.

• Success stories
  • >>Chinese/UK citizen, married, living in HongKong, entering France without anything<<.
    • (admittedly the French IO probably mistook the UK-ILE as their Residence Card, but still...)

[u][b]Beware[/b][/u] wrote: This section is even less known than the one before, so although you are entitled to travel, it may be wise to get a visa just to make sure

Additional rare exception:

• • If you are
    • a family member of an EEA-citizen AND
    • living outside the EEA altogether AND
    • you intend to travel to the country of which the EEA-member is a national,
    • example1: Thai wife with Swedish husband, resident in Laos, travelling to Sweden
    • example2: non-EEA wife with EEA husband, resident in non-EEA country, travelling to home country of EEA-national
    • • then you will ironically still need a visa just for that country , in spite of being allowed to visit all other EEA-countries visa-free

Related links / more reading / more info:

• You should take the printed law with you >>in English<<, >>your native language<< and the country of destination´s language. Highlight the relevant passage to help you in your possibly upcoming argument... See full >>practical guide here<<.
• Closely related, also read >>this blog<<, which contains many more details and some links to success stories.
• I made >>some suggestions<< to the authorities how this could be improved/simplified/clarified, but obviously this is being ignored.

What to do in case you are denied:

• You should know your stuff and have the law handy.
• Ask for superiors of whoever wants to deny you. This could be airport/airline staff and/or border guards.
• If (whoever) finally denies you, make sure to get in writing that the EEA and the non-EEA citizens were present together, and intended to travel together
  • Ideally, get something like >>this<< filled out. (Self written by me, feel free to copy/change/amend/publish..., no guarantees whatsoever)
  • Otherwise, once you sue (whoever denied you) and they finally realise that they will lose their case, they will simply claim that the non-EEA person wanted to travel alone, such as in >>this<< case.
  • In case written confirmation is refused: Ask (politely but firmly) to be interviewed by police.
    • This will leave a proving paper trail.
    • Do not leave the check-in desk without boarding pass (or written refusal), never back off passport control without written refusal. Insist that the only way to get rid of you is either
      • letting you pass OR
      • giving a refusal in writing OR
      • arrest, so you have something in writing
• It should then be possible to sue (whoever stopped you) for compensation
• Last but not least: If you want to be 100% sure to travel, take out a visa.

Again - Warning:

warning wrote:The problem with travelling in the way described here is that many embassy personnel, airline staff and/or border-guards never heard of this provision. So you might hear that what´s written here is incorrect (although it is correct) and you might have a hard time travelling this way in general. Be prepared to argue. Possibly a lot. You are legally entitled to travel, however some rare cases of being denied in spite of everything are known!

This is not legal advice - I´m not a qualified lawyer - I´m just presenting the result of my own research, which may be wrong partly or in its entirety!

Many thanks for your effort:

I want to clear one situation: I have UK ILR and my two kids have full UK passports and my wife is Tier1 holder my elder daughter has ILR. We are a family consisting of five people altogether. Do we classified as family member ?? do we need visa to go to France and Italy?

Kind Regards

Hi tonypetty,

so you´re in the following scenario?

• 2 parents, one on ILR and one on Tier 2
• 2 children who are British nationals (passport is irrelevant, see >>here<<)
• 1 child on ILR

I think the 3 non-British of yee will need visas

Reason is in

>>2004/38/EC<<, Articles 2 and 3 wrote:Article 2
Definitions
For the purposes of this Directive:
(...)
2. ‘family member’ means:
(...)
(d) the dependent direct relatives in the ascending line and
those of the spouse (...);
(...)
(=not you, because you´re not dependent on your children, I guess?)

Article 3
Beneficiaries
(...)
2. Without prejudice to any right to free movement and
residence the persons concerned may have in their own right,
the host Member State shall, in accordance with its national
legislation, facilitate entry and residence for the following
persons:

(a) any other family members, irrespective of their nationality,
not falling under the definition in point 2 of Article 2 who,
in the country from which they have come, are dependants
or members of the household of the Union citizen having
the primary right of residence(...)

(...)

The host Member State shall undertake an extensive examina-
tion of the personal circumstances and shall justify any denial
of entry or residence to these people.

So if at all you should have "entry facilitated", while I guess a visit-visa for you would not be refused anyway.

But then again: My understanding of the law as far as "who is a benificiary" outside of spouses isn´t great. Maybe some else can say something different/better about this?

Hi ca.funke,

Here is my scenario, I don`t expect you to give me full advice, but with your knowledge you can help.

1. I am a holder of UK ILR (Obtain through Asylum Legacy)
2. Wife & 2 kids British Citizen

Do I need Schengen visa to travel to Europe with my family?

Hi cobra,

your case is exactly what is described in part 2)

(EEA-family member, but not in possession of EEA-permit)

Rgds,
Christian

ca.funke wrote:Hi cobra,

your case is exactly what is described in part 2)

(EEA-family member, but not in possession of EEA-permit)

Rgds,
Christian

Thank you ca.funke,

Hi Christian,

i have another clarification question/remark.

If you are an EEA-Family member, living in Schengen area and hold a Residence Card of a Family member of a union citizen issued by a Schengen State:

a.Can you travel to Switzerland with your EEA Family member (spouse)?

b.Ireland now officially allows entry to people that fulfill the criteria listed above, see: http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... sc&start=0

Is the reverse not true if you have a card issued by Ireland?

Thanks

You ask exactly the questions, which are very hard to explain by themselves. It´s easier to understand if you see the whole picture:

There are 4 different laws interacting here, and their interaction has some totally illogical outcomes:

1. 2004/38/EC is valid throughout the >>EEA<<.
   • Part1) and Part2) of the first post in this thread are valid throughout the EEA (only), of which Switzerland is not a member
2. Every country has their own implementation (="transposition") of 2004/38/EC
   • The UK includes Switzerland into their 2004/38/EC implementation, thus combining 2004/38/EC and the "Free Movement of Persons Switzerland – EU/EFTA" agreement
3. Schengen rules are valid throughout Schengen
   • Of which Switzerland is a member, but most notably Ireland and the UK, but also Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus are not a member.
4. Switzerland has a seperate agreement, called "Free Movement of Persons Switzerland – EU/EFTA"
   • It´s close to 2004/38/EC, but does not allow for visa-free visits

Consequences:

• My Part1) and Part2) descriptions in the first post of this thread rely uniquely on a), hence these points are valid throughout the EEA (only), most notably NOT in Switzerland.
• Because of b), a Swiss person (and his/her non-EEA spouse) can travel to the UK according to 2004/38/EC, but not the other way around.

Direct answers to your questions:

docteurbenway wrote:If you are an EEA-Family member, living in Schengen area and hold a Residence Card of a Family member of a union citizen issued by a Schengen State:

a.Can you travel to Switzerland with your EEA Family member (spouse)?

You may travel to Switzerland with any Schengen-residence-permit because of c) (Schengen), but this has nothing to do with a) (2004/38/EC). The family member does not need to accompany you.

docteurbenway wrote:b.Ireland now officially allows entry to people that fulfill the criteria listed above, see: http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewto ... sc&start=0

Is the reverse not true if you have a card issued by Ireland?

You mean "enter Switzerland with the Irish residence card"? That´s not allowed, just as with the UK

Reason is, that EEA-citizens that want to go to Switzerland have to rely on either c) or d), both of which do not allow visa-free entry for family members.

I´m not sure if a Swiss residence-card is valid for my Part1) description for Ireland. This depends on the Irish implementation.

ca.funke wrote: I´m not sure if a Swiss residence-card is valid for my Part1) description for Ireland. This depends on the Irish implementation.

The Irish visa exception talks about a residence card issued under the directive, so I suspect that a Swiss residence card would not qualify.

EUsmileWEallsmile wrote:

ca.funke wrote: I´m not sure if a Swiss residence-card is valid for my Part1) description for Ireland. This depends on the Irish implementation.

The Irish visa exception talks about a residence card issued under the directive, so I suspect that a Swiss residence card would not qualify.

Checking up on it, I´d say a Swiss residence card does not grant entry into Ireland, since Ireland specifically refers to cards issued through Article 10 of 2004/38/EC, which the Swiss card is not.

S.I. No. 146/2011 — Immigration Act 2004 (Visas) Order 2011. wrote:(...)
3. It is hereby declared that the following classes of non-nationals are specified as classes the members of which are not required to be in possession of a valid Irish visa when landing in the State:
(...)
(c) non-nationals who are family members of a Union citizen and holders of a document called “Residence card of a family member of a Union citizen”, as referred to in Article 10 of the Directive of 2004.
(...)

Ireland seems to still disregard >>Article 5, Section 4 of 2004/38/EC<<:

Where a Union citizen, or a family member who is not a national of a Member State, does not have the necessary travel documents or, if required, the necessary visas, the Member State concerned shall, before turning them back, give such persons every reasonable opportunity to obtain the necessary documents or have them brought to them within a reasonable period of time or to corroborate or prove by other means that they are covered by the right of free movement and residence.

However, a Swiss residence card according to the >>Free Movement of Persons Switzerland – EU/EFTA<< is valid in the UK, since the UK´s implementation of 2004/38/EC combines both laws into one, yielding Switzerland equivalent to an EEA country for immigration purposes in the UK.

I completely agree with you and the relevant extracts, I know those to be the rules as well. I think my frustration is that I had to suffer because of people not being competent/trained enough to know what the provision is.I will file a claim with easy jet and see what they say, as a starter anyways. Thanks for the clarity though, much appreciated.

tekkers09 wrote:I completely agree with you and the relevant extracts, I know those to be the rules as well. I think my frustration is that I had to suffer because of people not being competent/trained enough to know what the provision is.I will file a claim with easy jet and see what they say, as a starter anyways. Thanks for the clarity though, much appreciated.

Are you a family member of an EU citizen and were you traveling together? If not, your post is pretty irrelevant here.

Hi all. Just some feedback on our trip to France from Belfast last week.

We checked in at Belfast International, at the easyJet counter. The lady was actually very good and recognised my EEA Residence card, and even wrote on my boarding pass "No V/C needed because of EEA RC". So we had no problems boarding the easyJet plane.

After landing at Charles De Gaulle in Paris, we had to go through immigration there. There were 2 counters. One counter for "All passports" and another for "EEA" passports. We stood in front of the EEA counter but was called over to the "All Passports" counter, so I gave our passports in and held thumbs! And once again I was suprised that the immigration officer flipped through to my EEA RCard, checked my wife and kids Irish passports, and gave our passports back, with a smile! No problem! So we travel to Paris with no issues at all, probably because the people that checked our passports were informed of what an EEA Rcard is and what it means.

On our way back yesterday, we checked in again at the easyJet counter. The guy behind the check-in counter was very friendly. He did have abit of a chat with his colleague in french, about my EEA residence card, but after a few minutes all was ok. He said he had to be sure all is ok with it because the UK immigration is extremely strict and they can be very difficult. But we had no problem checking in. So on we went to the immigration "check-out". This time we went to the "EEA Passports" counter.

The french immigration officer took my passport and flicked through it a few times and then pointed at an older Schengen visa I got about 3 years ago when I travel to France before I had an EEA residence card, and then said to me "visa expired"... So I said to him "No, let me show you". So I showed him the EEA Residence card. He had a blank look and I could see he wasnt sure about what I was saying. So I said to him that I have contacted both French embassys in the UK and both told me that I dont need a schengen visa, as long as I travel with my EU spouse. So after he checked something on his computer screen, he put my passport down, looked at my wife's and kids' Irish passorts...then picked mine up again, had a long look at my RC card...and then with a frown on his face he gave us our passports back and let us through.... I must say at one stage I was starting to think that I would have to take out the print-outs of Directive 2004. the FAQ from the French embassy website etc, but luckily it didnt go that way, phew!!!!! i was really glad.

At Belfast International we also didnt have any issues going through immigration, so all went well for us.

johannf wrote:Hi all. Just some feedback on our trip to France from Belfast last week.

We checked in at Belfast International, at the easyJet counter. The lady was actually very good and recognised my EEA Residence card, and even wrote on my boarding pass "No V/C needed because of EEA RC". So we had no problems boarding the easyJet plane.

After landing at Charles De Gaulle in Paris, we had to go through immigration there. There were 2 counters. One counter for "All passports" and another for "EEA" passports. We stood in front of the EEA counter but was called over to the "All Passports" counter, so I gave our passports in and held thumbs! And once again I was suprised that the immigration officer flipped through to my EEA RCard, checked my wife and kids Irish passports, and gave our passports back, with a smile! No problem! So we travel to Paris with no issues at all, probably because the people that checked our passports were informed of what an EEA Rcard is and what it means.

On our way back yesterday, we checked in again at the easyJet counter. The guy behind the check-in counter was very friendly. He did have abit of a chat with his colleague in french, about my EEA residence card, but after a few minutes all was ok. He said he had to be sure all is ok with it because the UK immigration is extremely strict and they can be very difficult. But we had no problem checking in. So on we went to the immigration "check-out". This time we went to the "EEA Passports" counter.

The french immigration officer took my passport and flicked through it a few times and then pointed at an older Schengen visa I got about 3 years ago when I travel to France before I had an EEA residence card, and then said to me "visa expired"... So I said to him "No, let me show you". So I showed him the EEA Residence card. He had a blank look and I could see he wasnt sure about what I was saying. So I said to him that I have contacted both French embassys in the UK and both told me that I dont need a schengen visa, as long as I travel with my EU spouse. So after he checked something on his computer screen, he put my passport down, looked at my wife's and kids' Irish passorts...then picked mine up again, had a long look at my RC card...and then with a frown on his face he gave us our passports back and let us through.... I must say at one stage I was starting to think that I would have to take out the print-outs of Directive 2004. the FAQ from the French embassy website etc, but luckily it didnt go that way, phew!!!!! i was really glad.

At Belfast International we also didnt have any issues going through immigration, so all went well for us.

Who, if anyone, stamped your passport? Did the French stamp it coming or going from France? The British?

Hi there. Nope, noboby stamped my passport, I just double-checked. I kept a close eye everytime to make sure they dont.

johannf wrote:Hi there. Nope, noboby stamped my passport, I just double-checked. I kept a close eye everytime to make sure they dont.

I asked the same question in your previous post. I have to say, well done. You were prepared, knew what to do and had a trouble free trip. Hope the holiday was just as good.

Sorry Eusmile, didnt see your Q there.

Well thanks to this forum and you guys for all the advice posted here, that I was prepared! So thank you guys!

yes the holiday was great with many good memories!

Folks,

My partner (Dutch) and I (Indian) live in London with EEA Family Residence card. Thanks to all you lovely folks who have taken the time to answer my queries, we have now bucked up the courage to 'test drive' my residence card!

Our first trip on the strengths of the Residence card will be to Holland for Easter this weekend to visit my parter's family and friends. We have already gotten in touch with the dutch consulate who ahve sent us a confirmation email that I dont need a visa.
We are flying from the London Southend airport via Easyjet - fingers crossed that they will live up to their name and make our jet flight easy! I will post the outcome of that trip sometime next week.

In the meantime, I have another query: We have been invited to a friend's wedding in Portugal in May. We fly to Faro first, get to Lisbon and then fly to Funchal/Madeira for the wedding a couple of days later. Does anyone in this forum have any first - (or second) hand experience with the Portuguese authorities wrt to free travel with Residence Card? Does anyone know the contact details of the consulate here from whom we can perhaps get a confirmation email before setting off?

Thank you for your time!
Resh

Good luck with your trip to the Netherlands hope it goes well.

Portugal applies the same rules so your article 10 residence card will be fine. However, embassy information from Portugal is rather thin on the ground.

Would you mind doing me a favour? Could you post your experience of your trips in the following thread? We often get people saying, can I do this, or can I do that? It's nice once in a while for someone to say, yes I did this or yes I did that.

The thread I was referring to is here.

http://www.immigrationboards.com/viewtopic.php?t=98029

Folks,

I do apologise for the delay in updating this post, but here's an account of my experiences during my recent trip to the Netherlands.

Background: I am an Indian national, my unmarried partner of 3 years is Dutch, and we live together in the UK - the relationship based on which I now have a Residence card as family member of the EEA national.

Pre-requisites: Armed with printouts of the EU directive, the Border Guards' handbook, email from the Dutch embassy in London stating that it was OKAY and that I dont need a schengen visa, + proof of living together, such as bills, mail, joint bank account statement.

The trip: Test drive to check if the EEA Residence card would really work. Transport: Easyjet for onward journey from the new London- Southend Airport. Stena Britannica (Ferry) from Hook of Holland to Harwich.

The Experience: Although we were VERY worried about the easyjet check-in officers, it actually went pretty smoothly. The lady who checked my passport was a new employee who was not sure if I needed a visa. She checked with her colleague who said it was fine, and so she wrote 'visa not required' on my ticket printout. Within two minutes a team lead comes up, asks to see my passport again, and actually educates the new employee about the 'very rare' residence permit on my passport that replaces the need for additional visa, asks her to cut out the 'no visa required' statement to 'visa checked' on my ticket. We all have a chat about how we are armed with printouts and how they are now aware of the directive, etc etc . we head out toward the boarding waiting area, get on the flight (each stage of checking just saw my residence card, said okay, passed me on).
When we alighted at the Schipol airport in amsterdam, my partner and I queued at the 'EU passports' line. This is where we had a bit of an issue. The border guard was not too familiar with the residence card, so he calls one of his colleagues, who leads us both to another office. The office had several of the off duty officers, and my residence card was a point of much debate on whether it was accepted or not. Some agreed, some did not, we showed the letter from the embassy, took some convincing, a phone call to a superior officer, and they all finally let us go. Everyone was polite throughout, and it helped that my partner spoke dutch. All in all a bit shaky, but yay that we were in Amsterdam!

The Return Journey: The check in officer for the Ferry was familiar with the residence permit, and as far as she was concerned all was good, but she did mention I had to go through the border guards and they may ask questions. I was also handed a landing card that I had to fill out (she did not ask my partner to fill one, just me. Not sure if that was right or not). We went to the border official's desk. Now this chap was not too pleased with the residence card. The problem he said was 'not that you're leaving the country, but how come you were let in in the first place?' - which obviously came as a bit of a shock! Out came the email from the embassy, and the directive, etc etc. So the next question posed was - 'okay, i know what the label means but where's the proof of relationship to this man?' Out came the bank account, utility bills and election letter addressed to both, etc etc. None of which seem to completely convince him, and he mentioned that other countries have the EU partner's name on the permit. I asked which other countries, he couldnt remember which ones, but apparently they did. To cut a long story short, after some hemming and hawing, he let us pass.

When I entered the UK at the Harwich port, standard immi laws applied, I went with my partner into the 'EU passports queue', i mentioned to the officer that i was unsure if i should be filling the landing card or not - he said he will take it anyway. He stamped my passport, all good, took the train, went home.

End of Story!

Now our big concerns are - as highlighted by our experience - proof of relationship! Is there any way we could get the UKBA to issue a confirmation letter stating the name of my partner, perhaps? Any suggestions folks on how to go about this? we have an upcoming trip to portugal for a wedding in 3 weeks' time, and although we had the language advantage in Holland, that wont be the case in Portugal. And the border guards at Faro are not exactly known for their courtesy or tolerance.
Any suggestions would be gratefully welcomed! And thank you for your patience with this loooooooong post!!

Resh

Hi, I'm in a slightly different (and more tricky) boat. I've been around the web for hours trying to find something definitive. I've printed out the Directive in French (because I'm going to France), but it still isn't exactly 'straight forward'. Grateful for advice.

I'm a UK citizen (full British passport) and my wife is Chinese (with UK ILE). We live in Hong Kong.

We are going back to the UK next week, and the flight has a layover in Paris. As a Chinese citizen my wife doesn't need a transit visa, so can stay in the airport just fine. But we have five hours, so...

What's our best approach to the immigration people at CDG? My wife's ILE vignette states 'Settlement Spouse/CP - (my name)', and we will be travelling together, can show both our passports, our marriage certificate (with translation), proof of our residence in Hong Kong and our onward flight details for London. Will also take the Directive in French. What else should I be considering, because honestly the vast majority of opinion out there is that my wife needs a visa.

Thanks.

What is your plan? What do you realistically expect to do with five hours even if you get past immigration quickly?

Hi TomInHongKong,

5 hours in Paris might allow you to get a glimpse of the Eiffel tower, maybe even climb it - why not. But be aware that Charles-de-Gaulle airport is far outside the city, taxis are hell-ish expensive, and a (cheaper) bus will cost you precious time...

On the immigration-bureaucratical side, your wife is entitled to enter France based on what I describe in the first post of this very thread >>here<<, scroll down to the heading "EEA family member without Residence Card (Part 2)".

Upside for you: You can try without much loss - if she´s (illegally) not admitted, you can just continue to the UK.

TomInHongKong wrote:...because honestly the vast majority of opinion out there is that my wife needs a visa...

That´s because the vast majority (incl. the commission, governments, public agencies, border police and airline staff) do not (want to) understand the Directive and its implications.

Rgds and good luck,
Christian

And if you're superman, you might even be able to build an Eyefull Twin.

From a practical point of view, have a nice meal in the airport or buy a good book.