johncar61

I have searched the threads but did not find recent info on this.

I just received the below email from 'someone' who got my email address from the Philippine Gov Forum.

I don't have the answer, can any one who has current info, help please.

Thanks on behalf of the emailer.


I am being run around badly by the officials and I just cannot get positive information out of them.....any advice ???

I am in the Philippines now, and want to bring my Philippine wife over to Spain to see my son and family. I am British.

I have a Spanish address, bank account etc and lived in Spain for 15 years prior to moving out here.

What is the procedure ? I can and will go to Manila to do the paperwork.....I have seen the type of questions asked and they are not a problem at all. I have all receipts etc of journeys here, financial support photos etc

Look forward to a reply.....I return to Spain on 27th May to see my son and it would be great to have my wife along with me.

Mykap

I am sure the questioner can get most of the information for himself on the web, just google Shengen visa. Immigration boards dot com also have a wealth of info.

He can read EU directive 2004-38 and think it’s a piece of cake, but most of the Spanish (and indeed other) missions around the world don’t play by the rules. It’s not easy and the Spanish Shengen is commonly viewed as the most difficult to obtain, on the positive side once you have had one the subsequent ones are easier to obtain. I am a Brit who has a villa in Spain (but I am not a Spanish resident) married to a Moldovan, so I have a pretty good idea of the pain he is about to go through!

Basically get an application form online, disregard the bits where it says ‘The questions marked with * do not have to be answered by family members of EU or EEA citizens (spouse, child or dependent ascendant)’ in my experience all questions need an answer or the embassy will decline the application.

He will need a letter of invitation from his son (who may be asked to produce evidence of ownership of the villa/apartment if you will be staying with him (often its easier to book a hotel as proof of accommodation and then cancel the booking), he will have to produce financial records - despite the rules clearly stating this is not required. He will need to obtain Shengen Insurance to cover the duration of the stay (cheaper to buy an annual policy if you intend to have several visits). His wife will probably have to attend an interview. Expect to pay a hefty fee as well.

In addition bear in mind the Shengen Visa must be for the State where the majority of the stay will be and it is best if the issuing state is the first point of entry into the Shengen area – not always possible but if in transit you will have to prove you are in transit to the Visa issuing state. We had huge problems with German immigration over xmas where we were en route to Spain from Kazakhstan via Amsterdam but our plane was diverted to Germany due to AMS being closed. The problem was we had to spend a night in Germany but the visa was issued by Spain. Obviously we were allowed in but the authorities seem to revel in harassing us at the border. The joke is once you are in the European Shengen area you can move from state to state freely, its just getting in thats difficult!

Good luck!
We Brits take foreign travel for granted and we don’t know how lucky we are……

johncar61

Mykap, thank you for that I have forwarded the info.