Question about travelling outside the UK

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 2:36 pm

Hi,
I hope someone can help or point me in the right direction please.
Background: I am a UK national (born in Scotland) and will be marrying my Russian fiancee this weekend in my local Anglican church in London. She already lives and works in the UK (works in the City and is in year 2 of a 5 year work permit granted to her by the company/UK).

Question: At the moment she needs something called a Schengen Visa to travel outside the UK. However, after we get married, we would like to travel in the EU, but without getting a Schengen Visa each time (given that we are married, I can't imagine this would be a problem). Could someone please advice what she has to do to enable her to travel freely in the EU after we are married.

Many thanks in advance.
RR

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:26 pm

She'll still need it until she gets naturalised as a British citizen, which in her case should be immediately after she gets ILR after two years married to you on FLR.

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:35 pm

Wanderer wrote:She'll still need it until she gets naturalised as a British citizen, which in her case should be immediately after she gets ILR after two years married to you on FLR.

Many thanks Wanderer, but I've been reading other posts that seem to imply that a spouse of an EU national is free to travel anywhere in the EU - can't seem to see if a Visa is needed or not though (or just the Marriage Cert, passports etc.)..?

RR

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 3:49 pm

ravroberts wrote:
Wanderer wrote:She'll still need it until she gets naturalised as a British citizen, which in her case should be immediately after she gets ILR after two years married to you on FLR.

Many thanks Wanderer, but I've been reading other posts that seem to imply that a spouse of an EU national is free to travel anywhere in the EU - can't seem to see if a Visa is needed or not though (or just the Marriage Cert, passports etc.)..?

RR

I think that's only if u've exercised a treaty right by living in another EU state. As ur spouse the visa is free tho!

Even so it's a battle all the way if u choose to risk it, Directive or not, read the Europe forum for tales of woe and the odd success....

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:04 pm

Wanderer wrote:
ravroberts wrote:
Wanderer wrote:She'll still need it until she gets naturalised as a British citizen, which in her case should be immediately after she gets ILR after two years married to you on FLR.

Many thanks Wanderer, but I've been reading other posts that seem to imply that a spouse of an EU national is free to travel anywhere in the EU - can't seem to see if a Visa is needed or not though (or just the Marriage Cert, passports etc.)..?

RR
I think that's only if u've exercised a treaty right by living in another EU state. As ur spouse the visa is free tho!

Even so it's a battle all the way if u choose to risk it, Directive or not, read the Europe forum for tales of woe and the odd success....

Many thanks again. Tales of woe doesn't sound too encouraging. It's only through a miracle I found out we could get married in an Anglican church and avoid sending off passports for long periods of time!!
Ta,
RR

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:38 pm

She's not one of these post-Soviet Russian girls that have gone religion-mad then?!

A friend of mine (A Czech-mate - haha!) is marrying his Russian gf and she insists they marry in Orthodox Church despite the fun and games it's causing.

Also I have another friend married to a Russian girl and she's started clutching icons and this Love God stuff...

Bog ustal nas lubit' I say......

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Tue Jul 22, 2008 4:42 pm

Wanderer wrote:She's not one of these post-Soviet Russian girls that have gone religion-mad then?!

A friend of mine (A Czech-mate - haha!) is marrying his Russian gf and she insists they marry in Orthodox Church despite the fun and games it's causing.

Also I have another friend married to a Russian girl and she's started clutching icons and this Love God stuff...

Bog ustal nas lubit' I say......

No, not at all. I'm Christian and found out that if we got married in an Anglican church we didn't have to go through all the normal hoops to get married. Just simply metthe Minister, presented our paperwork on the day, and we were ok to get married a few weeks later!! However, this only seems to work in an Anglican church due to some extraordinary powers they still have in the UK..

Post by **Casa** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:03 pm

Back to your original query. Unfortunately she will still need a Schengen visa to travel to other EU states regardless of the fact that you are married. Some are more flexible than others regarding documents you need to produce to be issued with the visa...Spain for example are among the worst.

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 4:53 pm

Casa wrote:Back to your original query. Unfortunately she will still need a Schengen visa to travel to other EU states regardless of the fact that you are married. Some are more flexible than others regarding documents you need to produce to be issued with the visa...Spain for example are among the worst.

THanks Casa. I've confirmed that she does need one, however the good news is that it is now free as we are married!

Post by **Casa** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:01 pm

Well...thank goodness something is!!!

sakura · Post by **sakura** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 5:38 pm

ravroberts wrote:
Casa wrote:Back to your original query. Unfortunately she will still need a Schengen visa to travel to other EU states regardless of the fact that you are married. Some are more flexible than others regarding documents you need to produce to be issued with the visa...Spain for example are among the worst.
THanks Casa. I've confirmed that she does need one, however the good news is that it is now free as we are married!

I would suggest making a trip to a Schengen country, and therefore applying for the visa via that country, that is more likely to give you a multiple-entry visa with a long validity, so that you don't need to make another Schengen visa application for a while.

Spain are terrible....I have heard good things about the German embassy, and maybe also the Dutch? Basically, try the nicer embassies! e.g. they might give you a visa for 6 months multiple entry.

ravroberts · Post by **ravroberts** » Wed Jul 23, 2008 9:30 pm

sakura wrote: I would suggest making a trip to a Schengen country, and therefore applying for the visa via that country, that is more likely to give you a multiple-entry visa with a long validity, so that you don't need to make another Schengen visa application for a while.

Spain are terrible....I have heard good things about the German embassy, and maybe also the Dutch? Basically, try the nicer embassies! e.g. they might give you a visa for 6 months multiple entry.

Well, the problem is that we both live in the UK and to get from here to a Schengen country would require us to get a Schengen visa anyway, so there's no point in doing this to then get another Schengen visa in the other country..?! (Perhaps I misunderstand what you're saying?).

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Question about travelling outside the UK

Question about travelling outside the UK