Can the British Consulate issue Schengen Visa's if requested?
 

Hi,
My friend needs a tourist visa to come and visit the UK. After coming to the UK we would also like to go to France. Is it possible to request a Schengen visa at the UK consulate where he is applying, or does he need a separate application via French embassy?

I know UK is not Schengen, but those EU visas all look alike, so wondering if the UK can process an application for Schengen.

Thanks!

No... they won't.

Also, your friend should get both visas before leaving.

I gave exactly this advice to some business associates of mine before coming to the UK. They ignored my advice, and tried to get Schengen visas once in London - first of all from the French embassy and then from the German embassy. They were refused on the grounds that they were not resident in the UK and should have applied before leaving their home country. They got the impression that their might be some latitude from the German embassy in some circumstances.

They thought it would be easier in London on the grounds that once you're in the UK (a relatively difficult country to get into), getting a Schengen visa would be relatively easy compared with their home country of Vietnam.

YMMV

Friend is coming from Serbia, the problem is that visa lines are long in the home country (actually have to queue) themselves, it may be a deterent from him for visiting other countries.

I do recall that France did give out Schengen visas for Schengen zone countries before I had a "hassle-free" passport.

Thanks for the information!

A Schengen country (like France) will issue a Schengen visa valid for all countries although it is best to be from the first country of entry. Once you are within the Schengen zone, you can move around freely as there are no immigration checks; either at roads or airports. As such, a separate Schengen visa for each Schengen country is a nonsense.

The UK is not a Schengen country and cannot issue a Schengen country. Unlike the US, the European Union is not the Federated States of Europe and does not have one immigration bureau/agency for the whole of the EU. In fact, the UK have many immigration rules that are completely differently to that of Schengen countries. The EU is an economic union only.

The UK and Ireland share one common immigration union is separate from the Schengen agreement.

Alas this is only partly true. In Schengen there is one visa for the entire area, but a UK visa is not valid in Ireland or an Irish visa valid in the UK.

Another question...
 

Hi all!

I've got a slightly different situation.
I'm Russian and I'm coming to Britain for studies, my UK visa is valid till the end of January 2009.
I would like to visit Germany and Finland during this period.
I can't apply for Schengen visa here in Russia, cos first - I'm leaving very soon and it won't be ready, and second - I'm not yet sure about the dates.

Or I simply cant get it cos I'm not the British citizen? :o

I think a student visa, since it allows a temporary residence in the UK, would make it possible for you to get a Schengen visa in the UK. I know that it works the other way around - an Indian friend of mine had a German student visa and applied for a UK visa in Germany. It took a couple of days, but in the end it worked without a hitch.

We had a South African lady working for us in the UK on a two-year working holiday visa, and she had no problems getting a Schengen visa in the UK as she was deemed to be a UK resident.

Oh thank you!!!

This sounds very promissing now! :)

There are not passports checks between the UK and Ireland. While a UK visa is no strictly valid in Ireland, no one checks when you travel between the UK and Ireland. You do not need both an Irish and a UK visa for vacationing.

As Alex pointed out, most embassies in the UK will let non British citizen apply for a visa if they can show that they are resident in the UK. Your student visa shows that you are resident in the UK, so this is not a problem. Same status applies with a UK working holiday visa or even a long term permanent resident status.

Is it only the Schengen countries that require you to apply for visas in the country in which you reside? Why is this?

I have gotten numerous visas outside of the US where I reside. I got a Russian visa at the Russian consulate in Rome and numerous African visas in Dakar, Senegal.

[QUOTE=KenJohn;8323129]There are not passports checks between the UK and Ireland. While a UK visa is no strictly valid in Ireland, no one checks when you travel between the UK and Ireland. You do not need both an Irish and a UK visa for vacationing.[QUOTE]

The one exception to this of course is when passing through Heathrow from one terminal into Terminal 1 en route to Ireland, in which case you must pass British immigration in the FCC, and you will be treated just as if you are entering the UK and must fill out a UK landing card.

That's not correct.

There are almost always passport checks when entering Eire from the UK. (I've only not been checked once in about 20 trips).

There are never passport checks when entering the UK from Eire.

Also - bear in mind that, although it's possible to enter Eire from Northern Ireland (without passport controls), if you enter Ireland without a visa, you are in the country illegally. If you should, God forbid, have an accident or be involved in a crime, you're likely to be in major trouble.

If i'll work within the waters of UK and Ireland do i need to have both visas?
for sure i will get a UK visa,will i be allowed to work in the irish sea?

I suspect that you'd only need a visa if you land in Ireland. I am not a lawyer though.

I'd check with the Garda National Immigration Bureau and/or the Department of the Marine (part of the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources) and/or the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Food to check specific regulations for the exact activity you'll be doing.