So... Can we go visit family in the UK once we have our "carte de legitimation" , or do we need still need to get a visa to enter the UK as would be the norm with our usual passports?

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/

Enter your nationality, reason for the visit etc.

Related thread:

Visa question for London if needed

South african, reason was as stated.. To visit family.. But will check your link now..thanks so much

I know we can travel throughout the EU with the card and our passport, just not sure about the UK

SA is a yes, a visa is required and the Swiss residence permit alone is not good enough for a visa exemption, as per linked thread.

Thanks so much, saw that as well in the link you posted.. Will organise to contact them and see what we need to do from geneva. Right now its all just planning, in order to visit family, but will see what the whole process is.


Thanks again.

I am going through that process now, having translated my Swiss permit to EN etc. ( a stack of docos ). Cost of visa irrespective of the outcome is EUR90.

You apply and pay online ( http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/applyonline/ ) and liaise via WorldBridge, choose GVA VAC, make an appointment to hand over your printed application and biometrics undertaken and wait for a good 15 work days for an outcome. WorldBridge can charge you quite a bit for err .. service .. an email notification costs CHF2 etc. more for printing and photocopying.

Sounds about as bad as back home in SA then... Well almost, there they charge up to a max €700 depending on the type of application.

Just our luck of course that our previous uk visa's have just expired

One more thing .. apply, if you choose to, 3 months prior to your intended travel date, AND specifically request on your all-important covering letter to the ECO in Paris that the visa, if granted, is to be post dated to the travel date as otherwise it would run from the date of application, and you lose out on 3 months.

With this extra 3 months, you can re-enter the UK ( not to mention seek out cheaper flights in advance for example and save yourself another EUR90 ), as well as now to Ireland ( since 01.07.2011, they allow visa free access if one has first obtained a UK visa and stayed in the UK for at least 1 day prior to entering Ireland ).

Good luck.

Related thread to Ireland:

Short stay visa waiver to Éire ( Republic of Ireland )

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