Schengen Visas

seaweed5254

Hi ! I am a resident but not a british national yet so i need to apply for a visa everytime i need to go for a holiday or business trip.

You should apply to the consulate where your first port of entry is.

The policies have changed since the 911 disaster.

For the French embassy, you need to phone them to set an appointment. For the spanish embassy, you send them a letter and ask for an appointment. For the Dutch embassy, i'm not sure anymore if you can just show up.
I'm not familiar with the policy of the Danish embassy.

But for this appointment, you are only to submit the requirements/documents for the visa processing. You can check their corresponding website for the requirements.
The important bit for them is for you to show them that you are coming back to the UK.

Validity of the visa may also vary depending on what you want to apply for. You can travel to any schengen country once you get your visa. I haven't tried it yet, but i have heard some people enter a country which was not where they applied a visa for. So, let's say, they applied for a visa from the Dutch embassy, they were allowed to enter Germany as their first port of entry.

overworked_underpaid

If we were to buy tickets for August or September, is it too early to apply for the visa. Is there a time limit on the visa, i.e. a date by which you must enter that country?

grumbler

overworked_underpaid wrote:

Is there a time limit on the visa, i.e. a date by which you must enter that country?

Visa has a 'start' date and period, i.e. you can apply now for visa valid, for example, from 1 August to 30 August.

grumbler

seaweed5254 wrote:

You should apply to the consulate where your first port of entry is.

I am not sure that this is always correct.

HERE:

'If you intend to visit several Schengen countries, you must apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your main destination.

If you intend to visit several Schengen countries but do not have a main destination, you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the country which is your first point of entry.'

For the French embassy, you need to phone them to set an appointment

I believe the French embassy is now the only one that still accepts postal applications from those living outside London.
HERE:
'...if you live outside Greater London, you may send all your documents by post ( please allow several weeks for the processing of your application).'

kayc_3

Hi, I just applied a Schengen visa through the Italian Embassy yesterday (as my first port of entry is Florence). As long as you are married to a British national, you do not need an appointment. Just turn up at the embassy and bring all the usual documents (see their website for complete list). It's a really easy process. I was in and out of the Embassy in less than 25 minutes! Once you have a Schengen visa, you can go to any Schengen countries as long as you have a valid visa - 6 months.