Schengen visa from the Greece Consulate

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cchong

Registered Users (C)
I just received my Schengen Visa today, I would like to share my experience with this board members.

I applied for a Schengen Visa from the Greece Consulate two weeks ago, today I received my visa. In March, I also applied for a Schengen Visa from the Netherlands Consulate. The approval process took two weeks.

I suibmitted documents below:
1) Valid Refugee Travel Document.
2) Passport Photo.
3) Letter from Employer stating position, annual salary, and vacation dates.
4) A copy of my air ticket.
5) All hotel reservations.
6) Bank statements for the last 3 months.
7) Pay slips for the last 3 months.
8) A copy of my I-94 and Asylum approval letter.
9) A copy of my oxford health insurance card.
10) Credit card statements for the last 3 months.
11) W-2 forms for the last 2 years.
12) Completed application form.

The requirements are not much different between the Greece and the Netherlands Consulates except that I was required to submit my credits card statements for the last 3 months and my W-2 forms for the past two years for the Greece Consulate.
 
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You wasted not only your time but also maybe 50 bucks? I was able to go to germany and then travel to spain/greece without any visa...even to FRANCE without a visa on RTD...
 
wantmygcnow said:
You wasted not only your time but also maybe 50 bucks? I was able to go to germany and then travel to spain/greece without any visa...even to FRANCE without a visa on RTD...
Click to expand...

wantmygcnow,

Because I would go to Greece, Rome, and Barcelona and do not have the time for Germany. I have no choice but to apply for visa. Greece is my main destination; therefore, I apply for visa from the Greece Consulate. It would be nice if I can take more than 17 days of vacation time so that I can go to Berlin, but I can't.

I just took two weeks off from work in April. I was suprised that my boss actually approved my June vacation. One thing for sure, when I return from my vacation I would be very busy.

Since I live in New York City, there are many consulates locate in New York. To be honest, it was not that difficult to apply for a visa. The hard thing is to wait for the RTD. You have no idea when you are going to get it. Last time, it took me 7 months to receive my RTD. Now, I am taking the opportunity to travel before the RTD is expired.
 
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cchong,

Sometimes these european countries dont give you a visa...When you mention Refugee "Travel Document", they kinda treat you differently..and sometimes deny a visa... Happened to someone I know. Now everytime she applies for a visa she has to write she was denied before....

But good luck with your trip..Europe is surely a different game than america.
 
Hungary & 6 month passport validity requirement

Quite hillarious: I got denied a Hungarian visa last week.
Their reason: my "passport" is not valid for another 6 months before travel. The hillarious part is that I had asked them if that would be a problem at the time of applying and they said no - considering the RTD situ, I could apply. Just to take my 45 dollars and refuse me almost two months later. RTD equals constant humiliation and is an incredible pain in the neck. Let's hope the Germans stay sane.
 
If you enter europe throught germany, nobody will ask you for visa and you can freely travel. However, many countries in europe will check for illegal immigrants on the streets and they might stop you and ask for your documents. Remember, in Europe they have they national IDs. If the police officer is nice, they might let you go. Happens many times. HOWEVER, ACCORDING TO MOST OF THEIR LAWS, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO ARREST YOU IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A PROPER VISA. Of course, they will let you go in the end, but you can have a lot of problems. I know many cases where this happened. They were in the coffee shop and police came and they got arrested and deported in few days. Just my few cents.
 
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