Have you done as I suggested and read other threads about people in the same situation as you?

One more time:

The RULES say you have to apply from your country of residence and that you can't enter until you have your visa.

However, SOME couples have been able to override this by entering the country and registering together.

Like I said above ONLY the authorities can decide if they want to stick to the rules or just let you in because they know in the end they can't deny your request.

So you have two options:

1. Stay in London (or somewhere else) and apply from there & wait for approval.
2. Come down & register with your husband and see what they say. Have plan B ready in case the do not allow you to stay in the country while you wait for approval.

Only you can decide which you want to try.


Right, that's clear. But you weren't already residents in another EU/EEA country. That's were there seems to be some ambiguity.

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@ miniMia,

You may feel free to stop repeating your question whether I 've read or not the other threads. If I found what I was searching for , I wouldnt post my own topic, would I?

Secondly, many ''RULES'' say many things on the LINES but also the same rules do Not say some things between the lines.. It is on us to discover whether they are there or not. And why should the exceptional cases be in favor of breaching the law.. If they were really breaching the law they wouldnt be exempted such as not sending Canadians home but let them in to apply from there, for an instance.

But dont think I am not grateful for your replies, sure thing I am .. pretty much. Thank you .

My point is that you can get an idea of what other people did, what they went through, what their out comes were, etc. This will help you make a decision as well as answer some of the doubts you are expressing here.

Even your own experience with speaking with the officials on the phone shows contradiction in sticking to the rules / breaking the law. I can't tell you why that is. It just is.

I can only speculate that it is because non-EU spouses of an EU citizens can't be denied the resident permit if every thing is in order (enough money, place to live, the couple has no criminal record, etc). So some officials just give it without making you apply before hand & others want to be strict about the rules and make you get the visa from your country of residence first.

As I've said, the Canadian person is a different story as s/he is not a resident in an EU/EEA country and you are. That seems to make a big difference.

Now I will feel free to stop replying. Good luck.

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Thank you, you have been very helpful.

I was reading a few posts where people mentioned that it was the "rule" that you cannot enter a country if a visa is in progress and you don't have it yet.

I'm just a bit confused, is the word 'visa' being interchangeably used with the word 'permit'?

I had to get an entry visa to enter Switzerland; however, I have a permit which allows me to be here.

The process for the entry visa took 1 day to complete, I arrived at 9 am and received it at 3 pm the same day. There was also an option for me to mail in the application if I didn't want to travel to the Consulate in my home country.

SunRose,

How long have you been waiting to be issued with a (dependant) permit?

Dependant permit/visa.. - this is how the lady from Swiss consulate in London wrote to me in her email.

So, did you eventually apply for permit from (EU) country other than Switzerland and as I previously asked whether you were waiting for a longer time for that permit?

Thanks

No. Visas & permits are not the same thing although I think often they are not used correctly in these forum discussions.

A visa allows you to enter a country and the permit allows you to stay. Most "visa exemptions" are for tourism. So if you are entering a country for a purpose other than tourism (ie, residency) then the visa usual tourist visa exemption doesn't apply.

No, I don't think so.

I think you're right!

Neka,

I don't have a dependent permit. I have a work permit. I am a Canadian citizen. The permit process took 5 months to complete going through my workplace so I'm not sure how long it actually took with the officials.
I completed the permit process in Europe after I had arrived.
I took a few months off work, travelled around, and took some German lessons while I was here as a tourist. As soon as my permit was approved, I went to Stuttgart in Germany (2.5 hour drive from where I am), got my entry Visa, and then came back to complete the rest of my permit process (biometric data, registration, etc).

SunRose

My confusion came from reading in this thread that you can't enter the country until the visa has finished processing. The visa was processed so quickly that I couldn't see what would be holding you back from getting it unless you decided to mail it off. I spoke with two consulates in two countries and received the same answer - you apply for it and get the entry visa in one day if you go in person.

That's often true for countries in the waiver visa scheme but Try telling some if our Asian friends that - their visas can take months.

Hello again,

I have 1 question. My husband bought already tickets for us to Zurich but he bought only One Way tickets, as I am non Eu spouse going to Zurich as a visitor for now with my husband who holds L permit. Do you think the immigration officers might cause me a problem as I do not have a return ticket? We didnt get me return ticket as I wasnt sure when I will be coming to London ( in the case I cannot apply for dependant permit from Zurich so I would go back to apply from swiss embassy).
So, do you think I should buy retirn ticket also or they will not make me a problem on the border? My husband as I said already has a job in Zurich, and today we signed the Tenancy contract for the flat in Zurich, so if they ask me where I will be staying I will show them the Tenancy agreement,which is set up today.

Would appreciate to hear from you. Thanks

I'm starting to get very confused with this thread.

Are you EU/UK or Non-EU ?
Is your husband EU/UK or Non-EU ?

The system works very differently depending on the answer to these two questions.

I am non-EU, husband is EU and Schengen member. We live in the UK momentary, and I have UK residence card as a family member of EU/EEA national.

Picking up the dependent's residency permit should be very easy. You go to the Gemeinde on arrival and they will tell you what paperwork to fill out - they will want his work contract, the lease documents which have your name on them, and your marriage certificate and passport.

That should (theoretically) be enough to process the dependant spouse residency permit - if you are registering in Zurich they will get you to fill forms at the Gemeinde, pay a fee, check all your documents and make an appointment for you to be scanned (they do a photo of your face, take fingerprints digitally and collect your signature digitally) and your card permits will arrive a bit later.

I'm pretty sure in your situation that there would be no reason to send you back to the UK unless something is not done properly. The most important thing is that you register with the Gemeinde within 8 days of arrival. It will all be taken care of from that point.

It's not a 'VISA' you need in this case, but to follow the correct procedure to be given a 'Residency Permit'. (in German 'Auslanderausweis').

You go with your husband to the relevant Gemeinde (town hall) within 8 days - the one you need to go to will depend on your residence (your apartment).

Have fun!

Thank you very much for your efforts, and I am sorry for not being more specific. I asked whether they will turn me back form the airport if I have only ONE WAY Tourist Entry?

I will submit application for Family Reunification at the Canton -Zurich. I got a confirmation in writing from Zurich kanton that i can enter as a visitor ( I can enter Switzerland wihtout Visa entry) and then submit family reunification application.
So ,do you think I should have return ticket while entering Switzerland as a visitor ( firstly) or I shall be fine with a 1 way ticket?
Thank you.

Correction:

Thank you very much for your efforts, and I am sorry for not being more specific. I asked whether they will turn me back form the airport if I have only ONE WAY Ticket entering as visitor?

I will submit application for Family Reunification at the Canton -Zurich. I got a confirmation in writing from Zurich kanton that i can enter as a visitor ( I can enter Switzerland without Visa entry) and then submit family reunification application.
So ,do you think I should have return ticket while entering Switzerland as a visitor ( firstly) or I shall be fine with a 1 way ticket?
Thank you.

Given that you are allowed to enter Switzerland as a tourist without a visa, then there's no reason for them to cause any hassle.

If you get asked, tell them exactly what you have been told. Your husband has a work permit for Switzerland, and you have residency in the UK.

These days, with the Schengen agreement in place, you will find there is very minimal in the way of 'border security' - it's amazing how little paperwork is involved...

Since you have something in writing from Zurich canton giving the instructions, I would state (as we did on arrival) that my husband was entering for work purposes, and had a work permission for Zurich, and that I was entering as his spouse, and then show them the letter that you have been given with the instructions.

Really, you won't have any trouble with the 'Kantonpolizei' who do the passport control at zurich airport - I re-entered on an expired permit from Australia (it was in progress, approved and then something got messed up with the paperwork not being transmitted properly)...and they just looked at all my papers, and I kept smiling, and there was no problem!

Forgot to add:

The 'secret password' is: "My husband is a UK citizen"

hahaha

Swisspea, you are good!

Thank you!!