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I am a Filipino Citizen working in Qatar and have a valid Residence Permit. I am planning to visit my wife's sister in the UK, and afterwards we are planning a Schengen tour with the other family member living in the UK. Do I need to get two visas which is a UK Visa from UK embassy (my point of entry) and at the same time another visa which is a Schengen visa from the France's embassy?

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Yes, you do need two visas, since the UK and Schengen have separate immigration arrangements.

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  • Thanks for the answer jpatokal. So, this means I have to gather 2 copies each of the similar required documents in applying for the two visas?
    – grm
    Jul 10, 2013 at 10:27
  • Yes, that's correct.
    – lambshaanxy
    Jul 10, 2013 at 12:08
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While the United Kingdom is a member of the European Union, it is not a member of the Schengen area, nor is it subject to the Schengen Visa policy. The UK is part of the Common Travel Area with the Republic of Ireland, however travellers should be aware that while immigration controls are not ususally in place between RoI and the UK, holding a visa for one of these states does not necessarily permite a visitor to enter the other. The below (slightly complicated) image indicates various overlapping European insititutions, some of which (Schengen, Eurozone, CTA, Customs Area) are relevant to travellers:

EU Instittutions(Image CC-BY by Wikipedia user Aris)

Given that the UK is not a part of Schengen or bound by the visa policy, Schengen Visas do not count as leave to enter the UK. The UK's government website does provide a useful tool for checking if you need a visa (and if so, what sort). It does not cover all possible cases, but covers most common situations and exemptions that a traveller may have.

A Schengen visa does however offer the possibility of entry to some non-Schengen states. Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Cyprus are all bound by the previously mentioned Schengen visa policy, and should give access to those holding a valid Schengen visa. Although as this involves leaving the Schengen area to do so, the Schengen visa must still allow reentering the Schengen area (otherwise the validity has now expired). Wikipedia also has a (mostly unreferenced) list of other countries for which Schengen visa will allow access (often with additional requirements)

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    Realise this is an old question, but saw some duplicates pointing here and thought a more detailed and refernced answer may be useful.
    – CMaster
    Nov 6, 2015 at 9:57

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