Schengen visa through VFS global

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:09 am

Hi Everyone,
I recently applied for a tourist schengen visa for my wife (as a spouse of an EU citizen) through VFS global (london) for Spain. At the appointment the guy said that visas for partners of Eu citizens are normally issued after 5 working days. It has now been 7 days and they have not received the passport back yet

. I have booked my holiday for the 6th of August. Does anyone have experience of this service or the Spanish embassy? should I be panicking as I still have almost 8 full working days before I travel? Any advice or account of past experience will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 11:23 am

suf19 wrote:Hi Everyone,
I recently applied for a tourist schengen visa for my wife (as a spouse of an EU citizen) through VFS global (london) for Spain. At the appointment the guy said that visas for partners of Eu citizens are normally issued after 5 working days. It has now been 7 days and they have not received the passport back yet :( . I have booked my holiday for the 6th of August. Does anyone have experience of this service or the Spanish embassy? should I be panicking as I still have almost 8 full working days before I travel? Any advice or account of past experience will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Sorry you tell you this but the Spanish Consulate has just about the worst reputation of the lot.

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:45 pm

What is the citizenship of the nonEU citizen?

chazminx · Post by **chazminx** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 6:24 pm

I've found the Spanish embassy to be quite complicated and have had to apply via Multi Travel Visas Ltd. Through researching, I have found several people complaining about booking appointments and not getting one for months (despite their claim that its 6 weeks at the most during PEAK travel months) and calling them was a waste of my money because none of the people knew anything other than the online appointment booking page.

I am meant to be going on holiday with 2 british friends and staying in one of their grandmothers RENTED apartment. Just that one fact complicates things beyond belief as they want my friend's grandmother's passport to give me a visa, obviously that is not going to happen. They also requested an official letter of invitation from the spanish police as well as a spanish NIE number and a load of other requests. I am a student in the UK have lived here for 9 years and both my friends are shocked at all the hoops i have to jump through. especially as they want all the bookings done before issuing the visa so if it is declined I will have lost all the deposits as well as the application fee. Is there an appeal available for rejected visas? and how long does it take if there is one?

It was suggested that if my spanish visa is declines, I apply for a visa from another schengen country with more reliable and consistant service and use that to get to spain with my friends but i would have to visit that country too and stay there for longer than the 9 days I have booked in spain. What are the consequences if I do that and just don't go to that country?

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:17 am

My wife is Pakistani

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 8:29 am

suf19 wrote:My wife is Pakistani

Some countries have even longer waits than what you mentioned. Iraq / Afganistan / Colombia are some. I think the German embassy web site lists the extra-slow-to-process citizenships. I am not sure about Pakistan.

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:28 am

I Can't even contact them on the telephone number they have published on their website. Its just a repeated recoding in Spanish and English. Does anyone know of any number where you can talk to a human being at the visa section?

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:40 am

I suspect it is pretty much hopeless to call directly. You can try writing them a letter.

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 11:54 am

Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:I suspect it is pretty much hopeless to call directly. You can try writing them a letter.

Thanks for the info. I feel totally helpless. I am wondering if it is worth just withdrawing the application and just turning up at dover with a marriage certificate and a copy of the directive?

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:17 pm

A couple of question:
Are you planning to drive?
What is your citizenship?
Where did you get married?

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:36 pm

Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:A couple of question:
Are you planning to drive?
What is your citizenship?
Where did you get married?

The Plan is to drive to Paris for a few days and take the kids to Eurodisney. After a couple of days we plan on driving to Valencia where I have a villa booked. I am british and also my kids, my wife is Pakistani. We got married in the UK and have a UK marriage certificate with an appostille stamp on the back. I just find it so frustrating that people who just want to go on holidays with their Families, have to put up with all this, and be scrutenised as if they were criminals.

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:53 pm

The German embassy says visas for Pakistan citizens take at least two weeks to issue. http://www.london.diplo.de/Vertretung/l ... seite.html

I would not be surprised if Spain was a lot slower.

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:03 pm

Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:The German embassy says visas for Pakistan citizens take at least two weeks to issue. http://www.london.diplo.de/Vertretung/l ... seite.html

I would not be surprised if Spain was a lot slower.

i thought those guidelines were for ordinary Pakistanis and not spouses of British citizens. According to the directive, family members should be facilitated with obtaining a visa on a priority basis.

Post by **Directive/2004/38/EC** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:21 pm

Yea hmmm errr...

Article 5 - Right of entry
Such visas shall be issued free of charge as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure.

Accelerated does not seem to mean much in reality. And it is difficult to sue to make sure it means something.

suf19 · Post by **suf19** » Mon Jul 27, 2009 5:33 pm

Directive/2004/38/EC wrote:Yea hmmm errr...

Article 5 - Right of entry
Such visas shall be issued free of charge as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure.
Accelerated does not seem to mean much in reality. And it is difficult to sue to make sure it means something.

I gathered that, after i submitted the application. the guy behind the counter at VFS said that we have plenty of time and the visa will be issued in 5 days. Now when I try and contact them, I just get through to some call center in India, and those agents don't know anything and can't do anything. you can forget about trying to contact the spanish embassy. So much for EU rights.

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Schengen visa through VFS global

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