Schengen Visa Application From UK

[THO]

Hi,

Quick couple of questions. I want to apply for a Schengen visa for the wife to visit Spain. She is from VN, obviously living in UK with me.

1) As far as I can tell, this is not done through VFS like other European visas, I need to go here. uk.blsspainvisa.com/london/tourist_type_visa.php Is this correct? I've almost fallen for these sites before, where the site looks official, but really all they are doing is taking the details that I would give to VFS, and submitting them on my behalf and adding a wedge onto the visa fee.

2) The visa will last for 90 days, is that correct? If not, how long?

3) Once she has a Schengen visa, can she come back to the UK and then go back to a different country (Germany) a few weeks later, obviously using the same visa, or does she need to apply for another one.

Thanks, I've really tried to find this info, but there is so much to read and none of it seems relevant to our case.

THO

[meself2]

1) Seems to be one. Looked up Spain visa centers in different countries, they all lead to sites on this domain.

2) In terms of validity, I'd say it depends on her previous visa history and what they consider right. My first Schengen visas were given to me just for the duration of the trip, but, obviously, after a few of them I started getting longer and longer visas granted. It also depends on an embassy. some countries might be more lenient than others, but can't say for sure. Hopefully other people on the board will help with that.

3)If she has a Schengen visa, she can certainly go into another Schengen country mule long as it's still valid and it has entries left (she can get a single entry visa as well).

[meself2]

no idea how "as" transformed into "mule"*

[CR001]

no idea how "as" transformed into "mule"*

It's because you type 'as' with a double 'ss', which is a banned word on the forum.

[meself2]

no idea how "as" transformed into "mule"*

It's because you type 'as' with a double 'ss', which is a banned word on the forum.

oh! Apologies, didn't mean to. I'll pay a tad bit more attention to my misspellings.

[THO]

Thanks Meself2.

THO

[THO]

Finally I managed to speak to someone at BLS, and was told that a multi entry visa would require we go back to Spain, we could not use the same visa at a later stage to go to Germany. However, thought about going to Gibraltar instead.

This is what the official border entry site says.

Viet Nam
You will need a visa to come to Gibraltar, unless you are in any of these exempt groups:
Those nationals or citizens of People Republic of China, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa or Turkey who hold Diplomatic Passport issued by their respective states when travelling to Gibraltar for the purpose of an official or tourist visit.
Persons who hold Service, Temporary Service and Diplomatic passports issued by the Holy See.
Persons holding EU issued family permits, UK Residence Permits issued for a period of 12 months or more, UK Biometric Residence permits or a UK multiple entry visa issued for 6 months or more.
Persons who hold indefinite leave to remain in the UK and persons who hold UK certificates of entitlement to the right of abode and have not been absent from the UK for more than 2 years.

So, I assume as OH is on fist part of 5 years Spouse visa, that she would be able to travel there without needing to get a visa?? Am I correct please?

THO

[ywlgy]

Finally I managed to speak to someone at BLS, and was told that a multi entry visa would require we go back to Spain, we could not use the same visa at a later stage to go to Germany.

That's ridiculously wrong. Is this some kind strategy to boost spanish tourism?? If there is "ESTADOS SCHENGEN" on the visa, it is valid for the entire Schengen area!

She can use her BRP to enter Gibraltar.

[meself2]

Finally I managed to speak to someone at BLS, and was told that a multi entry visa would require we go back to Spain, we could not use the same visa at a later stage to go to Germany.

Very weird.
They, technically, can restrict the visa to Spain only, but why would they?

[THO]

I don't know why they would restrict it. The form needed to obtain a visa asks what is first point of entry, and then asks about other countries to be visited and for how long. There is no question about how long I want the visa to last for, or anything that would suggest that they need to give the visa for longer than the amount of days I am in Europe.

I would have thought that one would apply for a Schengen visa, and that was that, not country specific, but hey at £80 each, there is money to be made.

Thanks, looks like might go to Gibraltar. Anyway, that is UK, so why prop up the Spanish economy when I can spend my money on British soil?

[ywlgy]

Next time if you want to apply for a Schengen visa, go for France as they are the most generous one in terms of visa length.

[THO]

Thanks for the heads up. I think if we go, we might go for a few weeks and visit different countries, since I don't want to keep forking out for new visas.