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F&C SOLDIERS AND NON-EEA DEPENDANTS : GENERAL INFORMATION
Your Unit Welfare Officer is your first point of contact if you have queries about your immigration status or need for a visa.
SOFA STATUS CERTIFICATE
All F&C soldiers/non-EEA dependants must have a SOFA Status Certificate in their passport. It is not a visa but gives right of entry into and out of Germany and negates the requirement for a German Residency Visa. It does not give right of entry into any other country. All applications for SOFA Status should be done through your UWO.
TRAVEL AROUND EUROPE AND NATO COUNTRIES
Serving Personnel may travel through NATO countries using a NATO Travel Order and their MOD90 ID card, providing it is on an official military journey. Non official travel through the ‘Schengen’ countries (see list below) require a Schengen Visa or a Europaisches Aufenthaltstitel (EAT): contact your Services Liaison Office for details of how to apply for an EAT. Non EEA dependants will also need a Schengen visa or an EAT for travel outside of Germany. (Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. )
VISAS ON ASSIGNMENT
Non EEA dependants who intend entering the UK with Serving Personnel on assignment need a valid UK visa to reside there. The cost of a visa for assignment purposes only will be at public expense and applications should be made on receipt of the soldier’s Assignment Order. Queries regarding UK entry visas should be directed to the UWO in the first instance to ensure that the correct application form (VAF4a) is used.
BRITISH CITIZENSHIP AND NATURALISATION
The decision to apply for Naturalisation or British Citizenship is a personal choice and all costs are borne by the individual. Everyone undertaking Naturalistion will need to sit a Knowledge of Life in the UK test. At present, this can only be done in the UK and you may require a UK postcode and a UK utility bill before you are allowed to register for the test.
Applicants should check beforehand with the authority that is providing the test.
NEWS AND UPDATES
 Zimbabwe - Revised Leave & Travel Information
Although the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently have no travel restrictions in place for UK citizens planning on travelling to Zimbabwe, serving British Army personnel who wish to take leave in Zimbabwe may do so, in line with normal unit leave authorisation procedures.
Given the current situation in Zimbabwe, all serving personnel considering travel to Zimbabwe, including Zimbabwean citizens, are to notify their Chain of Command so that a briefing can be provided. The UK Defence Section in Zimbabwe and PS(4) should also be pre-notified of planned travel arrangements, ensuring that the appropriate support can be provided, where possible, in
accordance with D/DPS(A)/02/42/01 dated 31 March 2011.
All individuals should be aware that any decision to travel on leave is a personal one and, as such, should give careful consideration to any travel advice available. Individuals should also be advised that they should consider taking out appropriate travel and medical insurance, as there is no free healthcare provision.
Latest travel advice for Zimbabwe can be found at www.fco.gov.uk and should be read prior to deciding on whether to travel to the country or not.
Zimbabwean Passport Renewal
The UK Defence Attaché Harare (DA) has advised that a 3 tier system is in service, with a limited backlog of applications. Current advice from the DA is that travel to Zimbabwe for the sole purpose of renewing a passport is not advised until the situation at the Zimbabwean Passport Office improves. Applications for replacement passports can be accepted at Zimbabwean Embassies overseas (for instance, London).
Individuals are reminded that the British Embassy Harare has no legal authority to intervene in matters concerning Zimbabwean citizens whilst they are in Zimbabwe.
Serving personnel and dependants should contact the UK Defence Section in Zimbabwe for further advice and guidance.
Serving personnel and dependants whose Zimbabwean passport is lost, damaged or has expired and are unable to renew it must inform their Chain of Command immediately.
UK Nationality
The UK FCO and Zimbabwean Government websites report that it is an offence under Zimbabwean law for an adult to hold dual nationality. Therefore, Zimbabwean citizens who are serving in the UK Armed Forces that are considering applying for UK Citizenship, and subsequently a UK passport, are advised to check the implications of having dual nationality.
Details of the Zimbabwean Registrar General's advice on passport renewal procedures is available from the Zimbabwean Ministry of Home Affairs website: www.moha.gov.zw.
 Fijian Travel Advice
Individuals are to notify any travel to Fiji to their Chain of Command so that a briefing can be provided in accordance with D/DPS(A)28/9/PS4(A) dated 24th March 11. All individuals should be aware that any decision to travel on leave is a personal one and as such should give careful consideration to any travel advice available. UK Citizens and their families can seek guidance from the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at www.fco.gov.uk. Fijian Citizens can also seek guidance from the Fijian Embassy in London at www.fijihighcommission.org.uk or tel 0044 (0) 207 5843661.
Fiji Passport Renewal Update. Despite announcing that a fresh batch of passports has now arrived, and that new Fiji passports are now being issued, the Fiji Immigration Department (FID) has confirmed that new passports are again in short supply and that another batch may not be available from their suppliers until Jan 2012. In the meantime, all Fiji Citizens, at home or abroad, can either submit their passports to the FID for the necessary two (2) years extension, apply for Certificates of Identity from any immigration office or Foreign Mission or apply for the newly introduced Fiji Emergency Passport. The cost of obtaining a passport extension is $55.00, a Certificate of Identity costs $140.00 and an Emergency Passport costs $190.00. Individuals requiring further information should contact the Fiji Immigration Department in Fiji or the Fiji High Commission in London.
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