what is a residence card?

this is probably a no-brainer...

i have spent the last couple of hours reading previous posts on schengen visas - how to get one, under what circumstances one is needed, etc. one thing is confusing me - many of the posts refer to a residence card - can anyone tell me what this is?

my wife (chinese national) has been living with me in the uk since last sept on a spouse visa - she is not eligible for ilr yet.

is her visa a residence permit for the purpose of schengen visas?

or would an ilr sticker be one?

or does it mean the residence card issued to the spouses of eea citizens exercising their treaty rights?

any clarification much appreciated!

The residence permit is a sticker endorsed in the passport for applicants who applied for leave to remain the the UK under EU Law.

As your wife has a spouse visa, so long as doe not expire in anything up to 3 months, she will be fine to apply for a Schengen visa in London.

thanks, that's reassuring.

does it also count for the 2004 rule about family members not needing a visa to travel in the EU? i realise from reading other threads here this rule has not been implemented fully by all eu countries.