Spouse Stamp 4 early renewal and Spanish Holiday help

[Davedm]

Hi Everyone.
Really hoping someone can help me here as I cant get a straight answer from INIS or the Spanish Embassy.

My Thai wife is living with me in Ireland on a stamp 4 visa which is up for renewal in May. We were hoping to go to Spain for a holiday in July but I believe we have to get a Spanish visa aswell as a re entry visa.
I really want to book the holiday soon but am worried that if there is an issue with visas then we will lose the holiday.

Its unlikely she will have a problem with the stamp 4 as this will be her third renewal but I have no clue on the Spanish one.

Two questions..
Can she renew her stamp 4 now (3 months early) so we can go sort out the Spanish visa.
Secondly, can we get the Spanish visa a few months early?

Any help really appreciated.

Thanks

Dave

[jeupsy]

Hi Dave.

I gather you are an Irish citizen?

If yes there is no need to worry too much. As the spouse of an EU national Spain has to give her a visa free of charge as long as you provide your marriage certificate and some documentation showing you will be travelling toghether.

[CalvinKlien]

Dave, answering you two questions..

Can she renew her stamp 4 now (3 months early) so we can go sort out the Spanish visa.

The max someone can renew his/her visa is 1 month. If you live in the country side talk to your local Immigration officer and you might be able to renew it little early as the Garda cards do not print anymore in the same Garda station and will not be handed over to you for at-least 3 weeks. Your local Immigration officer will stamp her passport but the Garda card would be printed in Dublin and will be sent to the concerned immigration officer and than would be handed over to you.

But if you live in Dublin, the Garda card would be handed to you on the same day of your renewal. Also you have mentioned that this is her third renewal so by law this time she should get a longer visa (Three years). By law spouse of Irish citizen's visa would be extended for 1 year, than 1 year and than 3 years and after three years she can apply for Irish passport and than HAPPY DAYS.....

Secondly, can we get the Spanish visa a few months early?

I would highly doubt that. Spanish visa would be issued only for few days, and depend on your flights, accommodation or holiday plan. Lets suppose you provide the below travel dates to Spanish Embassy.

For Example: From 5th July until 15th July. The visa could be issued to her from 3rd July until 18th July but if she already got schengen visa on two different occasions previously than she can apply for a longer schengen visa this time.

Hope my explanations would help you... All the best

[Davedm]

Thanks guys for the replies.
Yes I am an Irish national but I live in Dublin so I guess we can only renew a month early.

Schengen visas are not available for Thais living in Ireland so that's not relevent unfortunately.

So basically we will have to pay for holiday now then renew her visa and then get Spanish visa a few days before travel and pray there are no problems

Well done embassies for making like awkward.

Can't wait for her to become an Irish citizen.

Thanks again for the help.
It's great to get straight answers

[mumairsharif]

you can get your Schengen Visa upto 3 months early, but it will be only valid for that very specific days for which you intend to travel to Spain.

[Davedm]

Szengan visas are not available for Thai or Irish citizins

[jeupsy]

Szengan visas are not available for Thai or Irish citizins

A Spanish visa is a Shenghen visa.

[Davedm]

Neither Ireland or Thailand are part of the Shenghen visa system.
Shenghen visas are different to getting a visa to travel from Ireland to Spain . As an Irish national I don't need a visa but as my wife is Thai she needs a short stay visa to travel outside Ireland but Shenghen is a totally different thing.

Thanks

[jeupsy]

Shenghen visas are different to getting a visa to travel from Ireland to Spain .

You are misled here.

Spain is part of the Schengen area. The visa your wife will get from the Spanish embassy in Ireland will be a Shenghen visa (meaning it will allow her to travel to Spain but also to any country in the Schengen area). This is good news if you were for example planning to visa France or Portugal as part of the same trip - she could go there with the Spanish visa and would not require a French or Portuguese visa.

[Davedm]

Really ?

Man it's hard to get good information from the government
They point blank said this is not the case.

Cheers for the info