Rune wrote:Probably have had a bunch of these questions.
I'm a Danish national, I want to go to Spain for a stay of 3 months or so. I'm married to a Cambodian and want to bring her. Do anyone have experience, if it is it as easy as this page says its supposed to be:
SCHENGEN VISA FOR SPOUSES / FAMILY MEMBERS OF EU NATIONALS.
Additional I can supply documents of medical insurance and a place to stay in Spain. Not really a return ticket - or perhaps if I can find an open ticket. And I supposed bank account with some money. But would be loath to start to pay for all these things before I'm sure the visa can be acquired.
Actually, yes, it is (nearly) as simple as stated on that blog. The author has just referenced the Schengen visa rules which the EU member state embassies/consulates have to play by.
Are you properly married, you know, with an actual marriage certificate? If it's not in English/French/German you'll need to get it (officially) translated into one of those languages. Get it legalised/apostilled. Fill in questions 1-30 and 34 of the harmonised application form and arrange some health insurance for your wife covering the period you want to take her to Spain for. Make a visa application appointment for her at the French embassy and send her along with the application form, (translated/apostilled) marriage certificate, insurance certificate, her passport, your passport and a copy of your passport information page.
The Khmer staff will probably bitch about her not having an invitation or address in Spain or return flights or proof of funds. Tell your wife to ignore them. The people who actually decide the applications are aware of the rules.
In March of this year my wife applied at the French embassy in PP for a Schengen visa as described above. We specified actual dates of travel on the application and 5 days later received free of charge a multiple entry visa valid for those exact dates. Our plans changed before we booked the flights. Once issued they can't change a visa. So she applied for a new 90 day/6 month visa. As a sweetener the new application did include an itinerary, an invitation and details of where we are staying in Spain. 5 days later she had a new 90 day/6 month multiple entry visa, again free of charge.
The original visa was cancelled which caused the check-in agent at PNH some consternation, despite there being a newer, shinier one on the very next page.
Immigration at Schiphol didn't even blink when we arrived. No further documentation was required. Probably if my wife had been travelling alone they'd have been more conscientious. We had a marriage certificate, accommodation booking, return flight details, invitation, proof of funds on hand in case they were required.
We didn't have to pass through Immigration for the flight from Amsterdam to Spain and the check-in staff barely even glanced at the visa. The boarding gate staff checked it more carefully. We'll be testing the multiple entry aspect when we re-enter Spain from outside the Schengen zone in a few months.
Technically the embassy can't refuse the visa application so long as you have a marriage certificate. Good luck anyway.
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