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Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

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minttie
Newbie
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:49 am
China

Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

Post by minttie » Wed Oct 18, 2017 11:03 am

Hello

Not sure if allowed to start a new thread, if not happy to be moved and merged. Apologies in advance.

I'm non-eu and need a visa to travel to France but apparently I can travel with my Article 10 RC and my Romanian spouse to France without getting a visa. French Embassy website FAQ section mentions that the British Residency card must state exactly "family member of an EEA national". My RC states "family member of a EU citizen" instead. So I emailed the outsourced visa service, trying to get a confirmation that my RC allows me to travel without visa.

First two rounds of emailing, they kept using the blurry wording, then I chased up and this is what I received:

Me: If I am not allowed to enter France border from UK when I travel with my EEA spouse and my British residency card stating 'Union Citizen', please can you confirm it in writing explicitly and state the reason.
Please bear in mind that European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/38/EC of 29 April 2004 protects the right of citizens of the Union and their family members to move and reside freely within the territory of the EU and EEA member states.

The reply: The information you have provided below is not country specific- I'm giving you this information for travel to France not general travel within the Schengen area. Please see the link below for answers to any questions you may have further- (which is the FAQ section again).

I've seen many successful story on the forum re travelling to France. Has something changed now? Do I have a chance to enter the French border by driving from UK, with my RC and my spouse, without visa?

Many thanks!

mgb
Senior Member
Posts: 649
Joined: Tue Dec 17, 2013 8:28 pm

Re: Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

Post by mgb » Wed Oct 18, 2017 1:59 pm

Simply carry your marriage certificate with you.
If the border officer don't like your RC he has to issue a visa on the spot if you accompany the eu citizen and can prove the family relation.

gokulatti
Member of Standing
Posts: 254
Joined: Wed Mar 01, 2017 9:34 am
Location: Netherlands/Norway
Norway

Re: Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

Post by gokulatti » Wed Oct 18, 2017 2:04 pm

Yes you can travel ALONG with or TO JOIN the EU national to france. An article 10 residence card has either family member of an EU/Union/EEA national printed clearly. EEA is nothing but EU+norway+swiss.

minttie
Newbie
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:49 am
China

Re: Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

Post by minttie » Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:11 pm

Thanks guys. I'm a bit more confident over the border now.

We just changed our mind - instead of driving we are flying with Easyjet, another big challenge! Again I was contacting Easyjet, trying to get a written confirmation that there won't be any issue when boarding without a visa. However, the operator refused to produce such confirmation, responding "if the embassy has told you its ok then it should be fine but I can't guarantee or promise anything to you".

I was using their online chat service. What's the best way to get such confirmation?

Thanks!

minttie
Newbie
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:49 am
China

Re: Drive to France from UK with RC and EEA spouse

Post by minttie » Wed Oct 18, 2017 3:49 pm

Did a little digging in the forum and I think it's impossible to get such confirmation from airline. We just need to go there and see....

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