Touring the EU with non-EU minor

T

tuppe

Guest
I am an Naturalised Irish citizen and so is my wife. My 8 year old is still a South African citizen and she will only become an Irish citizen herself sometime next year.

We, as a family, want to visit a few countries in the EU in January next year. Does anybody know if I should get a visa for my daughter for the applicable countries or is there a sort of a permit that will allow a non-EU minor to travel freely with her EU parents?

Thanks!
Tuppe
 
Presume if she is on a South African passport, she will be required to have the relevant visas for each Country. Odd one. Maybe the Dept of Foreign Affairs can help you.
 
For a few years I had an adopted daughter on an Indian passport. Until the adoption authorities here recognised the Indian adoption I couldn't get her an irish passport.
this meant i had to apply for visas whenever we went to various EU states.

The problem is that every state has different visa procedures -and ,worse, they changed every year. The irony is that the EU visa or,rather, Schengen visa should allow entry into all states who've signed Schengen AGreement. And yet each Schengen state has a different application policy.

For example - we often went to Spain. For a couple of years no problem at the Spanish Embassy - a small wait ,handed in the application form and got the visa. Then things changed one year which meant a long wait at the Embassy, and had to wait a few weeks for reply.

So,instead I applied to Portugese Embassy. Very quick. And thus we were able to travel into any other Schengen state, including Spain- an hour from the Portugese airport.

In one case -Italy - the visa guy said "we have to interview here". I said she's only two and we have all the proof that we are looking after her. Doesn't matter -every applicant for a visa into italy must come for an interview.

So we got a visa from the French and flew into Nice -30 mins drive from italy and drove in.

So, the moral of the story is - phone each Embassy here in Dublin, find out which ones are the quickest/easiest visa policy. Some are awful, some less so.
Once you have the Schengen vuisa you can go from one Schengen state to another.

The above is based on 1996-2004, so things may have changed since then-PLUS this was based on an indian passport holding child, not a S.African one PLUS the child is legally yours whereas at the time nobody but the Indians recognised our daughter as our child-she was purely regarded as being in our care.
 

Depending on which countries you intend to visit, then a Schengen visa may be enough. You should apply for the visa at the consulate of the country you intend to spend the most nights in during your trip.

Although there are no border controls within the Schengen area, there are spot checks from time to time and when travelling with a minor, you can expect to be checked more often than other tourists, so make sure your documentation is in order.

Jim.
 
tuppe - If ypu wish to google Schengen visa be very careful NOT to pay any charges or feees on any site you come acrposs. They all look official but they vare not. Pay nothing.

I do seem to remember that all the embassies telling me that if my kid was recognised as my child by the Irish authorities then she wouldn't need a visa. I think therefore you'll be OK as long as you can show your are the legal parents - but check. Good luck
 
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