SCHENGEN VISA FILE (version May 2024)
Questions about Schengen visas regularly arise on Thailandblog. The most important points and questions are discussed in this Schengen visa file. Good and timely preparation is very important for a successful visa application process.
(File update: May 2024)
The Schengen visa
If a Thai wants to come to the Netherlands or Belgium for a holiday of up to 90 days, a Schengen visa is required in most situations. Only Thai citizens who are in possession of a valid residence permit from one of the Schengen Member States or those who are in possession of a 'residence card for family members of a Union citizen' from one of the EU countries do not require a visa to enter the to visit Schengen Member States.
The Schengen area is a collaboration of 29 European member states that pursue a common border and visa policy. These Member States are therefore subject to the same visa rules. These are laid down in the common Visa Code: EU Regulation 810/2009/EC. This allows travelers to move within the entire Schengen area without mutual border controls, visa-required persons only need one visa - the Schengen visa - to cross the external border of the Schengen area. .
Officially, this visa is called a short-stay visa (VKV), or visa 'type C', but colloquially also called a 'tourist visa'. A residence permit is required for long stays (longer than 90 days), which is a different procedure that is not discussed in this file.
The starting point: starting a visa application
You can apply for a visa from the authorities of the country that is the (main) purpose of the trip. For this you will often have to make an appointment with an appointed External Service Provider in Bangkok. Previously, you could also apply at the embassy itself, but this is no longer possible for regular visa applications.
For the Netherlands you can contact:
- https://www.nederlandwereldwijd.nl/visum-nederland/schengenvisum/aanvragen-thailand
- https://visa.vfsglobal.com/tha/en/nld/
For Belgium you can contact:
- https://thailand.diplomatie.belgium.be/nl/naar-belgie-komen/visum-voor-belgie
- https://visas-be.tlscontact.com/visa/th/thBKK2be/home
The main requirements
The most important requirements at a glance, of course it can differ per individual and application what exactly is needed. In general, the traveler (is also the visa applicant) shows that he:
- Owns one valid travel document (passport).
- The travel document must be valid for 3 months longer than the end of the visa period and must not be older than 10 years.
- zich can financially afford the trip: has sufficient means of subsistence.
- For the Netherlands, the requirement is 55 euros per day per traveler.
- For Belgium, 95 euros per day if he or she stays in a hotel or 45 euros per day if the traveler is housed with a private individual.
- If the traveler does not have sufficient resources himself, a guarantor (the inviting party) must provide guarantor. The income of this person, the referent, is then looked at.
- Has papers regarding whereabouts such as a hotel reservation or proof of residence (accommodation) with a private individual.
- For the Netherlands, an original form is required for this 'proof of sponsorship and/or private accommodation' to fill in. This form must be legalized at the municipality.
- For Belgium an invitation letter and an original one Warranty which has been legalized by the municipality.
- A medical travel insurance has a coverage of at least EUR 30.000 for the entire Schengen area.
- Request this from an insurer who will refund the money (minus administration costs) in the event of a visa rejection.
- A option or reservation on an airline ticket Do not book (pay) for the ticket until the visa has been allocated!
- A return (reservation) is one officially recognized piece of evidence that makes the traveler's return more likely.
- Makes it likely that he or she will return to Thailand in time.
- It involves a combination of evidence. For example, previous visas for (Western) countries, a job, ownership of real estate and other matters that demonstrate a strong social or economic bond with Thailand, such as care for minor children.
- This has not been reported to the European authorities and is not a danger to public order or state security.
- A recent passport photo that meets the requirements.
- A digitally filled and signed application form for a Schengen visa.
- A copy of all submitted documents. Tip: also scan everything so that the applicant and sponsor have a copy of all submitted documents (for example to show at the border).
Annex: Schengen Visa Dossier
If an applicant can submit the above documents, in most cases (about 90%) a visa will be issued. The decision official wants to see that the traveler has a genuine travel purpose, the trip is financially justifiable and the chance that the traveler will properly adhere to the rules is greater than the risk of illegal matters such as overstay or labor.
However, you will have to take plenty of time and do your due diligence to submit the forms and supporting documents correctly. To assist with this, the following extensive Schengen visa file is available. This is a PDF file and therefore easy to open or print. The dossier attempts to answer most questions and points of interest. The file concludes with two official checklists drawn up by the Dutch and Belgian authorities.
Finally, the author has made every effort to include the most recent information as accurately as possible. The file can be seen as a service to the readers and may nevertheless contain errors or outdated information. Therefore, always consult official sources such as the website of the Foreign Affairs or embassy for the most up-to-date information.
About this blogger
-
Regular visitor to Thailand since 2008. Works in the accounting department of a Dutch wholesaler.
In his spare time he likes to go cycling, walking or reading a book. Mainly non-fiction, especially the history, politics, economy and society of the Netherlands, Thailand and countries in the region. Likes to listen to heavy metal and other noise
Read the latest articles here
DossierJanuary 28 2025Schengen visa under the microscope 2023- DossierJanuary 21 2025The role of 'Information Supported Decision Making' (IOB) in the Schengen visa process
BackgroundOctober 9, 2024The scars of captivity
Culture28 September 2024Khun Chang Khun Phaen, Thailand's most famous legend – part 5 (final)
Dear Rob, thank you for the hard work you have once again put into this file. Perhaps the Thailandblog readers do not realize what a unique document this is and what advantage it has for them when applying for a Schengen visa. I admire your knowledge of the subject and your patience to answer questions and always want to help readers on something that is important for everyone with a Thai partner.
A dossier update has been needed for some time, but it takes quite a few hours of work. The fact that certain details change during the update makes it even more fun of course… There will undoubtedly still be a minor error or something will no longer be 100% up-to-date next month. So use the dossier as a handy tool to be reasonably well-prepared. But always check what the Dutch, Belgian or other relevant authorities have to say. Although they can also sometimes be wrong or too simplistic.
So please continue to send in reader questions about traveling to the Schengen area. This can be done via the contact form at the top right of the site. Feedback on how it turned out in the end. Only a few let us know how it turned out. Not surprising for simple questions, but for more complex and remarkable questions/scenarios I would still like to hear what the outcome is. My knowledge of theory and practice may turn out slightly differently in practice. And yes, if my answer didn't help, I want to know that too. So keep the feedback coming, positive, critical or negative, regarding the file and the reader questions.
******
Finally, some facts for those who still want to know more about the Schengen event:
– I have written an article on this blog about the figures several times. With the title “Issuing Schengen visas under the microscope”. In which I look at the figures and trends surrounding the issuing and refusal of a visa. An article that presents the statistics up to 2023 is in the pipeline. Depending on, among other things, the responses from the various EU embassies that I have contacted, it will be ready sometime in June (?). I have not been able to reach the Belgian embassy lately, so I hope that they will finally respond. The latest version dates from before Covid, see:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/visum-kort-verblijf/afgifte-van-schengenvisums-in-thailand-onder-de-loep-2018/
– For figures regarding illegal residence, something that was discussed 2 days ago, here is a link to the European Bureau of Statistics. There, figures regarding illegal stay can be filtered by country of origin, gender, reason for illegal stay (illegal border passage, overstay and other) and so on. Now you always have to be careful with statistics, but with the necessary caution they can still paint a picture of what would otherwise be a total blast into space (and rumors and pub talk are not of much use to us...):
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/migr_eipre/default/table?lang=en
– Anyone who wants to know more about the use of an algorithm at the Dutch BuZa can search for “IOB” or “Information Supporting Decision Making”. I recently posted an article whose afterword actually only contains information about what BuZa itself wrote about this. I also have some questions about this at the ministry. Depending on what comes out of it, I will write another article.
– Earlier this year I came into contact with the GOED Foundation, many readers here will know that the foundation is committed to helping Dutch people abroad. They asked if they could write a general, worldwide dossier based on my file. Of course I agreed to this because the aim is to provide support and guidance to people with a foreign partner and the like. I like to do this selflessly because by helping each other we all become a little wiser. So as long as someone does not make money from a commercial point of view on free material that requires many hours of work, it is only nice if knowledge spreads further. So, if all goes well, the Goed Foundation will soon come up with a version of my file that can provide guidance to Dutch people all over the world.
And yes, an update of the Thai Partner Immigration File is also desperately needed. I will start on that in the not too distant future, but I really can't say whether it will be ready in 1 month or only a few months. I don't want to and can't have to deal with visa and migration every day. I also have hobbies and try to have some social life, haha.
Enough talking, good luck everyone!
Dear Rob,
I fully agree with Peter's response.
Great work! Thank you.
Great Rob, thanks.
Rob V, great work again. Professional help for people who would otherwise have to pay a lot for information that is often only available in official language.
My girlfriend was in the Netherlands twice last year on a tourist visa and she recently arrived in the Netherlands on the basis of her MVV.
Rob's knowledge and information have been very valuable during the various application procedures.
Thanks Rob!
Dear Rob,
Great, all praise and hats off.
Thank you very much.
The enclosed Schengen visa file is invaluable due to the extensive, clear and well-organised information. It is also extremely complete. Anyone planning to start the procedure only needs to read it carefully and take the advice seriously. Often things can go wrong right from the start. Is it really a 'tourist visa' or is it actually a visit to a friend? If the Thai applicant has no fixed income, for example through a 'real' employer or has children who do not live with him or her, then alarm bells will ring. In the latter case, it is certainly important to demonstrate that you have already met the Thai person in Thailand and that you are telling the truth about the purpose of the trip. If you still say tourist visa, then send proof of the planned tourist visits in Belgium (I only write for that country of arrival). If the applicant also officially has no income and it is in reality a visit to a friend, then the chance that the applicant will return to Thailand is estimated to be rather small. Especially if in that case one simply requests more than 1 month of residence with the first application (the second most common mistake). I would like to repeat the following again. Read the file carefully and with understanding. Ask the applicant not to lie with the application. Thanks Rob and good luck to every candidate
Certainly Rudy, the stupidest thing anyone can do is lie or commit fraud. There are applicants who, in the absence of an official document (deed, contract, etc.), just put something together themselves and try to pass it off as official. Of course, the employees of the ministry have not been spared, and if they discover false documents or lies, you will really be in trouble. After all, it does not show as reliable, even if someone did not mean it in any harm. It is wiser to find a real alternative. For example, a statement from a service or employer that says something about your situation. It would be great, of course, if this could be done on company/agency letterhead, but you cannot supply anything that is not. If necessary, you provide a statement on a regular A4 sheet of paper, but with a nice signature and contact details and the like of the person who makes a statement for you. This way, the decision official can still take your personal situation and the circumstances in the country into account and, if necessary, contact the person who made the declaration.
Or if you are coming here for some time, please indicate (if possible and if applicable) who will take care of your work during your holiday, or who will take care of the family, etc. For example, you may have your own company and a nice income, but the decision official may think "that's nice, but how can you leave the company behind for 3 months?" and, together with other signals, decide “this is a bit strange, something is not right here, I better reject it”. The applicant then receives what he/she considers a completely incomprehensible rejection because financially everything was in order, with the insurance, flight and accommodation and they had no nefarious plans or anything...
I hope that the file will also help you put yourself in the shoes of the decision-making officer and what he or she can stumble over. And that they are able to provide a solid and complete file. No, there is no 100% guarantee, but if the overall picture is logical and correct, the file is clear and complete, then the chance of rejection should be nil.
NB: thank you all for the compliments from everyone here. However, criticism remains welcome!
That's exactly how I feel about it too Rob. The decision-making official is indeed not at all stupid and indeed knows the contents of the grab bag of excuses, generalities and yes, lies that applicants sometimes use. Sometimes this is done in good faith, out of fear of the applicant for 'losing face', uneasy towards 'higher ups' and therefore also submissive towards the 'government apparatus' or the experience that it does not meet the standards and values
dishonorable or from experience successful to lie. 'Fooling' by the person who is the inviting party and lying on top of that during the application ensures almost 100 percent that all doors are definitively closed, literally and figuratively.
A wonderful initiative, we cannot deny that.
What really annoys me, however, is that if you are not familiar with our wonderful blog, you do not have such information available and you have to take care of it on your own to create a good file.
By the way, I have also read the comment here from our good friend Addie that, if you are considering a permanent move to Thailand, you should carefully read through his 'deregister from Belgium' file. Same problem here again.
I had numerous problems the first few months when I arrived here. The only reason was a LACK of accurate information. Unfortunately, I discovered this blog months later. If I had known Addie's file, all my problems would have been completely avoidable.
What I am aiming for is that such file managers are an absolute added value for all of us (including Ronny, of course). But actually the competent authorities should provide us with the correct information, and that is where the problem lies.
Dear Rob V.
First of all, thank you for your extensive and clear explanation regarding the Schengen visa application.
I understand that you are not the person who decides on the granting of a visa (shame).
But the condition states; “If the applicant has sufficient funds… etc.”
Suppose I transfer an amount to my friend in Thailand, which covers the 55 euros per day for the total stay, would the embassy accept that? Or should the origin of the money still have to be proven?
Maybe someone has experience with that?!
My experience from a previous application in short:
Four years ago my friend submitted a Schengen application for a 4-week stay in the Netherlands. With an extensive file of papers and supporting documents, including employer's statement, proof of return to employer after holiday, bank statements and all other necessary documents.
Also my proof of sponsorship and residence address.
The entire relay is very extensive and includes many pages of report.
In summary, it means that the visa request has been rejected by the IND.
With the help of a lawyer, I appealed to IND Ter Apel and was also rejected there.
Then appealed to the court in 's-Hertogenbosch.
The immigration service had ten (nonsensical) points of defense, but the court agreed with the IND on one point, namely that my friend could not provide pay slips!!!????
So rejected again.
(explanation: My friend's salary goes from the company to the team manager who divides it, so that the salary does not visibly come from the company)
The whole thing is a file many centimeters thick, with numerous pieces of evidence of our relationship,
but to no avail.
This entire process took more than 8 months.
Because the payment system in Thailand is not abnormal (also according to my lawyer) and is still in force, we do not dare to restart the application for a new Schengen visa.
We continue to look for a good solution and I am therefore very interested in all experiences regarding Schengen visa on this Thailand blog.
Thanks in advance,
Manow
Dear Manow, as long as the money is really his property, it is fine. However, receiving a large sum of money shortly before the visa application will raise questions: it looks more like a loan or even less attractive business than that. But if someone has had a nice sum of money for quite a few months, it can be assumed that the money really belongs to that person. In short: the financial situation should not look suspicious.
By the way, it is the CSO in The Hague that makes the decision. The embassy only sticks the visa sticker or rejection.
Hello Manow
Your question confuses me a bit. If I understand correctly, your friend has a regular income/wage in Thailand? Nevertheless, your application was rejected 4 years ago. Of course, you can now submit a completely new application in which you act as guarantor. Just as Rob states, I fear that the method of making 55 euros per day available to him (in the context of a visa application) has even less chance of success (read Rob's argument). If he still has regular employment in Thailand, a new statement from a verified employer and a statement that he can be on leave for 6 weeks should suffice. If he has no official income, I fear that you will have to act as guarantor. Good luck!
And I would like to add that a situation in someone's life can always change. For example, your friend may now be without (official) income. A decision-making official will be able to understand that.
A new application based on this new situation with you as guarantor (and all other required documents) can then be examined completely separately and again.
Another tip based on an experience someone had with the facilitating visa via Germany or Belgium. This Dutchman and his non-EU wife tried to obtain a free, accelerated visa through the simplified procedure for family of an EU/EEA national (Union citizen). However, the Belgian embassy never responded to emails and the German embassy stated that even though Germany is the main destination and where (well) most of the time will be spent, that even a short visit to the Netherlands will leave you as a Dutch citizen with the Dutch embassy should be. That is of course not correct. The email may have been answered by a front desk employee with insufficient knowledge of the matter. Yes, civil servants also make mistakes.
My additional advice was to make an appointment for a visa application at the Belgian or German embassy (or possibly external service provider), they should simply provide that appointment. The decision official should have sufficient knowledge to know that if a Dutch citizen and his third-country national spouse travel with their main residence in Belgium/Germany or the like, it is the embassy that handles the application.
You don't actually have to report your exact travel schedule, but if you do and they see that you are also briefly visiting your own country and are making a point of it, it might help to email the Dutch embassy. Write to them: "I want to go to Germany for 2 months (or however long) and spend a week in the Netherlands in between, where should my husband/wife apply for the visa?" The answer will be: the German embassy. You can then show that email to the Germans to refresh their memory. If it still doesn't work out, there is also the EU Ombudsman Service (Solvit).
Anyway, sometimes it's better not to say too much at once. No, never lie or use false papers or be insincere. But a civil servant can be confused by a few keywords (“we also want to go to the Netherlands”). So it is better to just stick to a holiday in Germany, if that is really the main goal and you are going to cross the border in between, these are details that you do not have to tell when making the appointment and actually not when making the actual appointment. Or it should turn out that it is practical to submit a complete itinerary.
A 'shortened' procedure is useful, for example, for long stay (D) visas in the event that you, as a 'sponsor', have Dutch nationality and live in Belgium. In that case, EU legislation may apply. This is different and 'more flexible' than the Belgian law regarding visa applications for, for example, family reunification/cohabitation and marriage.
The facilitating visa for family of a Union citizen (the shortened, accelerated, free) procedure is not only for those who want to settle permanently in a neighboring Member State (or anywhere within the EU, also known as the “EU route” or “Belgium/Germany/… route”).
If a Dutch/Belgian person with a Thai (married or “long-term relationship equal to marriage”) partner happens to be considering a holiday somewhere in the EU, this can be attractive. A Dutchman with a Thai wife decides to go on holiday in Spain for a few weeks. Or take a tour through Europe with or without a short stopover in the Netherlands. It is useful to know that such a visa can be obtained free of charge, through a quick procedure and with fewer supporting documents and virtually no chance of rejection (as long as there is no fraud or it has been found to be a danger to the state).
I assume that most people simply have the main purpose of the trip in their own EU country and therefore the normal procedure applies. But for the sake of completeness, I would also like to draw attention to the facilitating visa. Especially if you live together in Thailand and want to go on holiday somewhere in Europe, it is useful to know about the facilitating visa.
Very interesting addition. Of course, you must already be married in the EU (or have a lasting relationship equivalent to a marriage) with that Thai person. If you are married in Thailand as an EU citizen and that marriage has not yet been registered in Belgium or the Netherlands, I think that will not work. And certainly not if you are legally cohabiting in Thailand because that cannot be recognized in Belgium and the Netherlands. As a third-country national (Thai) married here (or equivalent to this) you already have the rights to travel around the EU. Without a visa and that whether you depart from Belgium/the Netherlands or from Thailand. So that option is not used due to redundancy. If you want to act as a guarantor as an EU citizen or simply invite someone (third-country national) to Belgium or the Netherlands and you live in that capacity in another EU country, you can consider it via the abbreviated EU procedure.
Any valid, non-fraudulent marriage is sufficient for the facilitating visa. The married partner of the EU citizen may have entered into marriage anywhere in the world. If the marriage is registered in the own Member State, this often makes obtaining an extract easier. A Dutch-Thai couple living in Thailand can have their marriage registered at the Department of National Tasks in The Hague (not mandatory) and obtain an extract there. But a valid marriage entered into in Thailand is also sufficient. Only Spain had/has difficulty with this and would like to see that the marriage was entered into in the EU or is also registered there. That is in conflict with Directive 2004/38. The marriage could even have been entered into elsewhere, but then you would probably cause many officials headaches and probably the necessary questions…
The basic information and links with more information are further discussed in the Schengen file. The most important link is the EU page on “Traveling with family members from outside the EU” (available in all EU languages): https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_nl.htm
That is a very useful and interesting link with additional information that I was not fully aware of. From my many experiences, and also from the copied passage below, the condition for all this is that an EU citizen involved in the application can only make use of it if, for example, he has Dutch nationality but exercises citizenship in another EU country by living there and being registered with the Civil Registry (for example that of Germany or Belgium). Otherwise, everyone who knows about the facility visa would of course go for the free, shortened and easier visa. Many Belgians and Dutch people live in their own country with their citizenship only there and cannot use the facility visa. I didn't know that you don't necessarily have to be registered as married in your own country, but it can raise eyebrows. The procedure is indeed free for the rights holder and less susceptible to rejection, but is only reserved for a few.
COPY PASSAGE
However, this does not apply to the country of your nationality. For example, if you have German nationality and your relatives from outside the EU want to join you in Germany, national rules apply.
Dear Rudy, to use the Facilitating Visa you do not necessarily have to be registered in another EU country. A Dutch citizen living in the Netherlands (or a Belgian citizen living in Belgium) can for example go on holiday with their main residence elsewhere (Germany, Spain, ...) together with their Thai spouse (or whoever else can be seen as a "family member of an EU citizen"). They can travel together from Thailand to Europe or the European citizen can wait for the Thai family member at the border (airport).
In summary: a Dutch-Thai couple where the Dutch national officially lives in the Netherlands can obtain this free facilitating visa if the main destination is elsewhere (any Member State except the Netherlands). The text you quote refers to Dutch people living in the Netherlands who have never used their right to free movement and who want to bring the Thai family member to the Netherlands as their main destination.
Okay, that's nice to hear. Then I advise everyone from now on not to start the Schengen visa procedure. The inviting party in the Netherlands/Belgium who lives in the Netherlands/Belgium respectively (we won't discuss the difference between nationality/place of residence and citizenship country EU) for the sake of convenience) and the immigrating Thai who wants to go on holiday/visit family/family reunion to Belgium/the Netherlands simply says that his main destination is Poland (I'll say an EU destination) and one can go for what you call the facilitating, accelerated, free visa. How do you approach that Rob? You can suggest (as you did earlier) that they must be married (or equal). But a third-country national with an EU citizen (whether or not living in the country of his original nationality) does not even need a visa, but that is besides the point. Why are you suddenly insisting on that visa based on EU legislation and are you confusing it with the Schengen procedure that this topic is about. In any case, both matters have nothing to do with each other because the type of EU citizen involved in the application is different. Did you know that for family reunification alone there are more than 30 types of applications in which the status of the EU person is decisive? By the way, a 'facilitating visa' does not exist in Belgium. An EU visa for non-EU citizens (Thai for example) involved with an EU citizen with a different EU citizenship than their current identity card and passport states. But you are the specialist. The reader of Thailandblog will undoubtedly be with your suggested option. I am not a specialist. I only have experience in helping with about ten Schengen visa files (Belgian legislation and a few in the context of EU legislation). As far as I know, they were all approved. So I leave it to you who may have even more practical experience than I do. I also wish every Thai/Dutchman much success with the application for their facility visa. And I hope that we as Belgians, who are always a bit behind, can do that soon. For the time being, we have to make do with the possibilities that EU legislation and Belgium offer us.
Dear Rudi,
The facilitating visa is also simply a Schengen visa type C. Where the purpose of travel, instead of “tourism” or “visiting family/friends”, is “accompanying the Union citizen as a family member”. Belgian authorities therefore call it a “Visa C family member of a Union citizen”. That is the same as what the Dutch authorities call the Facilitating Visa.
The basic approach to this is set out in the Schengen file. And indeed, one would not even need a visa (provided the identity of the EU citizen, the Thai and the family relationship can be verified with documents), but the chances that you can board a plane without a visa are practically zero. That is why we advise you to obtain the free visa. The Belgian (or Dutch) national wants to go on holiday to Poland (or any other Member State except Belgium here) with his Thai wife (or other family member covered by EU Directive 2004/38). They then only have their respective identities, the family relationship and it is plausible that they 1) travel to Poland together and 2) the Belgian will wait for the Thai wife at the border in Poland. Translations and legalization of documents may be requested so that the decision official can check that the supporting documents are authentic and demonstrate a legally valid marriage. That is all one can officially demand. The visa will then have to be issued free of charge, as quickly as possible and without asking for travel insurance or the like, AS A RIGHT (and certainly not a favor, which is what a regular Schengen visa is).
In practice, there are embassies that request more documents. For example, a hotel reservation or travel insurance. Or that the marriage is also registered in the EU. That is completely incorrect, but of course this is sometimes more sensible/pragmatic. If it is a small effort in terms of time/costs and the decision official is very happy with it, then I simply recommend submitting that excess of documents. If necessary, file a complaint so that a higher official (or, if necessary, the EU) can take a look at it and correct the official/official instructions, you will do others a favor in the future.
It may also happen that an embassy believes that you can only apply for this visa if you, as a Belgian, live elsewhere in the EU. That is just as incorrect. A Belgian resident living in Belgium can simply make use of the rights arising from Directive 2004/38 (if the further conditions are met: the third-country national is a family member, and there is talk of accompanying/joining, etc.).
The Handbook for processing Visa Applications was on the EU Home Affairs website for a long time. Although its content is not legally enforceable, it contains instructions on how an embassy should handle the application for a Schengen visa (including type C for family of a Union citizen). See: https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/policies/schengen-borders-and-visa/visa-policy_en
If all goes well, the embassy and the Immigration Department also have work instructions regarding the visa process, which may also be interesting to request. These should be in line with what the EU states. Unfortunately I don't have those, I do have work instructions from the Dutch BuZa and IND (some of which are public, some of which can be requested under a Public Administration Act). These Dutch work instructions are correctly in line with the visa code and further EU legislation including 2004/38. The visa manual I wrote is also in line with it. A highly qualified (former) immigration lawyer, Prawo, also checked the file. Anyone who uses the Schengen file as a basis and deals with an embassy that correctly implements European regulations should therefore obtain a free Schengen visa via the accelerated and simplified procedure. For those who are dealing with an official who does not have sufficient knowledge of the matter (haven't been on a course for too long? almost never had such an application?) there is the option of Solvit (see the European website about travel for non-EU family members with a Union citizen). Or peers and experts who are active in the Foreign Partner Forum.
On that forum, where I have been active for many years, you can also read the experiences of Dutch people who have obtained a facilitating visa (or visa for family of a Union citizen) for both a short stay (holiday) and a long stay (migration). Belgium. Although this is not immediately interesting for a Belgian with a Thai partner, who can go on holiday to the Netherlands. And therefore obtain the facilitating visa for this. So let's fly the flag, a Belgian and his Thai wife don't have to wait for anything or hope that this will be possible soon. It has been possible for many years. 🙂
That the free, relaxed, simplified visa is not known to many... well. It is not always prominently displayed on the website of the various EU embassies (or sometimes not at all!). And an extra reason why I have been mentioning this visa since the first publication of the file (2014).
*****
Finally, that quote: it is about someone who lives in their own country and wants to bring family over to their own country (for a short or long stay, it makes no difference). That does not apply to the pilot of a facilitating visa. But the entire chapter about the facilitating visa for short stays (but also migration) is about a Union citizen who wants to stay short/long elsewhere in the EU with a family member. A German in Germany does not qualify as the quote states. A German who goes on holiday in the Netherlands, lives there or wants to live there, is eligible for a free, accelerated, relaxed visa for his family members who fall under Directive 2004/38. And so too: a Dutch person living in the Netherlands and his family are not eligible (with the exception of a Dutch person in the Netherlands who, together with his family, has previously exercised the right to free movement, who can claim residence under 2004). /38).
In any case, it is nice to hear that you have been helping people for years with their visa applications, etc. I do that too. Just as my knowledge will not be perfect (and I was therefore happy that a professional who did this professionally checked the file, thank you Prawo), your knowledge will not be perfect either. Whatever it is, because rules or instructions that further explain the rules are subject to change. And in practice, very remarkable scenarios still occur. That's why I'm so eager to receive experiences and feedback. I therefore strongly encourage readers to send their experiences to the editors. Good and bad. We help each other with that.
Yours faithfully,
Rob V
NB: I recommend this article/reader submission to Flemish readers living in Thailand with a Thai married partner:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/visum-kort-verblijf/aanvraag-schengenvisum-voor-familiebezoek-lezersinzending/
This is the text I quote:
'However, this does not apply to the country of your nationality. For example, if you have German nationality and your relatives from outside the EU want to join you in Germany, national rules apply.
This is what you make of my quote:
I quote you: 'The text you quote refers to Dutch people living in the Netherlands who have never exercised their right to free movement and who want to bring their Thai family member to the Netherlands as their main destination'
Find the (dis)similarities
'
I have already received a Schengen tourist visa for my girlfriend 3 times through VFS Denpasar-Bali. Nothing was mentioned in the application regarding a statement legalized by the municipality and I never provided one. I have always arranged a pre-paid flight, I thought it was a big gamble, but until now I don't know how else to do that!? Furthermore, with the application, a neat letter stating how long we have known each other and how we have made many trips from Bali to Malaysia-Singapore and Australia as well as domestically in Indonesia, finally copies of recent bank statements with pension incomes and assets that were probably the deciding factor. With the 3rd application I even received a multiple entry with 2 years validity, so I don't have to do anything next year.
Dear Ruud, I advise you to read the PDF file for tips on arranging a flight reservation and how to use a MEV visa. 🙂