Schengen Visa For US Green Card Holders And Permanent Residents

Are you planning a trip to Europe from the United States? Whether you are a US passport holder or US permanent resident or a US green card holder or have US visa, you need to know certain a requirements to apply for a Schengen visa from the United States. While there are various exemptions for US citizens, these can be quite confusing. So, this article gives you a detailed information on how to apply for a Schengen visa from the United States.

For entering the Schengen area, which comprises of 26 European countries, the US passport holders are allowed a free visitor entry for a period of 90 days. However, this exemption does not apply to the citizens of other countries such as indian passport holders residing in the US as permanent residents and green card holders or US visa holders. Nevertheless, in either case, you will need to fulfill certain visa requirements and follow certain guidelines to apply for a Schengen visa from the United States.

APPLYING FOR SCHENGEN VISA FROM THE UNITED STATES — FOR US CITIZENS

If you are a US citizen with a valid blue passport, you do not need a visa to enter any Schengen member country for a 90 days trip. However, if you are planning to stay for more than 90 days, you need to apply for a visa from the Embassy of the country you’re visiting, just like the process of applying for Schengen visa from the United States by a US resident or U.S. visa holder.

On the other hand, even if you’re planning to stay only till 90 days, in order to enter the Schengen area, you need to carry certain proofs and documents. Some of the mandatory documents are:

1. A valid US passport: If you’re eligible for a visa-free entry to Schengen area, you need to have a US passport with a validity that extends to more than 6 months from the date of your return from the Schengen area.
2. Covering letter: The covering letter should contain a brief description of the purpose and nature of your trip, along with all the important details, such as the dates of travelling, the flight number for the return journey, the places you’ll be visiting, the people you’re planning to meet, and the arrangement for your accommodation.
3. Proof of sufficient funds: You need to show the embassy that you have sufficient funds to cover all your expense for the entire duration of your stay in the Schengen area. Along with cash, traveler’s cheque, and international credit cards, you may also be asked to provide your current bank statement for the last 6 months and Income Tax Returns Certificate for the last three years.
4. Accommodation proof: The accommodation proof is simply the arrangement that you have made for your trip. You can show proofs such as a hotel reservation receipt for the entire duration of the stay or an attested invitation letter from your host in the Schengen area country you’re planning to visit.
5. Specific entry requirements, depending on the particular country you’re visiting.

APPLY FOR A SCHENGEN VISA FROM THE UNITED STATES — FOR US PERMANENT RESIDENTS & GREEN CARD HOLDERS AND US VISA HOLDERS

In case you’re a foreign citizen residing in the US with a valid permanent residency permit and a green card or have a valid visa, applying for a Schengen visa from the United States is quite easy. However, choosing the consulate/embassy from where you should apply is a little tricky and depends on various factors:

• If you’re planning to stay in only one Schengen country, you need to apply for a EU visa from the consular office of the country you’re visiting.
• If you’re planning to visit multiple Schengen countries, you need to apply for a Europe visa at the consular office of the country where you’re spending more days.
• If you’re staying for an equal number of days in multiple Schengen countries, you need to apply for a EU visa at the embassy of the Schengen country you’ll be entering first.
• If you’re planning to spend more than 90 days in a Schengen country, you need to obtain a residency permit, instead of the EU visa.

Once you’ve decided the country to which you will be apply for a EU visa from the United States, you can collect the following documents and apply for the visa at the Consulate of the country you’re applying to.

1) You need to submit all the documents mentioned in the section for US Citizens (section above)

2) Visa application form: You can download the visa application form from the Embassy website of the destination country. Ensure that the application form is filled with sincerity and duly signed.

3) Passport photos: The passport-sized photos need to be recently taken, and must comply with the passport format. It should have a full-face coverage and a white/light background.

4) Round trip flight itinerary: The round trip flight itinerary, dummy flight reservation, or actual flight tickets showing the flight numbers and the dates of the two-way journey is a mandatory document. You can obtain the flight itinerary for visa or dummy flight booking from a reliable travel agency, such as Visa Reservation.

5) Travel insurance policy: The travel health insurance policy should be taken for a sum of at least 30,000 EUR and needs to be valid in all the Schengen states.

You may also need some additional documents depending on nature and purpose of your travel. They are:

If the applicant is a minor, the mandatory documents would include the birth certificate, application form signed by both the parents, court order (in case of one parent having full custody of the child), attested ID proofs of both the parents, and a notarized No Objection Letter stating that both the parents have no objection towards the minor travelling abroad.

If you’re applying for a business visa, you will need an NOC from the employer, short description of your company, proof of the existence of your business, and proof of business relationship with the company in the Schengen member state.

For a student visa application, you need to submit two fully-filled visa application forms, letter of acceptance or admission from the school/college/university in the Schengen country, proof that shows, you can financially sustain yourself during your stay period.

In order to apply for an employment visa, the documents that need to be submitted includes two visa application forms and an employment contract between you and your future company in the Schengen area.

Now, that you’ve learned how to apply for a Schengen visa from the United States for both US citizens and US permanent residents & green card holders, US passport holders, US visa holders, you can plan your visit by fulfilling these requirements and following the guidelines. Since some documents such as travel insurance, hotel reservation for visa, or dummy flight itinerary for visa are commonly requested for entering the Schengen area, you can easily obtain them from our website. Once you choose your desired package, you can also get additional support and assistance from our experts at any time of your visa application process! Get in touch with us using our contact page to know more.