My partner is British. Do I still need a Schengen visa?

If your passport is visa-required, yes. Your partner travels on a British passport and needs no visa for a short stay; you travel on yours. Being married to or in a civil partnership with a British citizen does not exempt you, and since the UK left the EU it does not give you the facilitated route that family members of EU citizens have. You apply as a UK resident, and your partner's documents support your file.

Whose bank statements do I show on a Spouse visa?

The statements of whoever pays. If you earn, your own 3 to 6 months of statements and payslips come first. If your partner funds the trip, their statements for the last 3 months, their payslips or employer letter, a signed and dated sponsorship letter saying what they cover and for which dates, a copy of their passport, and your marriage or civil partnership certificate as proof of the relationship. A joint account carries your name, so it counts as yours, but the consulate still wants to see where the money comes from.

How do I prove my Partner visa at VFS, TLScontact, BLS or GVC?

With an eVisa share code and a printout of the status page from your UKVI account on gov.uk, plus your passport. If you still hold a valid BRP card, bring that as well. The status should show leave that continues after your return date; consulates like at least three months to spare. Generate the code close to the appointment, because codes expire.

Does travelling with my British partner help the application?

It helps the picture, not the paperwork. The consulate decides whether you will return to the UK, and a partner who lives here, works here and is travelling back with you supports that. Put your partner's flight and hotel confirmations in your file for the same dates, and say in your cover letter that you are travelling together. It brings no fee reduction and no faster processing.

How long is a Spouse or Partner visa, and does that matter?

gov.uk says the standard grant is up to 2 years and 9 months, extensions up to a further 2 years and 6 months, and settlement after 5 years as a partner. For a Schengen application only the end date matters: your leave should run well past the trip, and if an extension is pending, include the Home Office acknowledgement. We give no advice on your UK immigration status itself.

Schengen Visa on a UK Spouse or Partner Visa (2026 Guide)

TL;DR

A Spouse or Partner visa is UK residence, not a Schengen visa. Your British partner travels visa-free; you need a Type C visa if your passport is visa-required, and your UK status lets you apply from the UK. Prove it with an eVisa share code, show whose money pays with that person's statements and a sponsorship letter, add your marriage or partnership certificate, and travel on the same bookings. Our desk prepares the file for £99.

Does a Spouse or Partner visa holder need a Schengen visa?

The couple in front of the visa centre counter usually have two different answers.

The British partner travels on a British passport and needs no visa for a short stay (the 90 in 180 day rule still applies).
The Partner visa holder travels on their own passport. If that nationality is visa-required, they need a Schengen Type C visa, and the Partner visa is what lets them apply at a UK centre rather than in their home country.

Being the spouse or civil partner of a British citizen does not remove the requirement and does not open a special route. The facilitated treatment in the Visa Code for family members applies to family of EU citizens exercising free movement; since the UK left the EU, a British spouse does not bring it. You apply as a UK resident, you pay the normal fee, and your partner's documents support the file. If you are unsure whether your passport is visa-required, start with do I need a Schengen visa from the UK.

Schengen short-stay visa key facts, 2026
Schengen short-stay visa (Type C)	2026
Visa fee (adult)	€90
Visa fee (child 6 to 11)	€45
Visa fee (child under 6)	Free
Maximum stay	90 days in any rolling 180-day period
Standard processing	15 calendar days (up to 45 in some cases)
Travel insurance, minimum cover	€30,000
Passport	Issued within 10 years; valid 3+ months beyond your trip
Member states	29 countries

The fee and these rules are set EU-wide and are identical across all 29 member states. Source: European Commission. Verified 2026-06-24.

Travelling with your British partner: what it changes and what it does not

It changes the story of the file. The question the consulate is deciding is whether you will leave the Schengen area and return to the UK. A partner who lives here, works here and is flying back with you on the same booking supports that, so make the connection visible:

Your partner's flight and accommodation confirmations for the same dates, next to yours.
A line in the cover letter saying you are travelling together and when you both return.
A copy of your partner's passport and, where the trip is theirs to fund, their payslips or employer letter.

It does not change the procedure. You still need your own application, your own biometrics appointment, the full document set, insurance in your name, and the 90 euro fee. There is no fee waiver and no priority processing for the spouse of a British citizen.

How to prove your status

Partner visas are held as a digital eVisa. Sign in to your UKVI account on gov.uk, choose view and prove your immigration status, generate a share code, print the status page, and bring the printout with your passport. If you still hold a valid physical BRP, bring it too. The status should show leave that continues after your return, ideally by three months or more. If an extension is pending, add the Home Office acknowledgement. The step-by-step is in eVisa share codes for a Schengen visa, and the general guide is Schengen visa with a UK BRP or eVisa.

Whose bank statements count

The statements of whoever pays, and the consulate wants both halves of the picture.

Who funds the trip	What goes in the file
You, from your own income	Your last 3 to 6 months of statements, every page, plus payslips and an employer letter
Your partner	Their statements for the last 3 months, their payslips or employer letter, a signed and dated sponsorship letter naming you, the dates and what they cover, a copy of their passport, and your marriage or civil partnership certificate
Both of you	Your own statements plus the sponsor set above
A joint account	The joint statements count as yours; add the payslips of whichever of you earns the money

Your own statements still go in even when your partner pays for everything, because they show how you live in the UK. A large deposit from your partner into your account a week before the appointment reads worse than a sponsorship letter and their statements; the consulate wants the money where it normally sits. The rules on months, format and red flags are in bank statement requirements and Schengen proof of funds.

Ties to the UK

Your marriage or partnership is itself a tie, and the certificate belongs in the file. Add the rest of the ordinary evidence where you have it:

Work: an employer letter with approved leave and a return date, if you work.
Home: the tenancy or mortgage statement, in either or both names.
Children: birth certificates and school letters, if you have children in the UK, whether or not they travel.
Status: the share code printout, with leave continuing past the trip.

If you do not work, say so plainly in the cover letter and let the partner's income, the home and the family carry the return case. A file that explains itself does better than one that leaves the consulate to guess.

Which country to apply to, and when

Apply to the country where you will spend the most nights, or the country you enter first if the nights are equal. Your partner's visa-free status plays no part in the choice, and applying to a consulate because it has appointments is a recognised refusal ground. The worked examples are in which country to apply to.

Applications are accepted up to 6 months before travel. Processing is 15 calendar days from biometrics as standard, up to 45 in some cases, and the appointment is usually the longer wait. Your partner does not need to attend your appointment, though many couples go together. See getting an appointment in the UK.

Documents for a Spouse or Partner visa holder

The standard Schengen document set, with the status, funds and ties lines answered as above:

Category	What to bring
Identity	Passport issued within 10 years, valid at least 3 months beyond the trip, two blank pages; old passports
Application	Completed and signed form; one photo to the 35 by 45 mm specification
UK status	eVisa share code and the printed status page; any BRP you still hold
Relationship	Marriage or civil partnership certificate; a copy of your partner's passport
Trip	Return travel reservation, accommodation for every night, day-by-day itinerary, your partner's confirmations for the same dates
Funds	Statements of whoever pays, plus a sponsorship letter if that is your partner; your own statements in every case
Insurance	Cover across the whole Schengen area for the whole trip, at least 30,000 euros medical and repatriation, in your name
Ties to the UK	Employer letter if you work, tenancy or mortgage, children's documents, your status

Build the list with the checklist generator, then assemble and size the file with the Bundler and Compressor.

Fees and the £99 service

The consulate fee is 90 euros for an adult, about 81 pounds, fixed EU-wide; 45 euros for children aged 6 to 11 and nothing under 6. The visa centre adds its own fee, from nothing for Poland, Luxembourg and Romania to about 45 pounds, paid at the centre. Neither is refunded on a refusal, and the spouse of a British citizen pays the same as anyone else.

Our desk prepares the whole application for a flat £99 service fee, any country: the form, the document pack with the sponsor set and relationship evidence in the right order, and the appointment on the operator's official system, in your own name. The file is ready within 24 hours of your complete documents and details, and the appointment booked within 3 working days of a complete file, subject to availability, or the fee back. Full refund before work starts. You attend biometrics, pay the official fees at the centre, and the consulate alone decides. Start at the plan step, or read what the Schengen visa service covers. Travelling as a family with children? See family Schengen visas from the UK.