OT: Touring France visa for overseas wife

She presumably has a passport for another country? Then she's applying as a national of that country.

It sounds like a standard Schengen visa process, ie she can't use the EES 'visa waiver' that British passport holders get so has to apply as the country of her citizenship. That sounds like par for the course for applying for a visa for a Western country when not holding citizenship of another Western country. Visas to enter Western countries involve a lot of questions, and the poorer your country is the harder they are to get.

It's not 'over the top' as there is a decent chance a visa might be refused

- you have to play by their rules and provide evidence. It's no joke - be aware that a visa refusal may also make it harder to get a visa in future, and if you lie on the forms you may get banned from having any visa in future.

Make refundable hotel/etc and where possible travel reservations. Present them on the visa application then, once the visa is granted, cancel or change them. The authorities know that tourist plans may change, but one of the points of this is proof that you can afford your trip, so having a booked itinerary is proof of both your plans and that you can afford it. I don't know for ferries/tunnel, but eg Eurostar will sell you a fully-flexible fully-refundable train ticket. Booking.com often lets you reserve hotels with easy/free cancellation.

You also need evidence to show that you're going to leave afterwards, and you have ties to home that mean you're not going to abscond once you're in the Schengen zone. This may be where bank statements, evidence of residence etc etc may be needed.

I think there are rules about the first country you enter (you're going to France so have to apply for a visa from France, not eg Cyprus) but once you have entered the Schengen zone you're free to move between countries.

Theo

Might it be worth posing your query on uk.legal.moderated?

So those are good 'ties' to the UK, which makes it less likely that's she's going to go AWOL inside the EU. But if she doesn't have citizenship of a visa exempt country then she does have to apply for a visa.

I don't know for sure, but if you ask your friends to write you a letter of invitation then you can submit that as evidence. It would be better to be a formal letter rather than a printout of an email or whatever (although maybe a scan/PDF is ok), stating the purpose of your visit and the dates you will be there. Being specific is better than generic. If your friends can describe the connection (we've known her since 19xx) that helps prove it's not just a fly-by-night acquaintance.

Those are things you have to prove with evidence. You don't get a free pass because of them. The pathway is based on citizenship and the type of visa you are applying for (student, work, tourist, etc), and then everything else goes in the evidence.

Being a permanent resident of a non-EU country doesn't get you any bonus marks, but it does help prove you have a life to go back to and will exit on time.

Timatic is the airl "Visa Requirements

Passengers can enter with a “C” or “D” visa issued by a Schengen Member State for a maximum of 90 days in a period of 180 days.

Passengers must have a valid visa issued by France.

Accommodation

Visitors must have proof of accommodation."

etc etc. Curiously, for a UK citizen going to France it doesn't say anything about EES/ETIAS. Being an airline system it doesn't know about ferry ports.

I don't know how long the visa process takes, but I'd get on it pronto. I imagine it may take months, especially as the busy summer season is coming up. Plus if they ask for additional evidence then that may take longer.

Theo