I am a member of an EU-family. Is it true that the same standard requirements apply to me?

The answer to this question is contingent on whether or not you are a resident of the European Union. You do not require a Schengen visa to visit the Schengen area if you are the husband or wife of an EU citizen and have an EU residency ID card (i.e. you have residency in one of the EU’s 27 member states, either in the same nation as your spouse or in a different EU country).

A foreign national is considered an EU citizens “immediate family member” if the foreign national can show that they are:

• Spouse or registered partner
• Parent of an EU citizen under the age of 21
• Who actually looks after this young citizen
• Descendant under the age of 21 or such a descendant of an EU citizens spouse

You have the right to travel to a Schengen country other than the one where you are a national with your core family members (non-EU spouse, children, dependent parents, or dependent grandparents) under EU rules. They can also join you if you relocate to another Schengen country. If the country to which you are travelling regards registered partnerships to be equivalent to marriage, these requirements also apply to your non-EU registered partner.

Other non-EU extended family members, such as siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, and your non-EU registered partner (in countries where registered partnerships are not considered equivalent to marriage), may be entitled to have their entry facilitated when travelling with you or joining you in another EU country if certain conditions are met. Although Schengen countries are not obligated to provide this right, they must at least evaluate the request.

Your non-EU relatives must always have a valid passport, and depending on their place of origin, they may also be required to produce an entry visa at the border.

A handful of nations (included in Annex II) do not require a visa for visits to the EU of three months or less. The list of countries whose citizens need visas to visit Ireland differs slightly from that of the rest of the EU.

To find out which documentation your non-EU family member will be required to provide at the border, contact the consulate or embassy of the country you are visiting well in advance.