Switzerland, Germany

J

jasonb

Registered Users (C)
All,
I found on this website:
http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...chriften/liste_2__besondere/fluechtlinge.html

that if you have a permanent resident card from the US and you also have "Travel document for refugees in accordance with the Agreement of London of 15 October 1946 or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951",

you don't need visa to go to Switzerland.

Isn't the RTD in accordance with Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951??

What about RP? Is it in accordance with Geneva Convention? I never applied for RP but am thinking of doing it instead of doing RTD. But if RTD (and my GC) gets me to Switzerland, I will choose RTD.

Please advise.

One more thing - people have been saying that you don't need visa to go to Germany if you have RTD plus GC. I haven't been able to find that info on their website. Please advise as well.

cheers,
jasonb
 
If you have an RTD+Green Card you don't need a visa to Switzerland. However for some strange reason they don't recognize RP and if you have one you will need a Swiss visa. As far as I remember if you have a valid RTD you don't need a visa to Germany.
 
A few months ago I called the Swiss embassy regarding this issue and they did confirm to me that w/RTD+GC no visa is required. Germany don't require a visa for US RTD holders and the same applies to Hungary...
 
jasonb said:
All,
I found on this website:
http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...chriften/liste_2__besondere/fluechtlinge.html

that if you have a permanent resident card from the US and you also have "Travel document for refugees in accordance with the Agreement of London of 15 October 1946 or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951",

you don't need visa to go to Switzerland.

Isn't the RTD in accordance with Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951??

What about RP? Is it in accordance with Geneva Convention? I never applied for RP but am thinking of doing it instead of doing RTD. But if RTD (and my GC) gets me to Switzerland, I will choose RTD.

Please advise.

One more thing - people have been saying that you don't need visa to go to Germany if you have RTD plus GC. I haven't been able to find that info on their website. Please advise as well.

cheers,
jasonb
Click to expand...

Yes RTD is issued under the Convention but RP is not.
 
jasonb said:
All,
I found on this website:
http://www.bfm.admin.ch/bfm/en/home...chriften/liste_2__besondere/fluechtlinge.html

that if you have a permanent resident card from the US and you also have "Travel document for refugees in accordance with the Agreement of London of 15 October 1946 or the Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951",

you don't need visa to go to Switzerland.

Isn't the RTD in accordance with Geneva Convention of 28 July 1951??

What about RP? Is it in accordance with Geneva Convention? I never applied for RP but am thinking of doing it instead of doing RTD. But if RTD (and my GC) gets me to Switzerland, I will choose RTD.

Please advise.

One more thing - people have been saying that you don't need visa to go to Germany if you have RTD plus GC. I haven't been able to find that info on their website. Please advise as well.

cheers,
jasonb
Click to expand...


In fact you dont even need to have GC in order to enter Germany with RTD and NO VISA, I go to germany often with RTD only and they are the nicest people ever!!! so RTD NO GC, no VISA for GERMANY! :)
 
I find it quite odd that they don't recognize an RP, but still issue a visa on a document they "don't recognize!"
 
Thanks for the response, everyone.

Any reference on Germany embassy about not requiring visa for RTD?

jasonb
 
Want,

Are you absolutely sure about that? Have you tried personally or heard of anyone who has?
 
This is from the german consulate in Miami web page:

At this time, holders of US travel documents issued as refugee travel documents do not require a visa to travel to Germany for tourism, transit or business. Please note that this only encompasses Germany, as other countries of the Schengen agreement may require you to hold a visa. This may be subject to change, therefore check for changes on this website before each trip. As this exception may not be known to some airlines or immigration officers, we suggest you print this information and take it with you. The printout quotes the address of this website and the date, enabling you and others to verify the information and to check if the printout is up to date.
 
I just wanted to share with you some information that I got today by calling the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C. They Swiss Embassy confirmed that Switzerland does NOT recognize re-entry permits. However, it did say that if you apply for a visa with an RP, the application will not necessary be denied; Rather, the application will be forwarded to Switzerland for further processing and approval. At that point, a visa may or may not be issued on the RP depending on the specific situation. Bottom line, the situation is not completely hopeless with an RP just because Switzerland doesn’t recognize the document. You just have to go through additional hoops.

I also asked whether Switzerland still plans to implement the Schengen agreement and whether or not that would have any effect on the recognition of RPs. The Embassy again confirmed that they are in the process of implementing it, but they have not received specific instructions from their headquarters regarding the details.
 
Lexi said:
I just wanted to share with you some information that I got today by calling the Swiss Embassy in Washington D.C. They Swiss Embassy confirmed that Switzerland does NOT recognize re-entry permits. However, it did say that if you apply for a visa with an RP, the application will not necessary be denied; Rather, the application will be forwarded to Switzerland for further processing and approval. At that point, a visa may or may not be issued on the RP depending on the specific situation. Bottom line, the situation is not completely hopeless with an RP just because Switzerland doesn’t recognize the document. You just have to go through additional hoops.

I also asked whether Switzerland still plans to implement the Schengen agreement and whether or not that would have any effect on the recognition of RPs. The Embassy again confirmed that they are in the process of implementing it, but they have not received specific instructions from their headquarters regarding the details.
Click to expand...

Lexi, in 2005 they required visa on RTDs and I got the visa. In 2005 when I got my gc and went to them with RP, they told me they wont take the RP no matter what. Maybe they changed their requirements.

If they do join the schengen, then GC holders will require a visa.
 
wantmygcnow said:
Lexi, in 2005 they required visa on RTDs and I got the visa. In 2005 when I got my gc and went to them with RP, they told me they wont take the RP no matter what. Maybe they changed their requirements.

If they do join the schengen, then GC holders will require a visa.
Click to expand...

That is too bad. I hoped to go to Switzerland next year and already applied for RP in February. My NP has expired already. How can they not accept RP as a valid travel document when everyone else does? It doesn't make any sense!
 
Here is info from Swiss Embassy website: "Please note: Switzerland does not accept and recognize the white "Permit to Reenter the United States" or the new green BCIS-issued "Permit to Reenter" (Form I-327). If you hold this document, you will need a visa for Switzerland in all cases."
The question is how they gonna issue a visa on a document they do not accept or even recognize? :confused:
 
Guys,

I plan to get a visa from them on an RP in the next couple of months. I have to go to Geneva for a training and I've already paid for my RP. The RTD is not a viable option for me as I will be traveling quite a bit for work and the short duration and the cost of the RTD is problematic. Also, to me, getting a NP is not worth the trouble of geoperdizing my citizenship application down the road. I will let you know how it goes.

Like most of you, the requirement doesn't make sense to me either. But it is what it is!

Lex
 
Lexi said:
Guys,

I plan to get a visa from them on an RP in the next couple of months. I have to go to Geneva for a training and I've already paid for my RP. The RTD is not a viable option for me as I will be traveling quite a bit for work and the short duration and the cost of the RTD is problematic. Also, to me, getting a NP is not worth the trouble of geoperdizing my citizenship application down the road. I will let you know how it goes.

Like most of you, the requirement doesn't make sense to me either. But it is what it is!

Lex
Click to expand...

I will tell you another thing that dont make sense. I recently went for a trip to Italy and crossed over Switzerland with my RP. RP had a schengen visa..the border control officers looked at it and the GC and let me through. So i have no clue whats the real requirements are.

Also when I entered Germany with my RP and schengen visa..the officer didn't even look at the visa and stamped it. I told him about the visa and he told me RP doesn't need a visa to Germany...weird!
 
Once Switzerland implement Schengen they won't necessarily require a visa for an RTD+GC holder. Look at Germany. They don't require a visa for RTD holders. As for being allowed into Switzerland with a Schengen visa and German IOs assuming RPs are RTDs, these things happen, but you shouldn't assume it'll happen to you.
 
cafeconleche said:
Once Switzerland implement Schengen they won't necessarily require a visa for an RTD+GC holder. Look at Germany. They don't require a visa for RTD holders. As for being allowed into Switzerland with a Schengen visa and German IOs assuming RPs are RTDs, these things happen, but you shouldn't assume it'll happen to you.
Click to expand...

These are my thoughts about it...and it remains to be seen what happens.

I think one requirement to be in schengen is to follow same visa requirements etc. Switzerland requires no visa irrespectice of nationality if you have a GC. I think with schengen, a nationality comes in effect in issuing visas or requiring a visa because its all a standard.

RTD is for stateless persons so what a country chooses to do with those..i.e, hungary, germany is up to them. Visa is an enterily different issue.
 
It seems to me that europeans countries that produced a large number of refugees in the past are more flexible letting us in w/o a visa than the other europeans countries...
 
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