Applying for a Schengen Visa online or by mail

I saw that, too, but it's more like I'm wondering what those rare instances might be...

I'm wondering, because their pre-recorded message re visas mentioned getting documents notiarized if you are mailing them, so obviously someone is allowed to mail them in. That, and the Russian Federation is one of the countries for whom the application fee is reduced, so I'm holding out a little hope for some kind of exception!

How long are you ataying for, and is your trip purely tourism (not staying with family in Germany for 6 weeks for example)? The reason I ask, is that if the time in Germany is a matter of a few days more than the other areas rather than weeks, then I would investigate other, closer embassies and their rules. While Primary country visited is the general rule, in practice, it plays little role in enforcement of the Visa...in other words, if you obtained your visa and your plans changed,(maybe Italy sounded better) it would not invalidate the visa. The exception would be a longer Visa or one for a special purpose (school, business) where an in-country address might be required.

I've looked into the other countries' consulates (Belgium, Czech Republic, Netherlands), and the closest is still in San Francisco or LA.

Since our trip is still about 8 months away and nothing is set in stone, I might give them a call and see if they also require in-person applications.

Anna,

I have a blue passport, but my wife is a green card holder, so we're familiar with getting visas. In 2008 we got her a Schengen visa for entry to Portugal by mail. No hassles. A couple years earlier, we got one for her to enter in Holland - from the honorary Dutch consulate in Bellevue. Unless it has shut down, consider going there.

FWIW, I've never heard of this requirement to appear in person to get a visa. is that new?

In our experience there is a lot of "wiggle room" regarding Schengen visa procedures. The rule seems to be you should get the visa for the country that's your "main destination" - but that's not very well defined. They figure that's based on how many days you spend somewhere, but that's subject to manipulation.

For example, one trip had us going throughout Holland, Belgium, Germany and Austria, with days roughly divided equally. They say if you have no "main destination" you should get the visa for your country of entry, so we initially asked the Dutch consulate. They wanted a list of hotels where we would be staying and an itinerary. They counted up our days and said we were going to be in Germany for one more day than we would be in Holland, so we should ask the German embassy. Honestly, I think they just wanted to get rid of us. So I just changed our itinerary so it said we would be in Holland as long as any other country. They grumbled, but ended up granting the visa. Similar thing with our trip in 2008: we planned to split our time between Portugal, Spain, Morocco and France. So (now that I had learned the game), I told the Portuguese consulate in LA that we would be in Portugal a couple days longer than any other country (I made up a modified itinerary). No problem - visa granted (by mail) quickly.

My advice: come up with your proposed itinerary which shows you staying in Holland longer than anyplace else, and apply in Bellevue.

Hope that helps - have a great trip!

David -- thanks a lot for your reply! I just e-mailed the Dutch Consulate in Bellevue to confirm whether or not they still issue visas. We were originally planning to just fly home from Amsterdam, but I'd be more than willing to tweak our itinerary if it means I don't have to travel to get a visa.

You don't necessarily have to tweak your real itinerary - just the itinerary you give them. Once you're in Europe nobody is going to be checking how many days you spend in one country or another. Just tell them you will be in Holland 10 days, then 5 days in Belgium, 5 days in France, 5 days in Germany, etc. You should get your visa for Holland. They will ask for the name/contact info for your hotel upon arrival in Amsterdam. Make your reservation now and give them that info. They may ask for your entire trip itinerary with hotels each night, but you can just tell them that you will be making arrangements as you go. Do NOT give them more info than you have to - I made the mistake of giving them a detailed plan with a map I made, etc., and they demanded to know what tour agency we were going with (my map looked too "professional"). Give them exactly the minimum info they require and nothing more.

The lady at the Dutch consulate in Bellevue was pretty grumpy; when we went in person and started talking about how excited we were to visit Amsterdam she warmed a bit (this was after she had sent our paperwork off to the real embassy, in LA, I think).

FYI, we turned in our paperwork and my wife's passport/green card, etc. in person in Bellevue; they sent the request to (I think) Los Angeles; things came back to the consulate in Bellevue and we picked it up in person there.

Have a great trip!

You don't necessarily have to tweak your real itinerary - just the itinerary you give them. Once you're in Europe nobody is going to be checking how many days you spend in one country or another. Just tell them you will be in Holland 10 days, then 5 days in Belgium, 5 days in France, 5 days in Germany, etc. You should get your visa for Holland. They will ask for the name/contact info for your hotel upon arrival in Amsterdam. Make your reservation now and give them that info. They may ask for your entire trip itinerary with hotels each night, but you can just tell them that you will be making arrangements as you go. Do NOT give them more info than you have to - I made the mistake of giving them a detailed plan with a map I made, etc., and they demanded to know what tour agency we were going with (my map looked too "professional"). Give them exactly the minimum info they require and nothing more.

The lady at the Dutch consulate in Bellevue was pretty grumpy; when we went in person and started talking about how excited we were to visit Amsterdam she warmed a bit (this was after she had sent our paperwork off to the real embassy, in LA, I think).

FYI, we turned in our paperwork and my wife's passport/green card, etc. in person in Bellevue; they sent the request to (I think) Los Angeles; things came back to the consulate in Bellevue and we picked it up in person there.

Have a great trip!

Funny story - I got an e-mail back from the Dutch Consulate today, informing me that they have shut down all Dutch honorary consulates since biometrics were implemented last June. FYI!

On the upside, I also managed to get through to the German consulate over the phone, and they told me I can apply for a German visa through the mail! It appears only certain nationalities are required to apply in person, and Russian isn't one of them.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!