The following day after our arrival, we went to the local British High Commission armed with our ‘dossier’ of evidence, inclusive of the application form VAF1. My minor child was also included in the application, as it specifically stated ‘children under 18 must be included in your application’.
Strangely, I was asked to fill in a separate VAF2 for my child, though they reassured me that the application would be treated as one, under the EEA rules. In truth, we had to satisfy all the UK immigration rules including funds, accommodation, etc (which we did). They even took our fingerprints! (my child's included).
But the good news is that the UK EEA FP’s were issued for my child and I for free that same day, and we are now all back in England.
My advice to people applying for UK EEA permits outside EU (maybe more so from Africa) is don’t take it for granted that it’s a simple procedure where you just produce your marriage certificate and partner’s EU passport. You need to provide a whole lot of evidence, as if you were applying under UK rules, and be prepared to have your fingerprints taken as well.
Good Luck!
