Certificate of Identity (Brown) with ILR

[catmagpie]

Hi - I am looking for information and advice on visa requirements for travelling within the EU using the CID brown document.

I am an EU (French) citizen settled in the UK. I am not married to my partner who is a foreign national will ILR and a valid CID brown document. We have a 3 year old child (French).

He has been refused a visa to France on the basis that French authorities do not recognise the CID - although they would have done had we been either: married or...living in France! We argued on the basis that he is after all the father of a French citizen but they did not want to set a precedent by issuing him with a laissez-passer...

This week - my partner applied for a Swiss visa and again was refused on the ground the CID was not accepted.

Can anyone confirm which countries do accept the CID as a valid travel document - it seems to me that none actually do....

We will get married soon but in the meantime any help you can give us on countries accepting the document as a valid form of travel documentation would be most welcome.

Thanks!

[Dawie]

http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/applyi ... rangements

Important information:

Certificate of identity

You should be aware that authorities in some countries do not accept the certificate of identity as a valid travel document. These include South Africa, and parties to the Schengen agreement (Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Austria).

We strongly advise you to check with the national authority of the country you intend to visit before you apply for a certificate of identity.

Convention travel document

On page 30 of your Home Office Convention travel document it is stated that visas are not required for visits of 3 months or less to the Republic of Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg. Please note that this is no longer the case. Holders of Home Office Convention travel documents are now required to obtain a visa for travel to the Republic of Ireland, Iceland and Luxembourg.

[catmagpie]

I know - I was aware of this - still Norway does accept it...

Holders of British (brown) travel document (Certificate of Identity)
Visa applicants holding British Certificate of Identity must - upon lodging an application - be able to produce the latest letter received from British Home Office confirming his / her status in the United Kingdom. The "Home Office letter" is an additional requirement to the normal requirements stated earlier on in this page.

Hence my question - which countries in the EU actually accept the CID? Has anyone travelled abroad with one?

[SYH]

I know - I was aware of this - still Norway does accept it...

Holders of British (brown) travel document (Certificate of Identity)
Visa applicants holding British Certificate of Identity must - upon lodging an application - be able to produce the latest letter received from British Home Office confirming his / her status in the United Kingdom. The "Home Office letter" is an additional requirement to the normal requirements stated earlier on in this page.

Hence my question - which countries in the EU actually accept the CID? Has anyone travelled abroad with one?

Sounds like you no more than us

[catmagpie]

Well - I thought someone may know more than I did

I am just curious as to the point of this travel document if it is not accepted as a travel document by most countries....