Visiting other EU countries

[Dave0555]

Hi Folks
Ashamed to say it's been a very long time since I was last on here - good to see it's still going strong and helping others still.

My wife has been here for 18 months now and is currently on a "further leave to remain" visa. I would like to take her to see the Vatican but am not sure of the situation regarding her visa. Can she visit other EU countries with just her passport or does she need a tourist visa to get into Italy? Her passport is of course Phillipines.

Cheers guys.

Dave and Lolita

[SimonH]

I think this is what you need:-

http://www.schengenvisa.cc/

[Terpe]

It's a great experience to visit other European countries.

The holder of a Philippine passport needs to apply for a visa to travel anywhere within Europe.

Normally this entails making application for a Schengen Visa.

A Schengen visa, enables the holder to enter one member country and travel freely throughout the Schengen zone during the validity of the visa.
Generally you can expect border controls to be simple with only minimal checks.
Application for a Schenghen Visa is not too difficult, but it can be frustrating if you're not fully prepared.

If you have any specific country in mind (Italy for example) then you'll need to apply at their Embassy/Consulate. (ie Italian Embassy)

A Philippine passport holder will be required to book an appointment with the Embassy and apply in person, with all the needed documents.
Philippine passort holders will also find that normally their visa will not be issued on the same day. Maybe you need to wait up to a couple of weeks.

May I suggest you have ALL the documents available exactly as the Italian Embassy demands as they can be difficult.

A typical Harmonised Schengen Visa application form is shown here:-
http://www.immihelp.com/visas/scheng...rm_english.pdf

Fill out the form from the relevant embassy for YOU, not the above example and not just any!
The typical form shown above is just to show what questions are asked, the questions are the same in all Schengen countries forms.

The visa has to be applied for at the embassy of the country which is the primary destination.
If there isn't one, for example a round trip without a majority of time in one country, then the embassy of the first country of entry.

The visa issued is Schengen-C which is a visitor visa, it is valid for up to 90 days in a maximum six month period. The six month period commences with
entry but cannot extend beyond the visa's expiry date.

The good news is this, when the applicant and UK (EU) spouse are travelling together there is no fee and the procedure is (usually) simple and quick.
The European Commission expects under four weeks.

The questions marked with * on the form (employment,resources,itinerary, Medical Insurances etc.) do not need to be answered according to Schengen regulations
But as I said, the Italian Embassy have a reputation for sometimes being difficult so be aware.
The entire form is only three pages long.

Present your marriage certificate and the spouses UK (EU) passport as evidence of marriage to an EEA national.

As a standard approach you can expect a 90 day visa with six month validity, many members often receive more ( 1 or 2 years), but 5 years is the maximum and not usually granted without
extensive positive visa history. (Always maximum of 90 days in a six month period starting with first entry.)

If the Embassy/Consulate tries to force you into paying an agency for a COMPULSORILY FREE schengen visa for the spouse of an EU citizen then technically
it's breaking EU law, if that spouse is travelling with an EU citizen.
However for the sake of expediency be prepared for that eventuality.

The General Requirements Are:-

The applicant must be resident in the UK. Foreign nationals residing in the UK must have been granted leave to remain for more than 6 months

The applicant's UK visa must exceed the return date of the proposed trip by more than 3 months

The applicant's passport must exceed the return date of the proposed trip by more than 3 months and must have a full blank page for the visa

We visited Vatican City last August and really enjoyed it so much. Fascinating place.
Make sure you book an organised English Speaking tour and that the passes avoid the usual long long queues.

Good luck

[Dave0555]

What can I say - the usual impeccable, detailed and prompt reply. Many many thanks.

Dave and Lolita