Single entery Schengen Visa

[Holidaymaker]

Hi,

Please could you help with my inquiry.

I have booked a holiday to Malaga, Spain for 5 days in August 2007 and my itinerary is non-refundable and non-transferable. I am a British citizen and my girlfriend is a non-EU citizen and has a VISA to remain indefinitely in the UK but still requires a Schengen VISA to visit Spain.

I thought it was a formality for her to get a VISA, but unfortunately on calling the Spanish automated phone number for making an appointment, I found out that the next available appointment is late September 2007. So now I stand to lose nearly £1,000.

Would it be possible to get the Schengen Visa (single entry) from another state with shorter queues and use it to travel to Spain? And what are the consequences of doing so?

Many thanks

[Wanderer]

Yawn....

Use the search or even read the posts a few inches down..

[Holidaymaker]

I am looking for a constructive answer, Not an idiotic one

Thanks

[sakura]

I am looking for a constructive answer, Not an idiotic one

Thanks

Sorry! This question has been asked only just recently! The two or three threads before your own are probably what you're looking for. They are exactly the same problems (they want to use another Schengen country's embassy to apply for a visa for entry to another Schengen country). If they don't answer your question, someone else might do.
Don't mind the yawn...

[Wanderer]

I am looking for a constructive answer, Not an idiotic one

Thanks

What was idiotic about it? Wasn't me that booked tickets without checking the visa situation now , was it? Now THAT's idiotic.

[Holidaymaker]

Relax now, you are acting like an idiot again

[SYH]

Ok now, you have your way to find your answer, make some effort

[Dawie]

I am looking for a constructive answer, Not an idiotic one

Thanks

What was idiotic about it? Wasn't me that booked tickets without checking the visa situation now , was it? Now THAT's idiotic.

I agree with Wanderer...booking a holiday without first sorting out the visa for your girlfriend is pretty idiotic!

It's pretty obvious that you're British, Holidaymaker, because only someone who's never had to get a visa before would think that getting a visa is just a "formality", ESPECIALLY in June/July/August which happens to be the busiest time of the year for the Spanish embassy.

[avjones]

In his defence, I've got visas before for Russia, Ukraine, Romania (x 3), China, Mongolia, India (x 3), Yugoslavia, Turkey (x 2) and Bulgaria, and it's never been difficult - the Russian and Ukrainian ones were a pain, but uit didn't take too long.

[Wanderer]

In his defence, I've got visas before for Russia, Ukraine, Romania (x 3), China, Mongolia, India (x 3), Yugoslavia, Turkey (x 2) and Bulgaria, and it's never been difficult - the Russian and Ukrainian ones were a pain, but uit didn't take too long.

Russian visas are a pain, you have to have an 'invite' plus you have to 'register' within three days in Russia or face a fine. I did mine in OVIR, a lesson in Soviet-style Misery....

Other times I did it in a hotel, had to pay, now I belive the system is the person who owns the place ur staying has to do it - at the Postoffice!

[avjones]

Yes, been there done that, got the T-shirt. But it didn't take months to sort out

[Christophe]

While I agree it would have been wise for the OP to have checked the visa situation first, I'd also add that most people couldn't reasonably be expected to think that it might take three months to get a short-term visitor's visa for a "civilised" country like Spain - which just goes to show how poor the service provided by the Spanish authorities is.

Any chance of paying a travel agent to organise it?

[sakura]

While I agree it would have been wise for the OP to have checked the visa situation first, I'd also add that most people couldn't reasonably be expected to think that it might take three months to get a short-term visitor's visa for a "civilised" country like Spain - which just goes to show how poor the service provided by the Spanish authorities is.

Any chance of paying a travel agent to organise it?

It doesn't take three months to get a visa; it takes three months to get an appointment. From what I know, they tend to issue visas within a week (for ILRs). Let's face it, Summertime is the busiest for holidays, Spain is always the top destination, and you know your gf is a non-EEA national. Fair enough, we're talking about applying in June (or that was the plan) and leaving in Aug, but never make the assumption that, during the Summer, you can get an appointment whenever you want!

I would suggest to the OP to possibly forget France or Italy and try applying at the 'colder' Schengen embassies! But, even there, who knows...

[Christophe]

It doesn't take three months to get a visa; it takes three months to get an appointment.

True - but for practical purposes for the traveller it amounts to the same thing. And I would still say that it's an unacceptable level of service really, even given the fact that it's summer and Spain is a busy tourist destination: the fact that the country gets a lot of money from tourism ought to mean that they make it easy for genuine tourists to visit, surely?

Oh well...