Schengen for travel

[Smeghead 0]

This is well after the stages VJ usually deals with, and a tributary topic to the area discussion -- my Russian wife and I (and it's thanks to VisaJourney we pulled that off) just want to take a holiday jaunt to Germany. No problem for me. She, on the other hand, gets the Schengen action. In particular, the hangup is the need to show the embassy hotel reservations in order to get the visa.

I don't know how other people travel, but we're independent types ... blowing with the wind, making it up as we go, rolling into town and scrounging a cheap room from the dog-eared pages of a travel guide. Firming itineraries and booking hotel rooms in advance is sort of anathema to us, and in no way compatible with our trip planning at this point. We're also cheap-####### bastards.

When you go to Russia, you can get around a like requirement easily enough by paying a "tourist company" to issue you a "reservation" which is altogether fictitious, tipping a bit of hard currency bakhsheesh to the Russian economy to step over the red tape, and it's no sweat. Can one dance around this Schengen requirement with similar ease, or are those stern Alemanni bureaucrats less fierce in their application of the law, or what? Is it easy to "reserve" a stay and then cancel it once the papers are in hand? Any travel freelancers who've done the Schengen dance, we could use a bit of wisdom.

Danke, danke!

[Emo 0]

This is well after the stages VJ usually deals with, and a tributary topic to the area discussion -- my Russian wife and I (and it's thanks to VisaJourney we pulled that off) just want to take a holiday jaunt to Germany. No problem for me. She, on the other hand, gets the Schengen action. In particular, the hangup is the need to show the embassy hotel reservations in order to get the visa.

I don't know how other people travel, but we're independent types ... blowing with the wind, making it up as we go, rolling into town and scrounging a cheap room from the dog-eared pages of a travel guide. Firming itineraries and booking hotel rooms in advance is sort of anathema to us, and in no way compatible with our trip planning at this point. We're also cheap-####### bastards.

When you go to Russia, you can get around a like requirement easily enough by paying a "tourist company" to issue you a "reservation" which is altogether fictitious, tipping a bit of hard currency bakhsheesh to the Russian economy to step over the red tape, and it's no sweat. Can one dance around this Schengen requirement with similar ease, or are those stern Alemanni bureaucrats less fierce in their application of the law, or what? Is it easy to "reserve" a stay and then cancel it once the papers are in hand? Any travel freelancers who've done the Schengen dance, we could use a bit of wisdom.

Danke, danke!

The requirements for tourist visa are the same to any country in Shengen Convention.

If your wife has green card she doesn’t need tourist visa for Switzerland.

U.S. Green Card Holders:

No visa is required for foreigners who have a valid U.S. green card (Permanent Resident Card, form I-551) and a valid national passport for tourism, visits, business or medical treatment for a stay up to 90 days. Both documents (passport and green card) must be valid at least 3 months after leaving Swiss territory.

Please note that the passport stamp "processed for I-551" is not considered a green card and that general visa requirements would apply in that case. The same rule also applies for the "Notice of Action" (Form I-751) and the "Authorization for Parole" (Form I-512).

http://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home/reps/n...isusa.html#0003

[Anna C. 4]

I'm sorry I don't know too much about it, but I strongly recommend to call a German Consulate within the US and ask them. Oh since you live in DC you can also call the German embassy. If there is no way around a reservation ask them if you can just do a one night reservation pro forma, and if that's enough.

I hope it works out for you!