your reply
Hi Phil,
Married (in Chiang Mai) two months ago; we have a 11 month old daughter, who holds both British and Thai passports. There again in Chiang Mai my visit to the French honorary consul was quite amusing. I made an appointment to find out what the new language tests involved, as they were supposed to be implemented October 1st originally (now put back to the new year, I believe). He looked at me in astonishment and said that no one had told him about them!
The short stay visa is the one needed by wives of Brits living in France, ie the Schengen visa 'C' (90 days in 180, tourism/family/business).
On the whole the French Bangkok Embassy was ok - it's just that after the changes in legislation in June, they weren't being adequately updated by the Foreign Ministry in Paris, and the head of visa services in Bangkok couldn't give me the information I wanted because she didn't have it herself. It was only at the last minute that I learnt the spouses of Brits didn't have to undergo the language test, and the embassy had told us to complete a long-stay visa application, which my wife duly took along to the appointment, only to be told they'd got it wrong and this now applied solely to spouses of French nationals. Fortunately I had completed a short stay Schengen visa application as well, just in case

.
I've just been along to my local town hall, and the official who deals with carte de sejour applications went through her little booklet of information, only to discover it predated the changes in legislation in June, and she had nothing on the new procedures affecting spouses of non-French EU citizens. Pretty much as I expected!
How about you, when are you heading for France? Whereabouts?
Hi Pete, yes a language test only applies to spouses of nationals who are taking their spouse to their own country. i.e. a Brit taking his spouse to the UK.
For living in any other EU member state the only requirements you have to produce are a valid passport and documents attesting to your family link with a Union citizen
Consular officers issuing the visas may not ask you to produce any documents other than a valid passport and documents attesting to your family link with a Union citizen. Basically your spouse has almost the same rights as you have.
Regarding the Schengen visa. I thought a type ‘C’ was just for tourism and that a type ‘D’ was required for
On the site- theramblingtraveler. c o m /2009/07/schengen-visa-types-categories-and-requirements. p h p it states the following…
• Type C is a short-term stay visa entitling travelers to single continuous or multiple visits not exceeding three months during any 180 day period beginning with the date of first entry into the Schengen area. This type of visa is issued for reasons other than immigration.
• Type D is a national visa. Schengen participating states, in accordance with their own national legislation, can issue this type of visa to travelers allowing transit from a non-Schengen nation to their country within five days of issuance. The traveler may travel to other Schengen nations only after obtaining a residence permit after arrival in the initial destination country (or obtaining a different visa).
• Type D+C combines the functions of both types of visas. This visa is intended for long-term stay in the issuing Schengen state, but also allows travel within the Schengen Zone like a holder of a normal Category C visa.
I’m personally not sure which type of visa should be issued in order to allow the holder to apply for residency once in France.
We are living in Pattaya but hope to move to around Provence.
The problem is we live together as unmarried partners, however in accordance with Article 3(2) (b) of the European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/38/EC which states that the Beneficiaries entitled to a permit include, “the partner with whom the Union citizen has a durable relationship, duly attested.”
The problem with the French embassy in Bangkok didn’t seem to be that they had to verify our durable relationship, it seemed more that they wouldn’t accept the EU directive Article 3.2 (b) and kept saying only married people can be issued an entry visa to allow residency.
I attempted to explain that I wish to exercise EU Treaty Rights, pursuant to article 3(2)(b) of European Parliament and Council Directive 2004/38/EC for an entry visa/permit for my partner on the basis of Article 3.2 (b) but they either didn’t understand or perhaps chose not to.
Anyway I have made a complaint to Solvit although they don’t seem to be much use, so I’m waiting to see what they come up with.
What I would be interested to know is, has anyone been issued an entry visa on the basis of the 2004/38/EC directive?
Phil
P.S. I dont know what's wrong with this forum as it wont let me post URL's as it says, You are only allowed to post URLs to other sites after you become an Active Member and have made 4 posts or more.
However I have made 6 posts now including this one.