Warsaw Interviews and How To Even Get There In Time?!

[P3ACHY 7]

It's been a bit quiet on this topic lately, and recent timelines aren't helpful since there aren't many of them in Warsaw within the last year.

We found out today, that it's nearly impossible to get a Schengen visa in the short time span from NVC informing us of our interview date, and the actual interview date (usually about a month and a half).

 

We spoke to a visa center today who said the absolute fastest it could take is about a month and three weeks to get the visa in hand to Spain (France is super backed up, the next appointment time at the consulate is early May, Hungary is super strict with their requirements, require the trip to be fully paid, and Italy takes 2-3 months). This also leaves almost no time for the medical exam.

 

Another thing, my husband has never had a Schengen visa, so maximum he could probably get is a 30 day visa being a first time applier. This gives us a potential window of 30 days to just guess when his interview will be, try to get the visa for that time frame and hope for the best? What other options could there be. 🫠

I would be so thankful to hear anyone else's stories and timelines, especially recent ones.

[Pirozhok 24]

44 minutes ago, P3ACHY said:

guess when his interview will be, try to get the visa for that time frame and hope for the best

This is what we did. Booked and prepaid refundable hotels in Budapest, return flights after 4 weeks, and applied for the Schengen as though we were taking a long vacation to Hungary.

 

She already had a history of Schengen visas pre-covid, and they wound up granting one for just under 6 months (through the end of the year).

 

After we had the visa, we scheduled the interview. Was just the first of several stressful, frustrating, uncertain travel situations throughout this process.

[P3ACHY 7]

1 hour ago, Pirozhok said:

This is what we did. Booked and prepaid refundable hotels in Budapest, return flights after 4 weeks, and applied for the Schengen as though we were taking a long vacation to Hungary.

 

She already had a history of Schengen visas pre-covid, and they wound up granting one for just under 6 months (through the end of the year).

 

After we had the visa, we scheduled the interview. Was just the first of several stressful, frustrating, uncertain travel situations throughout this process.

 

Thanks so much Pirozhok.

We are also thinking Hungary might be the only option because appointments are more readily available.
Did you provide her with a letter of sponsorship? Did she have to show some type of certificate of employment?
My husband works remotely and can't show a Russian employment certificate, but he does have land in his name in Russia which I think could be sufficient.

[Pirozhok 24]

I don't believe she had to show any confirmation of employment, but I did provide a pretty thorough letter of sponsorship. I included a copy of my passport, paystubs, bank statements, and I had added her as an authorized user on a credit card so included a letter from the bank confirming this and the credit limit that she had access to because of it.

[P3ACHY 7]

15 hours ago, Pirozhok said:

I don't believe she had to show any confirmation of employment, but I did provide a pretty thorough letter of sponsorship. I included a copy of my passport, paystubs, bank statements, and I had added her as an authorized user on a credit card so included a letter from the bank confirming this and the credit limit that she had access to because of it.

Thank you so much again Pirozhok! We're going to give it a shot I think!

[PG1972 0]

On 3/14/2025 at 10:21 AM, Pirozhok said:

I don't believe she had to show any confirmation of employment, but I did provide a pretty thorough letter of sponsorship. I included a copy of my passport, paystubs, bank statements, and I had added her as an authorized user on a credit card so included a letter from the bank confirming this and the credit limit that she had access to because of it.

 

Pirozhok,

Was there any issue adding a foreigner who was not resident or even present in the US to your credit card?  What documentation did you need?   

 

Thanks

-PG

[Pirozhok 24]

15 minutes ago, PG1972 said:

 

Pirozhok,

Was there any issue adding a foreigner who was not resident or even present in the US to your credit card?  What documentation did you need?   

 

Thanks

-PG

 

Nope, I didn't even mention those details to Capital One. I added her as an authorized user via the website, which automatically triggered a card in her name being made and shipped to my house. There didn't seem to be any check at all, and I suspect I could get a card printed for my cat if I really wanted. Interestingly, it did trigger her starting to get junk mail like car insurance fliers mailed to the house. Boo Capital One for that part.

 

I couldn't find an automated solution for the documentation for the visa app, so just called their 800# and explained the situation. They mailed me a letter on Capital One letterhead listing the authorized users (just the two of us) and explicitly stating that we both had full access to the card's full credit limit. I included this with all the other documents in a table of contents at the end of my sponsorship letter, which turned into more of a packet given all the stuff I included.

[PG1972 0]

7 minutes ago, Pirozhok said:

 

Nope, I didn't even mention those details to Capital One. I added her as an authorized user via the website, which automatically triggered a card in her name being made and shipped to my house. There didn't seem to be any check at all, and I suspect I could get a card printed for my cat if I really wanted. Interestingly, it did trigger her starting to get junk mail like car insurance fliers mailed to the house. Boo Capital One for that part.

 

I couldn't find an automated solution for the documentation for the visa app, so just called their 800# and explained the situation. They mailed me a letter on Capital One letterhead listing the authorized users (just the two of us) and explicitly stating that we both had full access to the card's full credit limit. I included this with all the other documents in a table of contents at the end of my sponsorship letter, which turned into more of a packet given all the stuff I included.

 

Thank you for the quick response!  I am going to add my fiancee now

[Elmash 0]

On 3/14/2025 at 4:11 AM, P3ACHY said:

It's been a bit quiet on this topic lately, and recent timelines aren't helpful since there aren't many of them in Warsaw within the last year.

We found out today, that it's nearly impossible to get a Schengen visa in the short time span from NVC informing us of our interview date, and the actual interview date (usually about a month and a half).

 

We spoke to a visa center today who said the absolute fastest it could take is about a month and three weeks to get the visa in hand to Spain (France is super backed up, the next appointment time at the consulate is early May, Hungary is super strict with their requirements, require the trip to be fully paid, and Italy takes 2-3 months). This also leaves almost no time for the medical exam.

 

Another thing, my husband has never had a Schengen visa, so maximum he could probably get is a 30 day visa being a first time applier. This gives us a potential window of 30 days to just guess when his interview will be, try to get the visa for that time frame and hope for the best? What other options could there be. 🫠

I would be so thankful to hear anyone else's stories and timelines, especially recent ones.

Hi PZACHY, I was thinking of doing the same for my wife as far as guessing when the interview might be. I wanted to ask you if you had an idea of what time frame you plan to use for the Schengen visa? We were Documentarily Qualified yesterday by NVC but like your case, we are clueless how to get a Schengen visa in a one month window (from when we receive the interview letter and when the interview will be). 

[SpaceCat 0]

I'm worried about this same thing. Is it possible to reschedule the interview if you can't get the visa in time? It seems there is no talk of bringing back the Moscow US embassy at this rate...

[P3ACHY 7]

15 hours ago, Elmash said:

Hi PZACHY, I was thinking of doing the same for my wife as far as guessing when the interview might be. I wanted to ask you if you had an idea of what time frame you plan to use for the Schengen visa? We were Documentarily Qualified yesterday by NVC but like your case, we are clueless how to get a Schengen visa in a one month window (from when we receive the interview letter and when the interview will be). 

 

We emailed the Hungarian embassy in Russia. They told us they accept visa applications through VFS global and when we checked, they had appointments in a week, so they look to be the best bet. They also seem to issue visas the quickest (2-3 weeks). For first-time Schengen visa applicants, we were advised to request 15 days, as it's considered a realistic vacation timeframe and improves the chances of approval. However, if your wife has had multiple Schengen visas, you might be in luck to just apply now and you'll get a 6 month visa like Pirozhok did.

 

Our plan was -- wait until the interview letter, then immediately "plan our Hungarian vacation" and schedule the visa appointment in Moscow, and also schedule the medical examination for the day before the visa appointment (so that we could finish that and then just surrender my husband's passport to the Hungarian embassy without worrying about getting the medical exam in time as well).

 

@SpaceCat From what I understand, they only let you reschedule after you miss the interview, that's all I've seen anecdotally.

 

However, we have had a change in our plans because NVC put us in Yerevan, Armenia instead of Warsaw... and I thought it was going to update after DQ, but they've kept us in Yerevan.

 

I wish you luck, and let us know how it goes.

[ireallylikegarlic 0]

@P3ACHYI was under the impression schengen visas were impossible for a russian citizen to obtain now. What purpose are you listing on the visa that is allowing them to be approved? It would be awesome if it’s possible! 

Edited yesterday at 01:43 AM by ireallylikegarlic

[P3ACHY 7]

4 hours ago, ireallylikegarlic said:

@P3ACHYI was under the impression schengen visas were impossible for a russian citizen to obtain now. What purpose are you listing on the visa that is allowing them to be approved? It would be awesome if it’s possible! 

No they're not impossible to get. Several countries are still issuing Schengen visas to Russians, like France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary. Your purpose should be some type of vacation or visit to the country for which you're applying for the visa. Technically this is considered "visa shopping," but it's not uncommon, and many tour agencies in Russia facilitate this to allow Russians to visit other EU countries besides the ones mentioned.

[ireallylikegarlic 0]

6 hours ago, P3ACHY said:

No they're not impossible to get. Several countries are still issuing Schengen visas to Russians, like France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Hungary. Your purpose should be some type of vacation or visit to the country for which you're applying for the visa. Technically this is considered "visa shopping," but it's not uncommon, and many tour agencies in Russia facilitate this to allow Russians to visit other EU countries besides the ones mentioned.

Very interesting. Thanks for the info! Whenever we have searched it we always find that these countries are refusing tourist visas except for purposes of visiting family(in which case an invitation is needed) or business. I’m definitely going to look more into this. 

 

Any update on your husbands visa? 

[P3ACHY 7]

1 hour ago, ireallylikegarlic said:

Very interesting. Thanks for the info! Whenever we have searched it we always find that these countries are refusing tourist visas except for purposes of visiting family(in which case an invitation is needed) or business. I’m definitely going to look more into this. 

 

Any update on your husbands visa? 

I definitely recommend talking to a visa agency in Russia, just for information purposes at least when the time comes. Obviously they are providing a service and trying to sell you that service, but they know the trends and try to maximize success. And you can be up front with them about why you need the visa. They even told us to avoid booking with any Polish airlines, because they might refuse Russians or give them a hard time.

Also here's a few helpful links
https://schengen.news/eu-countries-granted-25-more-schengen-visas-to-russian-citizens-in-2024/

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/statistics/russia/

 

Everything is fine, we are just waiting for our interview letter now.