Norwegian Consulate San Francisco, SFO – 4 Easy Steps to Apply for Norway Schengen Visa

Whatever your plans are in Norway, beautiful Schengen country, you’re in for a wonderful time. You can spend time in Bergen before taking a tour through the spectacular fjords. The north is the best place to see the sun setting at midnight and it’s also the place where you might see a polar bear or two. You can explore picturesque towns or vibrant cities, travel through the mountains, or visit one of Norway’s top attractions – the Atlanterhavsveien or the Atlantic Ocean Road – a marvelous sight if ever there was one! In this article learn more about how to apply for Norway visa at the Norwegian consulate in San Francisco, California, Norway visa appointment booking, Processing time at the Norwegian visa application center, flight itinerary for Norway visa, hotel bookings for Norway visa, Schengen travel insurance for Norway visa application, and Norwegian Visa Application Process at the SFO consulate.

Norway Schengen Visa

The Norwegian Embassies and Consulate offices around the world processed a grand total of 196,082 Norway Schengen visas in 2017. Of these, 5.70% were rejected for a variety of reasons. There was no data regarding the number of applications dealt with by the consulate in San Francisco.

Applying for Norway Schengen Visa from the United States         

Generally, if you were born in the United States and you want to go to Norway, you do NOT need a visa. However, if you were born in a different country, but you permanently live in the US, you DO need to apply for a visa for Norway.

You have to make sure you apply at the right Norwegian embassy and consulate. You can apply from the United States by submitting your application to the Norwegian Embassy or one of the Consulate offices located across the country.

Each of the visa offices has their own consular district and you must apply to the one that has jurisdiction over the location where you live. Therefore, if you live in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington or Wyoming, you should apply through the Consulate General of Norway in San Francisco.

If you live in any other part of the US, you can find out which office you need to deal with by looking at the website of the consulate in San Francisco.

Types of Schengen Visas Offered at the Consulate General of Norway in San Francisco

There are 2 types of visa that you can apply for and the one you need will be determined by the duration of your trip and your reason for traveling to Norway:

1. Schengen visa – this is a short-stay visa and will allow you to remain in Norway for a maximum of 90 days
2. National visa – this is a long-stay visa and will allow you to go to Norway for over 90 days

Norway visas are issued for the purposes of:

1. Tourism
2. Visiting family/friends
3. Business purposes
4. Family immigration
5. Work
6. Study
7. Residence
8. Medical reasons

Norway short-stay visas are issued as single, double, or multiple entry which means you can enter the country once, twice, or unlimited times during the validity of your visa.

If you are applying for a short-stay Schengen visa, your application will be submitted to VFS Global in San Francisco. Applications for National visas will be dealt with by the Consulate General of Norway in San Francisco.

Make sure you apply for the correct type of visa, so it’s prudent to spend time looking at the requirements and instruction on how and where to apply. If you fail to comply with anything, your application could be denied.

Schengen Visa Application Process at the Consulate General of Norway in San Francisco 

Processing times are usually within 15 days, but it could take as long as 30-60 days depending on the type of visa you are applying for and during holiday periods. You can apply any time 15 days up to 90 days before your intended departure. It’s better to be safe than sorry, so apply well in advance.

In order to help you apply for your Norway visa, here are a few steps to help you. The first thing you need to do is to make an appointment and complete your application form.

Step 1: Make an appointment and complete your application form

Making appointments with the embassy or visa application center is generally free and can be done yourself. However, If you are running short of time or not sure which consulate to apply to or have no idea on how to get this done yourself then not to worry, we will make the appointment for you for a small service fee!

Booking a visa appointment using our services is pretty simple! All you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the link to schedule the visa appointment
2. Submit the appointment details, visa you are applying for, consulate you need the appointment for, the country you need the appointment IN and make the payment
3. Receive appointment confirmation in email

You can also make an appointment yourself by following the below steps:

1. If you are applying for a short-stay Schengen go to VFS Global’s website and click on the “Schedule an appointment tab”:
2. If this is your first time using this system, you’ll need to create a new account:
3. Or, you can enter your login details:
4. You’ll then be able to make your appointment for your short-stay visa.

You can also access this appointment booking system through the Norwegian consulate in San Francisco’s website. Scroll down to where it says: “Handing in the documents” and click on the link for booking appointments:

If you are applying to a long-stay National visa, you must make your appointment on the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration for Norway (UDI). Click on: “Booking appointments”

On the next page, you’ll either have to log in:

Or, register as a new user:

Once you have done that, you will be able to make your appointment for your long-stay visa.

The next part of this first step is to complete your application for your short-stay OR long-stay visa. You can do this by going to the UDI’s website and clicking on: “Application portal“.

All you need to do is use the same log in details and complete your application form. When you submit it, the system will register this for your appointment at VFS Global or the Norwegian consulate in San Francisco.

Step 2: Prepare the documents for your application  

This step is very important! It’s advisable to spend time looking at the requirements for your type of visa. The visa office will NOT accept your application if there is anything missing, so check everything before you part with your application. Information regarding this can be found at VFS Global or the Norwegian consulate in San Francisco.

You also need to provide originals as well as photocopies, so don’t forget to do this!

Documents include:

1. Cover letter (printed from the application portal)
2. Application form for visa (printed from the application portal)
3. Receipt for the application fee (printed from the application portal)
4. 1 passport-sized photo. See guidelines for acceptable photos
5. Travel itinerary
6. Passport valid for 3 months beyond planned dates with 2 free pages and issued no longer than 10 years ago
7. Copies of previous Schengen visas (if applicable)
8. Proof of US legal residence
9. Verification of employment, private business, or studies including permission to leave for planned dates
10. Proof of financial means or income in the US such as bank statements for the last 3 months or employer’s statement or last tax return
11. Schengen Travel insurance – at least €30,000 to cover hospitalization, medical emergencies, and repatriation expenses
12. Letter of invitation from the company or host etc
13. Letter from employer stating the reason and length of trip and nature of the business
14. Proof of accommodation
15. Marriage/birth certificate
16. Letter of consent for minors (must be notarized

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1. Visit the Visa Reservation website to choose the right package
2. Submit the travel details and make the payment online
3. Receive flight itinerary in email

Step 3: Attend your appointment

On the day you are due to attend your appointment, remember these 3 things:

1. Arrive early – whether your appointment is at VFS Global or the consulate in San Francisco, it will be frowned upon if you are late AND you will have to make a new appointment. You will not be the only one who has an appointment that day
2. Take ALL your documents with you – check you have everything before you leave home. Missing documents will result in a rejected application
3. Dress smartly – don’t turn up in jeans or t-shirt. The visa staff are looking for any clues as to whether you genuinely want your visa

When the staff starts to look over your application, don’t be worried or get annoyed if they ask you for further information. They need all the facts and figures to be able to make a fair decision about your application.

They may ask you interview questions like:

1. Why do you want to go to Norway?
2. What do you know about Schengen country?
3. Do you have enough money to pay for your trip?
4. Do you know anyone in Norway or any of the other Schengen countries?

Don’t jeopardize your Schengen visa interview at the last minute. Use this comprehensive and thorough visa interview guide to crack the visa interview!

You would have already paid the fee for your visa when you registered your application on the application portal but if you are submitting your file to VFS Global, they charge a service fee of $33.

All fees are non-refundable even if your application is refused.

If you wish to have your passport mailed back to you by UPS courier from VFS Global, you need to pay $30 per passport. This is in addition to the visa and service fees.

Norway Schengen Visa Fees

You may also need to provide biometric data if this is your first time applying for a visa.

Step 4: Receive your passport and visa

After you have submitted your application, you can track the status by going to VFS Global’s website and clicking on: “Track your application”:

Type your reference number and last name and click on: “Submit”:

The online tracking system is only for applications submitted to VFS in San Francisco. For applications submitted to the consulate in San Francisco, you can find out the status of your application if you email info.norway@vfshelpline.com with the following details:

1. Your complete name (as written in your passport)
2. Appointment reference number
3. Passport number
4. Date of birth
5. Date of submission

When a decision has been reached, you can collect your passport from VFS Global or the consulate in San Francisco. If you prefer, you can have your passport mailed back to you by courier from VFS.

With any luck, your Norway visa will be attached to a page in your passport. If it isn’t, unfortunately, it would have been rejected for any number of reasons, such as:

1. Insufficient funds
2. Purpose of the trip not clear
3. No signatures
4. Damaged passport
5. Missing documents

You MUST and without fail supply all the required documents. The visa office CANNOT make a fair decision without the necessary paperwork, so check that you have everything before you attend your appointment. You must make the reason for traveling to Norway clear and you must prove that you can afford the trip. You can do this with documents, such as an itinerary, bank statements, and other documents relevant to your situation, and your documents should be signed in the appropriate places. If your passport is damaged, you must get a new one before applying for your visa.

Contact details for VFS Global in San Francisco, SFO

Address: 110 Sutter Street, Floor 05, San Francisco, CA 94104

Email: info.norway@vfsglobal.com

Telephone: +1 347 329 2738

Call center: Monday to Friday, from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm. Appointments are not to be booked by email or phone

Hours:

Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 4.00 pm (Submissions)

Monday to Friday, 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm (Collections)

Contact details for the Norwegian Consulate in San Francisco, SFO

Address: 575 Market Street, Suite 3950, San Francisco, CA 94105-5857

Email: cg.san.francisco@mfa.no

Telephone: +1 415 882 2000

Fax: +1 415 882 2001

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9.00 am to 12.00 pm

Conclusion

4 simple steps to apply for your Norway visa:

1. Make an appointment and complete your application
2. Prepare the documents for your application
3. Attend your appointment
4. Receive your visa

When you get your approved visa, you only have to think about what you’re going to do when you get to Norway!

At Visa Reservation, we strive to simplify the visa process by providing free visa consultations, cover letter templates and no objection letter templates for our clients from US, UK, Canada, Philippines, India, China, UAE, Europe, Nigeria and globally. We also offer flight itinerary for visa, travel medical insurance, hotel reservations for visa , Book Visa Appointment, Travel Guides, Visa Interview Guides and many more. To learn more about how we can help you with our visa services, please feel free to contact us today.

See Also

How To Apply for Norway Schengen Visa at Norwegian Consulate in NYC, New York

Worldwide Visa Requirements