which is best?

[ana07cutiepie]

hello.. happy new year to everyone!

I am in the UK now with EEA family permit valid until may 5, 2013. And I have a passport with my single name on it and is valid till Nov 2014. And me and my husband are planning to go to Austria again this coming Easter. But we are scared that if we booked in advance the 2 flights to Austria then by this month or February we will apply the EEA 2 which is residence permit which might take longer to process and then my passport won't be returned before Easter then the flight will be a waste.

Also if I change my passport with my new married name, what will happen to the old passport and visa which is the EEA family permit that is valid until may 5, 2013? Can I still use it?

Do i need to book an appointment to the Philippine embassy?

ohh sorry if i have a lot of questions .. just really don't know what to do.. :/

please help us..

[raynaputi]

Hi Ana,

If you plan to change your passport using your new married name, you can just bring your old passport with your EEA permit along with the new passport whenever you travel. This is if your EEA permit is still valid before travelling. Also, no need to book an appointment in Phil. Embassy. You have to queue just like how it's done in the Philippines. With regards to booking in advance, I guess to not do that unless you receive your new EEA permit if you're planning to renew it and the passport. Hope that helps. :smile:

[ana07cutiepie]

Hi Ana,

If you plan to change your passport using your new married name, you can just bring your old passport with your EEA permit along with the new passport whenever you travel. This is if your EEA permit is still valid before travelling. Also, no need to book an appointment in Phil. Embassy. You have to queue just like how it's done in the Philippines. With regards to booking in advance, I guess to not do that unless you receive your new EEA permit if you're planning to renew it and the passport. Hope that helps. :smile:

Is it true that it will take forever for them to change my passport in to a new one? I mean the processing time :Erm: hubbie wants to book in advance so the flights would be a lot cheaper.. what will happen if we will apply the eea2 family permit permit residence at the end of April, will they kick me out if the eea1 visa expires on May 5? so soo confuses , sorry te Rayna :Help1:

[raynaputi]

Is it true that it will take forever for them to change my passport in to a new one? I mean the processing time :Erm: hubbie wants to book in advance so the flights would be a lot cheaper.. what will happen if we will apply the eea2 family permit permit residence at the end of April, will they kick me out if the eea1 visa expires on May 5? so soo confuses , sorry te Rayna :Help1:

I'm not sure about EEA rules, maybe others can help you about that. About renewing the passport, I think others have done it and process took at least 2 weeks. But still it depends. You know Filipino time..although UKBA is worse than Filipino time..:icon_rolleyes:

[Terpe]

This is a little bit of a complicated and much misunderstood issue, so I will just give you the facts and you'll have to make the risk assessment yourself.

An EEA Family Permit is a form of 'entry clearance' to the UK issued by UKBA
The EEA Family Permit is always issued for validity of 6 months. (means you must enter UK within that validity)
But you will not be an overstayer after the expiry date. You can safely stay for as long as you want.
Whether or not you make application for your free Residence Permit from UKBA is your decision, as technically it's not mandatory.

However that Family Permit is not a visa and it's also not proof of legal residency.
It is not a Schenghen Visa and it is not considered to be a legal Travel Document.

Here's what UKBA state:-

You do not need to obtain documents confirming your right of residence in the UK if you are a family member of an EEA national.

However, you may be inconvenienced if you do not obtain this confirmation, as:
you may have difficulty proving that you are lawfully resident in the UK;
if you leave the UK, you will usually need to obtain an EEA family permit before returning here, in order to guarantee readmission as the family member of a qualified EEA national; and
you may find it difficult to obtain or change employment.

There's too many 'ifs' and 'buts' and 'maybes' for most folks.
There are certain laws and rights, which is all very well if you're completely conversant with them and you always carry a complete set of documents.
Even then you will likely find a major problem to re-enter the UK

Personally, I would strongly suggest you make application for a Residence Permit. It's will certainly be of big benefit in many ways, not the least of which is travel.

Do not make any confirmed travel arrangements withouth having the correct documentation (Residence Permit)

Eventually, you need to do some research and make your own choices.

Given that your husband is an Austrian National, who would like to travel back to see family every now and then, I would have thought you would have applied for your residence card as soon as you arrived to UK.

[ana07cutiepie]

thanks Terpe and te Rayna :xxgrinning--00xx3::xxgrinning--00xx3:

With all the infos you shared to me I think I know what to do now...

:Jump::Jump: