Schengen visas

In theory, a Schengen visa allows you to travel freely within those countries that are party to the Schengen agreement.

There is therefore a common misunderstanding by many applicants who mistakenly believe that they can apply for a visa at the embassy of any Schengen country to travel to or through that country or any of the other Schengen countries.

If a visa is needed, it is most important that you apply at the correct embassy.
It is virtually certain that your application will not be considered if you apply at any embassy other than the one relevant to your intended visit.

There are fifteen countries who are party to the Schengen agreement and the embassy you should apply at depends on Schengen regulations which can be easily misinterpreted.

Our understanding of where to apply is as follows:

Although the Schengen visa is a blanket visa for the member countries, there are no standard application requirements. Each Schengen state has its own specific forms and requirements for visa applications. Applicants need to check carefully with these facts in mind.

Applications have to meet the requirements of the individual country as well as the additional regulations that the countries have agreed to as part of the Schengen agreement. Visa officers are therefore very thorough in their examination of documents and most exacting and precise when considering whether or not they are satisfied that requirements and regulations have been met.

For spouses of EU citizens, on production of the spouse’s valid Passport and original marriage certificate, the relevant embassy or consulate will, in most cases, issue the visa free of charge.

Foreign nationals who have entered the U.K. on a six month visitor visa or less will, apart from very rare exceptions, not be able to obtain a visa to visit any Schengen state. The exceptions occur sometimes if the applicant applies in person and sometimes if the applicant is going to be on route to return to their country of nationality.