Schengen Visa Requirements for UK spouse
Do I Need Schengen Visa if I am Married to UK Citizen
It is a common misunderstanding that if a person is married to a British citizen, they do not need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area. The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen agreement, that is why if you are a British spouse and hold resident card or indefinite leave to remain you still need to get a visa to enter the Schengen area. Therefore, its visas and residency are not acknowledged by the Schengen states.
But spouses of British nationals still have certain advantages when applying for Schengen visas at some consulates. Please note though that not all Schengen consulates allow simplified procedure. For example, if a person married to a British citizen applies for a Schengen visa for France, they will not have to produce the whole list of documents ( payslips, hotel booking, insurance, etc) required from other applicants who are not spouses of British nationals. However this is not the case if the same applicant wants to apply for a Schengen visa with the Spanish consulate. So, the French Schengen visa is the easiest and quickest option for spouses of British passport holders.
The documents required for a French Schengen visa are as follows:
Applicant’s passport and their spouses passport;
Application form two passport standard photos of the applicant;
Marriage certificate in original (if you got married outside the UK, the marriage certificate must be translated and the translation must be certified at the relevant embassy in the UK);
The French Consulate does not charge any fees for issuing the visa for spouses of British nationals but since all visa applications have to go through a visa application centre, you will have to pay their fees.
Another reason why French visa is a good option is because it is normally issued for multi trips, which means you can use it to travel to other Schengen countries after your trip to France. If it is your first application for French visa you can expect a visa which is valid up to 6 months.
The processing time for Schengen visa application is normally between 3 and 4 working days after your application is accepted. But there are a few exceptions (please refer to the French Embassy web site for details) when passport holders of certain nationalities have to wait up to 3 weeks and longer for their visa application to be processed. That is why it is highly recommended that you collect all necessary information and prepare the documents well in advance to avoid the stress of rebooking or cancelling your trip due to insufficient time.
It is a common misunderstanding that if a person is married to a British citizen, they do not need a Schengen visa to enter the Schengen area. The United Kingdom is not part of the Schengen agreement, that is why if you are a British spouse and hold resident card or indefinite leave to remain you still need to get a visa to enter the Schengen area. Therefore, its visas and residency are not acknowledged by the Schengen states.
But spouses of British nationals still have certain advantages when applying for Schengen visas at some consulates. Please note though that not all Schengen consulates allow simplified procedure. For example, if a person married to a British citizen applies for a Schengen visa for France, they will not have to produce the whole list of documents ( payslips, hotel booking, insurance, etc) required from other applicants who are not spouses of British nationals. However this is not the case if the same applicant wants to apply for a Schengen visa with the Spanish consulate. So, the French Schengen visa is the easiest and quickest option for spouses of British passport holders.
The documents required for a French Schengen visa are as follows:
Applicant’s passport and their spouses passport;
Application form two passport standard photos of the applicant;
Marriage certificate in original (if you got married outside the UK, the marriage certificate must be translated and the translation must be certified at the relevant embassy in the UK);
The French Consulate does not charge any fees for issuing the visa for spouses of British nationals but since all visa applications have to go through a visa application centre, you will have to pay their fees.
Another reason why French visa is a good option is because it is normally issued for multi trips, which means you can use it to travel to other Schengen countries after your trip to France. If it is your first application for French visa you can expect a visa which is valid up to 6 months.
The processing time for Schengen visa application is normally between 3 and 4 working days after your application is accepted. But there are a few exceptions (please refer to the French Embassy web site for details) when passport holders of certain nationalities have to wait up to 3 weeks and longer for their visa application to be processed. That is why it is highly recommended that you collect all necessary information and prepare the documents well in advance to avoid the stress of rebooking or cancelling your trip due to insufficient time.
