Please help... confused between 2 embassies

brijkalani · Post by **brijkalani** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:02 pm

I got to visit germany for company work for 3 days in september. But before that i want to visit belgium on my own with friends for 2 days in august. which embassy should i apply? and what visa business or tourist? This would be my first schengen visa and I am keen to get multiple entry as i might need to visit again for work.

I am an indian national on HSMP VISA, still got 10 months before renewal. please help me cos i need to sort out as soon as possible due to queing waiting times for appointment.

Thanks in advance

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:16 pm

brijkalani wrote:I got to visit germany for company work for 3 days in september. But before that i want to visit belgium on my own with friends for 2 days in august. which embassy should i apply? and what visa business or tourist? This would be my first schengen visa and I am keen to get multiple entry as i might need to visit again for work.

I am an indian national on HSMP VISA, still got 10 months before renewal. please help me cos i need to sort out as soon as possible due to queing waiting times for appointment.

Thanks in advance

I know this, I know this!!

You need a German Work permit - I dunno what a business visa is for really, either ur working or not - whats the difference? anyway, if you actually working I'm sure u need the WP.

The good news is it's also a schegen visa built in! I know cos we got one!

Bad news is it took AGES to get, like four and half months, Germany bureaucracy is worse than Russian and Indian combined.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:20 pm

Wanderer wrote:
brijkalani wrote:I got to visit germany for company work for 3 days in september. But before that i want to visit belgium on my own with friends for 2 days in august. which embassy should i apply? and what visa business or tourist? This would be my first schengen visa and I am keen to get multiple entry as i might need to visit again for work.

I am an indian national on HSMP VISA, still got 10 months before renewal. please help me cos i need to sort out as soon as possible due to queing waiting times for appointment.

Thanks in advance
I know this, I know this!!

You need a German Work permit - I dunno what a business visa is for really, either ur working or not - whats the difference? anyway, if you actually working I'm sure u need the WP.

The good news is it's also a schegen visa built in! I know cos we got one!

Bad news is it took AGES to get, like four and half months, Germany bureaucracy is worse than Russian and Indian combined.

Come to think of it a WP is daft for three days....

How did we manage without the EU?!!

Business visa makes more sense

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Tue Jul 24, 2007 10:22 pm

But:

A business visa allows entry to the Schengen Zone for business visits but not for work. Of course, there are grey areas here. For example, suppose that a Czech computer programmer got a business visa valid for ninety days within a six months period. He could do a four months contract in Belgium on his business visa, returning home each weekend, without breaking the duration. It would be hard for the iummigration officials to know that he was working and not doing business. Indeed, suppose that the contract allowed him to work just under half of the time at home then, as long as he could get a business visa renewed on a regular basis, there is no real reason why he couldn't work indefinitely on contract within the Schengen Zone. (It does happen!)

Of course, a business visa requires an invitation from a recognised business in the host country.

brijkalani · Post by **brijkalani** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:26 am

well i am going to visit a technical conference. but we also got an associate company who can write an invitation letter for me. The work permit route would be too long.

so basically if i go to german consulate, can i apply for visit to belguium as well? which is a month before visiting germany!!

if yes, what should be the date of arrival in the form. arrival for 1st entry(belgium in my case) or in germany

Should i tick both options 1) business and 2) tourism for the purpose of travel?

please spare me of my sparse knowledge regarding immigration. your help would be appreciated.

(note- All the hotels and flights would be booked in advance)

Wanderer wrote:But:

A business visa allows entry to the Schengen Zone for business visits but not for work. Of course, there are grey areas here. For example, suppose that a Czech computer programmer got a business visa valid for ninety days within a six months period. He could do a four months contract in Belgium on his business visa, returning home each weekend, without breaking the duration. It would be hard for the iummigration officials to know that he was working and not doing business. Indeed, suppose that the contract allowed him to work just under half of the time at home then, as long as he could get a business visa renewed on a regular basis, there is no real reason why he couldn't work indefinitely on contract within the Schengen Zone. (It does happen!)

Of course, a business visa requires an invitation from a recognised business in the host country.

rafa12 · Post by **rafa12** » Wed Jul 25, 2007 5:03 pm

Mate, simply apply for a multiple entry visa with Belgium - request them to give it to you for three months - if they do, you can sail into Germany with that as well - make sure you take out a full three month travel insurance (check a few sites - i find insurengo.com fine). That way the belgian embassy will be convinced that you are serious about travelling to other schengen countries in the coming months. But if you want to go in August, you are really pushing it....apply asap. All the best!

Christophe · Post by **Christophe** » Thu Jul 26, 2007 7:03 am

Wanderer wrote:You need a German Work permit - I dunno what a business visa is for really, either ur working or not - whats the difference? anyway, if you actually working I'm sure u need the WP.

I don't think a work permit is needed: a visitor visa is what is required that enables the holder to attend to business matters (e.g. attend a conference) - this is not normally considered "work" as such.

For example (admittedly from the website of the French consulate in London:

[If you] need a visa that allows you to go to France and other Schengen States for tourism, shopping, business or family visits [you need a short-stay visa].

From the website of the German embassy in London you can get the requirements for a visitor's visa for Germany. However, as noted above, if you get a visitor's visa for Belgium that allows multiple entry, you will be able to go on your business trip to Germany with that visa. (It is the application for a visitor's visa that requires the additional documentation - a short-stay multiple-entry visitor's visa is valid for business purposes on subsequent trips to the Schengen area, even if not granted for that purpose.)

Immigrationboards.com: Immigration, work visa and work permit discussion board

Please help... confused between 2 embassies

Please help... confused between 2 embassies

Re: Please help... confused between 2 embassies

Re: Please help... confused between 2 embassies

Apply for a belgium visa

Re: Please help... confused between 2 embassies