Student in the UK wants to visit continental Europe

[mikey23]

Hi all,
This forum seems amazingly useful and the amount of knowledge people share here is incredible, so glad I've found it! I really hope that someone will be able to help me with my issue.

I come from Ecuador and I am in the UK on the student visitor visa. I would like to use the fact that I am here in the UK as an opportunity to visit other countries in Europe, however, I do require a Schengen visa. Stupidly enough, I was not aware that I was supposed to apply for it in a country of residence. Therefore, I have a big problem now. I know some (most?) embassies require an invitation letter from a resident of a particular country which I might struggle to obtain. I have been advised though that some countries are fine without such an invitation which could be my chance.


Has anyone faced a similar situation? What country could issue a visa without an invitation letter? I am flexible in terms of what country I would visit, it would just be nice to get away for a while. And trust me, flying back to Ecuador just to get a Schengen visa would be quite costly...


I would very much appreciate your help. I had a Schengen visa in May when I visited Spain and Italy and I truly loved it (that was before I came to the UK) and I would really love to travel more.


Best regards,
Mikey

[noajthan]

Hi all,
This forum seems amazingly useful and the amount of knowledge people share here is incredible, so glad I've found it! I really hope that someone will be able to help me with my issue.

I come from Ecuador and I am in the UK on the student visitor visa. I would like to use the fact that I am here in the UK as an opportunity to visit other countries in Europe, however, I do require a Schengen visa. Stupidly enough, I was not aware that I was supposed to apply for it in a country of residence. Therefore, I have a big problem now. I know some (most?) embassies require an invitation letter from a resident of a particular country which I might struggle to obtain. I have been advised though that some countries are fine without such an invitation which could be my chance.

Has anyone faced a similar situation? What country could issue a visa without an invitation letter? I am flexible in terms of what country I would visit, it would just be nice to get away for a while. And trust me, flying back to Ecuador just to get a Schengen visa would be quite costly...

I would very much appreciate your help. I had a Schengen visa in May when I visited Spain and Italy and I truly loved it (that was before I came to the UK) and I would really love to travel more.

Best regards,
Mikey

Invitation letters are only required if you plan to visit a friend or relative.

You can also apply from outside your home country:

Can I apply for a Schengen visa in a country where I am not a resident?

Yes. If you must apply for a Schengen visa in a country where you are not a resident, the justification why you are applying from that country will suffice.

Ref: http://www.schengenvisainfo.com/how-to- ... ngen-visa/

Finally...
Note Russia & Turkey appear to be visa-free for you as an Ecuadorian citizen - bon voyage!

[mikey23]

Thank you for your answer noajthan.


I called the Spanish embassy and unfortunately I would only be able to apply for a visa from Ecuador. Maybe other countries have different rules, but it is really hard to find such information online and it is not clear at all. I would very much appreciate it if someone could advise on a country that would be the best solution.


This is really frustrating as all I want is to get away for a few days since so many beautiful countries are in a close proximity. I have a friend who is a EU citizen and his parents could issue an invitation I suppose, but it still looks like a long route...