Post
by iga » Fri Jul 19, 2013 5:09 am
Hi,
Just an update after our holidays in Madrid and Portugal.
As I said before, my husband is Italian and I am Peruvian with Residence Card of a Family Member of an EEA National. I have traveled without Schengen Visa and even though the immigration officers checked my Residence Card twice, I didn't have any problems to enter to Madrid and Portugal.
In each country, we entered together (EU passport queue) and my husband showed both passports and explained to the immigration officer that I have a Residence Card. In each case it was as follow:
1. Madrid – Barajas Airport (from Heathrow Airport -London): The immigration officer checked my Residence Card and said because it states ‘Family Member of an EEA National' I can enter to Spain without visa. After that, she put a stamp in my passport.
2. Lisbon – Santa Apolonia Rail Station (from Chamartin Rail Station in Madrid): There isn't immigration control in any of the rail stations. We didn't show our passports in any of the rail stations.
3. Lisbon Airport (to Barajas Madrid): We didn’t show our passports, it was a security control only.
4. Madrid – Barajas (to Heathrow Airport –London): As before, the immigration officer checked my husband’s passport and my Residence Card without making any question.
After that she put a stamp in my passport.
Before boarding, another officer who was next to the gate, asked me my passport and checked every page three or four times. He said he didn't saw the design of my Residence Card before. I said to him it expires in 2018 and I was travelling with my husband (he was next to me). After that, he allowed me to boarding.
5. London – Heathrow (from Madrid): The immigration officer in the EU queue checked both passports and made a question (when we got married?). Finally he allowed us to pass.
Even though we didn't use them, I traveled with some documents, in case immigration officers asked me to prove our relationship: Marriage certificate, bank statement of our joint account and last payslips of our jobs. I also print an extract of the Directive 38 and our hotel reservations.
In resume, I think it was important to go both together to the immigration officer and that the EU family shows both passports and explain you have a Residence Card.
I hope those details can be useful.
Thanks for your help.
