interview date in Warsaw

[lilac2010 0]

Hello, there!

Anybody had such experience?

It's more than a month since I sent IV/F04 to the Consulate in Warsaw and I still don't know the date of the interview! I am not on the list in October either! My fiance's petition approval will expire on November, 20.

How long in advance do they usually send the invitation? I need at least 20 days to get a visa to Poland from Belarus!

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

http://poland.usembassy.gov/poland/contact_plu.html <--- Contact the embassy and ask them what the deal is.

[Used to be broken 147]

Hello, there!

Anybody had such experience?

It's more than a month since I sent IV/F04 to the Consulate in Warsaw and I still don't know the date of the interview! I am not on the list in October either! My fiance's petition approval will expire on November, 20.

How long in advance do they usually send the invitation? I need at least 20 days to get a visa to Poland from Belarus!

Just went two rounds with the Warsaw Embassy on this issue eventually got tired of the nonsense and requested an appointment in Moscow. The problem is they don't send the "invitation letter" that the Polish Embassy wishes to see in enough time to get the Polish VISA processed. The email or letter from the NVC doesn't seem to be sufficient for the folks who work the windows at the Polish Embassy and they even asked my husband to see the envelope they sent the letter in when the Warsaw Embassy emailed us the invite letter. Note, I have seen people who have posted that they got them to accept the emailed NVC letter but our experience was pretty recent and it didn't work. My spouse made three separate trips killing three days and multiple calls and emails from me to the US Embassy in Warsaw were frustrating and unproductive. The letter they said they mailed on specific day eventually arrived in Belarus with a postmark 3 weeks after the day they said they mailed it.

I advise the "get around" method which is to apply for a tourist visa which will require "pre-paid" hotel reservations in Poland in addition to the round trip transport tickets for the time you will be there, so you cannot get on the train/plane and come back the same day if you want a tourist VISA.

So when they finally notify you via phone of email of the appointment date and promise you they will immediately send the invite letter in the mail, don't get sucked in and believe it, it will not come in time to process the VISA. So make the reservations, get the hotel to fax you the confirmation, buy some tickets and get a tourist VISA. Electronic hotel confirmation notices don't work, they want a faxed or mailed confirmation from the hotel.

Another get around standing in line all day at the Polish Consulate is to hire a travel company in Belarus to get the tourist VISA for you. If you do decide to stand in line at Consulate get there a couple hours before they open, although it should be less traffic since summer is over, the wait could be all day just to get to a window to talk to someone. Don't forget you now need an appointment to stand outside all day and you have to go online to arrange the day in advance could take 8-10 days to get it.

Good luck

[lilac2010 0]

Thanks a lot for the answers!

I got the invitation letter with the date of the interview only 20 days ahead!

So, I hired a travel agent to get me a tourist visa on time and had to pay thrice as much for their service, but... Now what is left is booking a hotel for overnight stay.

One more thing troubles me: when does the consulate usually give the answer to Belarusians, the same day, the next day and when exactly the next day? Share your experience, please.

Thank you for your sympathy

[Used to be broken 147]

Thanks a lot for the answers!

I got the invitation letter with the date of the interview only 20 days ahead!

So, I hired a travel agent to get me a tourist visa on time and had to pay thrice as much for their service, but... Now what is left is booking a hotel for overnight stay.

One more thing troubles me: when does the consulate usually give the answer to Belarusians, the same day, the next day and when exactly the next day? Share your experience, please.

Thank you for your sympathy

Well its a good thing you got it in time! We were not so lucky. If the Travel Agent handled the VISA for you , no worries on the the hotel stay. I recommend the Polonia Palace across the street from the train station, not cheap but very nice.

Regarding VISA issuance I think I have seen others post morning appointments come back at 3:00pm. Do a search on this forum using Belarus and I think you can find posts about a recent interview.

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Thanks a lot for the answers!

I got the invitation letter with the date of the interview only 20 days ahead!

So, I hired a travel agent to get me a tourist visa on time and had to pay thrice as much for their service, but... Now what is left is booking a hotel for overnight stay.

One more thing troubles me: when does the consulate usually give the answer to Belarusians, the same day, the next day and when exactly the next day? Share your experience, please.

Thank you for your sympathy

Hi there))) I would like to say not to waste money on any travel agents. When I got the invitation from American embassy in Poland - I did everything by myself. It's not difficult at all. You just open website of Poland embassy in Minsk - take all papers they need (it's not so many-believe me)) or you can go there and see the list by yourself - it will be on information table of the Poland embassy building/ and I gave all papers to them. But DO NOT forget to translate the interview letter in Russian language. My visa to Poland was ready in 5 or 6 days even. But I remember that they told me to come back and to get it in a week. And actually they asked me about my tickets to Poland and back. So you can buy them BEFORE you will go to Poland embassy in Minsk. And also they will need reservation from Hotel in Warsaw. I strongly recommend MDM Hotel ( http://www.hotelmdm.com.pl/?pid=222 ) it is not expensive AND the most important it is 5-7 min to WALK to American embassy ))

Because you will have to BE at the embassy at 8 a.m. in the morning. If everything will be OK with your papers at American embassy - they will ask you to come the exactly the next day at 8 a.m. again. Do not be late! You will get the ticket with number - That's how they will know that you're there.

They will talk to you the next day also. And if everything will be OK) they will say to come back at 3 p.m. the same day to get the visa.

As for my trip I had a flight to Warsaw on Sunday. In the evening I got the MDM hotel room & I walked to American embassy to see where it was. I was surprised how close it was. SO on Monday morning - I was there at 8 a.m. - and it was a lot of people ALREADY. So my actual interview was almost at 11:40 - and they closed at 12 or 1p.m. SO think about it) and they told me to be the next morning at 8. I came there, they asked few more questions and they told to come to get the visa at 3p.m. So on my way back home you can catch the train to Minsk (it's in the evening) or wait for the next morning to have a flight. But remember that Poland embassy will give you a visa on the Exactly reserved days in hotel. I took 3 days. But the train was little bit late & I was late from Poland to Belarus on 3 )))) minutes- so they put me into their system on Poland boarder))) Who cares)) I had American Visa in my Passport))).

PS> I got my invitation letter in 21 days. So in 3 days later I had my Poland embassy and in 5 days my medical exam. DO NOT WASTE TIME ))) JUST DO IT)))

Edited October 3, 2010 by Why_Me

[lilac2010 0]

Thanks a lot for the fast replies!

They did clarify the situation for me.

I arrive in Warsaw by train early in the morning, the appointment is at 9.30 on October, 21. So I am going to the hotel after the interview. But what about my passport? I guess I'll have to leave the passport in the consulate. Will the hotel check me in without my passport? My fiance is going to book the hotel for me(Sheraton- within walking distance from the embassy) for one night as I hope to get the answer on Friday 22.

I have never stayed at hotels abroad. Perhaps it's better to go to the hotel first and then to the interview? What do you think?

Thanks for your consideration

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Thanks a lot for the fast replies!

They did clarify the situation for me.

I arrive in Warsaw by train early in the morning, the appointment is at 9.30 on October, 21. So I am going to the hotel after the interview. But what about my passport? I guess I'll have to leave the passport in the consulate. Will the hotel check me in without my passport? My fiance is going to book the hotel for me(Sheraton- within walking distance from the embassy) for one night as I hope to get the answer on Friday 22.

I have never stayed at hotels abroad. Perhaps it's better to go to the hotel first and then to the interview? What do you think?

Thanks for your consideration

Get the hotel room first of course...passport will be turned into the US embassy so make sure you get the hotel room first.

*btw, that last post was my wife posting using my nik on here.

[lilac2010 0]

OK

I'll do like this

Thank you ever so much!

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

OK

I'll do like this

Thank you ever so much!

Hello)) my appointment was at 8:40, I was at American embassy at 8 a.m. - and it was a lot of people. So my interview was close to the end of embassy's work day - 11:40. If it will happen to you - they will reschedule you on the next day.

They will not take your passport at 1st day. They will check your information (in my case it was only fingerprints, because everything else was just fine with papers) during day & night ( because of time difference).

If your interview on Thursday & if everything will be fine - they will tell you to be on 2nd interview on Friday in the morning. And if everything will go Ok - only on Friday they will take your passport in the morning and will ask you to come at 3 p.m. to get it.

About the hotel - remember the check-in time most of hotels is at 12 p.m., sometimes it is 2 p.m. Nobody will check you in the morning, you will have to pay for another day.

Edited October 3, 2010 by Why_Me

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Hi there))) I would like to say not to waste money on any travel agents. When I got the invitation from American embassy in Poland - I did everything by myself. It's not difficult at all. You just open website of Poland embassy in Minsk - take all papers they need (it's not so many-believe me)) or you can go there and see the list by yourself - it will be on information table of the Poland embassy building/ and I gave all papers to them. But DO NOT forget to translate the interview letter in Russian language. My visa to Poland was ready in 5 or 6 days even. But I remember that they told me to come back and to get it in a week. And actually they asked me about my tickets to Poland and back. So you can buy them BEFORE you will go to Poland embassy in Minsk. And also they will need reservation from Hotel in Warsaw. I strongly recommend MDM Hotel ( http://www.hotelmdm.com.pl/?pid=222 ) it is not expensive AND the most important it is 5-7 min to WALK to American embassy ))

Because you will have to BE at the embassy at 8 a.m. in the morning. If everything will be OK with your papers at American embassy - they will ask you to come the exactly the next day at 8 a.m. again. Do not be late! You will get the ticket with number - That's how they will know that you're there.

They will talk to you the next day also. And if everything will be OK) they will say to come back at 3 p.m. the same day to get the visa.

As for my trip I had a flight to Warsaw on Sunday. In the evening I got the MDM hotel room & I walked to American embassy to see where it was. I was surprised how close it was. SO on Monday morning - I was there at 8 a.m. - and it was a lot of people ALREADY. So my actual interview was almost at 11:40 - and they closed at 12 or 1p.m. SO think about it) and they told me to be the next morning at 8. I came there, they asked few more questions and they told to come to get the visa at 3p.m. So on my way back home you can catch the train to Minsk (it's in the evening) or wait for the next morning to have a flight. But remember that Poland embassy will give you a visa on the Exactly reserved days in hotel. I took 3 days. But the train was little bit late & I was late from Poland to Belarus on 3 )))) minutes- so they put me into their system on Poland boarder))) Who cares)) I had American Visa in my Passport))).

PS> I got my invitation letter in 21 days. So in 3 days later I had my Poland embassy and in 5 days my medical exam. DO NOT WASTE TIME ))) JUST DO IT)))

************Things have changed a bit since you got your VISA from the Polish Consulate. The first BIG CHANGE that as of June 2010 the Polish Consulate will not see you without an electronic appointment request. So going directly to the Consulate will waste a day because when you go to th window they will tell you this. This adds almost 8-10 days to the required time to secure a VISA depending on how busy they are.

In the middle of the summer June and July of this year it was taking about 8-10 days to get a assigned a day to go to the Consulate to stand in line. It may be quicker now that tourist season is over. So the first step is going on line at the Polish Consulate website to request an Appointment date. After that it is taking 10 days from the assigned date to go stand in line with your paperwork to actually request the VISA and drop of your passport. So now it is taking about 20 days in total to accomplish this... unless you use a Travel Company which seems to speed things up.

Second thing that has changed is they won't take the electronic VISA appointment letters issued by the NVC (if they ever even did), they only seem to be excepting the mailed Letter issued from the US Embassy in Warsaw and they are asking to see the envelope it came in to see the postmark. In some cases more recent than your case they are also asking for "proof of prepaid hotel reservations" for those folks who are doing the process on their own without a Travel Company.

It seems the US Embassy is having trouble getting the appointment letters to the beneficiarys sufficient time to process the VISA at the Polish consulate. If the petitioner is the 'agent" for NVC purposes the beneficiary might not get a letter at all from the Embassy, the petitioner simply gets the electronic appointment letter which the Polish Consulate will not accept.

This is the reason I suggested using a Travel Company since I assume they request appointment dates every day and can go everyday, so they just add your paperwork to the stack they are working and it cuts some time off the process.

Hope this helps.

Edited October 3, 2010 by brokenfamily

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here is another link to a more recent experience with the Polish Consulate and US Embassy in Warsaw

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/257846-belaruswarsaw-interview-warning/page__p__4072177__fromsearch__1#entry4072177

[lilac2010 0]

Thanks a lot for your comments and useful links!

Dear Why_ME, your experience sounds so complicated!

Did you have to wait so long indoors or outside? Was it a live queue regardless of the appointment time? My appointment is scheduled for 9.30, should I appear at the doors at 8 sharp or what? They write in the instructions not to be late but not to come too early as well. Honestly, I am confused!

Thank you

[Bad_Daddy 2,209]

Thanks a lot for your comments and useful links!

Dear Why_ME, your experience sounds so complicated!

Did you have to wait so long indoors or outside? Was it a live queue regardless of the appointment time? My appointment is scheduled for 9.30, should I appear at the doors at 8 sharp or what? They write in the instructions not to be late but not to come too early as well. Honestly, I am confused!

Thank you

Hello) They wrote in the instructions not to be late but not to come too early TOO. I don't want to confuse you. I just share my experience ))) So my words should mean "as it was with ME" _ it can be different with YOU )) I was told to come early ( at 8 am ) by people who did this kind of visas & they had worked in this field for years. So I just did as they told me to do. That's why I went to American embassy at 8am (my appointment was at 8:40 ) - but my actual interview was at 11:40. It was a LOT of people. I don't know why they do this. I think I was close to be rescheduled on the next day. Because the embassy works till 12 pm ( may be 12:30 ) - and that's all for this day. Some people AFTER me was rescheduled for tomorrow) there is the point - to think about it - if you are limited by Polish visa.

That how it was with me))

PS> As I remember train from Minsk arrives to Warsaw early in the morning ( 6 till 7 am) - so honestly - you will have nothing to do but to go to embassy, because you'll be able to leave your suitcase in the building - and after interview - you can go to hotel) So Just DOn't be in a Hurry )) Enjoy your morning COFFEE))) & Good Luck on the Interview)))

[lilac2010 0]

Hello and thank you for your profound answers!

I see your point and will come to the embassy at 8 am.

Now I am going to find the transport from the railway station to Piekna, 12, but I don't know yet to what station the train arrives, will find out today when will be buying tickets.

Thans a lot!!!