Long term Shengen visa for a spouse (ILR) of French citizen

[Eugene_UK]

Dear all, I hold an ILR in the UK (non EU passport) and my wife is the French citizen. We have decided to buy a property in Paris and now need to travel almost every two months from London to Paris. I would be grateful if you could please share your views on what type of visa could be the best in my case: ideally multiple for at least couple of years (5?) and with minimum documents requested/waiting time. Last time they gave me 1 year tourist visa but ideally I would like to get for more. I wonder whether they offer 2-3 years Shengen tourist visa or perhaps it would be better to apply for some kind Visitor visa or similar. Many thanks in advance for your comments.

[sum1]

There is only one relevant Schengen visa and that's the type C visa. The C visa can be issued for up to five years but you would have to argue with the embassy as to why you need a longer valid visa. See Article 24 in the Visa Code.

If you plan to stay for longer at your new property maybe the French have some kind of 'private' residence permit or maybe issue a type D visa but that's just guessing now. Check with them.