Schengen Visa for Chinese
Jul 11th, 2012, 05:49 AM
#1
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Schengen Visa for Chinese
Hallo,
I live in Europe but my girlfriend is Chinese and lives in BJ. I am trying to get her to travel to Europe, but am rather overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork, papers, certifications, etc. etc. which the embassy requires in order to get a tourist Schengen Visa. Her financial situation is not that great, but I think that shouldn't be too big of a problem since I will vouch for her (there's a legal form to fill out in which I bindingly agree to take financial responsability for her).
The main problem, as far as I have understood, is that she needs a letter from her employer stating salary, duration of contract, holiday period granted, etc. etc. As she doesn't have personal holidays, she would need to take unpaid leave, but her boss might not be willing to give her the authorization and write the letter. She's actually thinking about quitting that job anyways, but I've been telling her not to because without a job I fear that it will be very difficult for her to get a Visa. Correct ? Anyways, if she changes job it'll be months until they will allow her to take any vacation..........
Does anyone have any experience with such a situation or can offer insight as to how we can overcome it ? Is there an alternative to the letter from the employer ?
I'd really appreciate your help on the matter since I'm lost right now.
Thank you.
I live in Europe but my girlfriend is Chinese and lives in BJ. I am trying to get her to travel to Europe, but am rather overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork, papers, certifications, etc. etc. which the embassy requires in order to get a tourist Schengen Visa. Her financial situation is not that great, but I think that shouldn't be too big of a problem since I will vouch for her (there's a legal form to fill out in which I bindingly agree to take financial responsability for her).
The main problem, as far as I have understood, is that she needs a letter from her employer stating salary, duration of contract, holiday period granted, etc. etc. As she doesn't have personal holidays, she would need to take unpaid leave, but her boss might not be willing to give her the authorization and write the letter. She's actually thinking about quitting that job anyways, but I've been telling her not to because without a job I fear that it will be very difficult for her to get a Visa. Correct ? Anyways, if she changes job it'll be months until they will allow her to take any vacation..........
Does anyone have any experience with such a situation or can offer insight as to how we can overcome it ? Is there an alternative to the letter from the employer ?
I'd really appreciate your help on the matter since I'm lost right now.
Thank you.
Jul 11th, 2012, 09:41 AM
#3
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Are you asking for a tourist visa - that should be relatively easy to get. If you are asking about a long-term visa (and your having to "sponsor" her sounds like it - they are very difficult and time-consuming for anyone to get. And only information from an official source - the department of state of equivalent of the country in which you live - can give correct information.
Jul 11th, 2012, 10:17 AM
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Your question is about how to organise your lives around the Schengen bureaucracy.
No embassy or Foreign Ministry is going to give advice on that. Nor will the Chinese government.
In practice, the reason so much tourism from China to Europe is organised in parties through agencies is that Schengen (and the UK) have created requirements such as the ones you've noted that are close to impossible for an independent Chinese tourist to satisfy. It's not that the Europeans want to keep independent Chinese visitors out: it's that illegal, criminally-organised, Chinese immigration is still so widespread (spend two seconds in Prato or London's Chinatown and you'll see) that these requirements are essential, if not altogether effective.
You're very, very unlikely to get any useful advice here, as the replies you've had so far demonstrate so convincingly. You might find some amateur help in the Europe pages at the Lonely Planet Thorntree site, or your girlfriend might be able to find blogs and the like, in Chinese, on the web in China. Or you might try to google very creatively.
But your girlfriend will be wasting her time asking your questions of German or French diplomats. If she has some way of talking to them informally, away from their embassy or consulate, she might get some helpful advice. But taxpayers don't provide embassies in foreign countries to help foreigners get in more easily. Or put their most creatively helpful people on the visa review teams. Those people are there to keep people out. Just like US or Chinese embassies in Europe.
No embassy or Foreign Ministry is going to give advice on that. Nor will the Chinese government.
In practice, the reason so much tourism from China to Europe is organised in parties through agencies is that Schengen (and the UK) have created requirements such as the ones you've noted that are close to impossible for an independent Chinese tourist to satisfy. It's not that the Europeans want to keep independent Chinese visitors out: it's that illegal, criminally-organised, Chinese immigration is still so widespread (spend two seconds in Prato or London's Chinatown and you'll see) that these requirements are essential, if not altogether effective.
You're very, very unlikely to get any useful advice here, as the replies you've had so far demonstrate so convincingly. You might find some amateur help in the Europe pages at the Lonely Planet Thorntree site, or your girlfriend might be able to find blogs and the like, in Chinese, on the web in China. Or you might try to google very creatively.
But your girlfriend will be wasting her time asking your questions of German or French diplomats. If she has some way of talking to them informally, away from their embassy or consulate, she might get some helpful advice. But taxpayers don't provide embassies in foreign countries to help foreigners get in more easily. Or put their most creatively helpful people on the visa review teams. Those people are there to keep people out. Just like US or Chinese embassies in Europe.
Jul 11th, 2012, 01:16 PM
#5
I have no info for you. However, I just went through the process of obtaining a visa for my boss to travel on business from the U.S. to Shanghai for a total of 4 days. It was quite an involved process considering this will be a very straight-forward, fully pre-paid, short trip. Besides my boss' passport and photos, I had to provide an "invitation letter" from the Chinese company, proof of U.S. residence, evidence that a round-trip air ticket had been purchased and that the hotel accommodations were likewise pre-paid. My boss was without his passport for a few weeks until the application was approved.
Should any less be required of a Chinese citizen wanting a Schengen visa?
Should any less be required of a Chinese citizen wanting a Schengen visa?
Jul 11th, 2012, 08:20 PM
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Last year my wife tried to get a visa for her sister and a friend to travel in Switzerland and Austria. They tried Switzerland as it was supposed to be easier and needed a letter of invitation from my wife and a detailed itinerary including confirmation of reservations from hotels for each night. It was a two step process, the application was screened by a Chinese national working in the embassy and it if gets past them then an embassy official needs to approve it. It turned out she didn't get it possibly because it was soon after bin Laden was killed and security was tightened but even at the best of times it seems like an iffy proposition. FWIW, Chinese nationals traveling as part of packaged tours generally don't have a problem getting a visa.
hope this helps,
Eric
hope this helps,
Eric
