allanr

Possibly so. Going to the interview entails two r/t plane tickets to SFO and a night in a hotel in City, over $1k. I hate leaving things to chance after that.

The official advice is not to say "no" to the questions of whether reservations are booked. Please..no more replies!

We're not interested in iceland. As I stated very clearly, this is my wife's 26 day dream tour of Europe, which starts and ends in the Netherlands (covers 13 countries). You are supposed to get your Schengen Visa from the country you enter the Schengen area from, or the country you spend the most time in. In both cases, that will be the Netherlands. 4 nights. When I google "Schengen visa requirements Netherlands" I get the following. 6. Proof of confirmed (fully paid) flight reservation or other proof of intended transport and a full travel itinerary (if several Schengen countries will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen countries and non-Schengen countries). 7. Proof of accommodation. Evidence of hotel bookings or travel plan for the entire stay in the Schengen area: confirmed hotel reservations, stating your full name, address and telephone number of the hotel, including confirmation number. I saw that checklist as well. it asks for "proof of lodging". Then it continues and states, "if traveling to several Schengen states, proof of lodging in them as well." It doesn't make sense to travel 600 miles for an interview, and click "no" on one of the requirements, and hope the interviewer let's that pass. I think we've beaten this topic to death. Thanks for your help. When I google Schengen Visa from the

I should have added that "a Schengen Visa application is usually processed within 15 days, but the processing time can be extended for up to 45 days." The tour company (expat explore) will only give out the necessary receipts/itinerary needed for the interview once the tour is paid in full. They give a 10 day refund window. From everything I've read, Visa applications/interviews on the West Coast generally take longer than that to be approved.

I see your point, and I want to sincerely thank you for trying to help. I think the cancellable air ticket is a great idea that I will use. As far as the tour, it starts and ends in Netherlands and incorporates 13 countries. There is no way to make that cancellable for more than 10 days..I've tried. The only way the tour company will give us the "proof of accommodations" that is a general Shengen requirement, is to pay in full. I'm being advised not to do that given the potential cost, but to book fictious hotel reservations and have my wife present those at the interview. Although you may not want to call that lying, it is not being truthful either. The reservations will be in the packet of information presented to the interviewer, and my wife is very concerned about having the answer questions about hotel reservations she will not use. She has told me she will not say anything untruthful. Once again, I posted the original message to find out if anyone who has a 10 year green card in the USA has experience with a Shengen visa interview and what is the likelihood of passing it is providing all of your information is in order.

Thank you for your reply. I'll take as much of the advice as I can about cancellable flight and rooms. I'm reluctant to check any "no" options on the checklist as that would increase the odds of the applications being denied. What the stated purpose of my post was, which nobody has really answered yet, is if anyone has experience with Shengen Visa interviews and what, with a properly filled out application form, the chances of it being rejected would be.

Check out Shengen visa requirements. I did for my start/end point. The Netherlands. As others have stated. It's probably best to lie about everything, and get reservations my wife will not use and cancel. She feels really uncomfortable about going into the interview and not telling the truth.

You have to have paid hotel reservations or a verified place to stay for the entire trip.

So, the recommendations here are to lie about the trip in order to get a Visa. Given Shengen's somewhat ridiculous requirements, it's actually good advice. Looking for a trip now that fits that criteria. The couple I've seen so far say they will issue travel credits rather than refunds... Thanks to all...

The issue is that the tour portion of the trip is over $4,600. It has a hard-and-fast 10 day refund period, and will not send the documents needed for the Shengen Visa until it is paid in full. From what I've read, in the majority of cases, it takes longer than 10 days to get the decision on whether you've been accepted or denied. I am looking into airline tickets that are fully refundable. They have a disclaimer on expedia that states that not all taxes and fees may be refunded. it's never easy...

My Filipina wife wants to go on her 26 day dream tour of Europe. She is a U.S. 10-year green card holder. We will drive 10 hours for her Shengen Visa interview (Netherlands) in San Francisco in January. My concern is that they require that her tour, insurance and airline tickets be paid in full prior to arriving at the VFS.global interview. She's had the same job for over 3 years, she makes a fairly good amount of money (~$60k), and we have plenty of money in the bank. There is nobody talk to at this visa service about the chances of her being rejected since she is still a passport holder from a 3rd world country. If she is denied a visa, we are out over $6,000, which is the prepaid amount for the airline ticket, tour price, and insurance required. Does anyone have experience with the Shengen visas and how often people from 3rd world countries are denied? If the chances of her being rejected are over about 10%, I'm thinking the risk of prepaying for everything is not worth it. Thanks in advance.

My wife and I have been married for over 4 years. We originally married in Cebu, then moved to the USA several months later. She now feels it's important to get formally married in the USA. I've tried googling if this is actually something that can be done, but came up empty. She claims some of her friends have done it, but is hazy on the details. Anyone here know if it's actually legal to get formally married in the USA, although I already legally married my wife in the Philippines? Details would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.