Located on the Atlantic Ocean and bordering Spain, Portugal is a beautiful country. Cobblestone villages, medieval castles, pristine golden beaches, and modern cities—all attract tourists from every corner of the world. If you’re planning to visit Portugal, then first you need to find out, whether you need a Portugal Schengen visa to enter the country.
Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price.
Portugal is a popular tourist destination and the Portugal consulates around the world receive millions of visa applications. Unfortunately, the visa rejection rate is quite high at 13.09% for reasons unknown. The least that you can do to get your visa approved is to make sure that you apply in the right way.
This article is about Portugal short-stay Schengen visa and how you can get one from the embassy of Portugal in Washington DC.
Washington DC receives the maximum number of visa applications in the states. In the year 2016, it received close 700 visa applications.
Here, we talk about the entire procedure in details. Make sure you follow the process step-by-step.
4 Steps to acquire a Portugal Schengen visa
The entire Portugal Schengen visa application procedure can be divided into four basic steps:
- Know if you need a Portugal Schengen visa to enter the country
- If yes, book an appointment for your Portugal Schengen visa ( Get Schengen visa appointment for $ 10 )
- Collate all the documents that you need to submit to the embassy of Portugal in Washington DC
- Visit the embassy on the day of your appointment and submit all the documents to initiate the process of your Portugal Schengen visa.
Click to Book Portugal Visa Appointment for $10
Here are all the steps explained.
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Portugal Schengen visa appointment?
Do you need to apply for a Schengen visa to enter Portugal?
You can find this information easily from the official website of the embassy of Portugal in Washington DC.
Take the cursor to ‘Consular Section‘ and click on ‘Visa Information‘.
According to the information given on this page, you’ll get to know that US citizens don’t need a visa to enter Portugal if you’re visiting the country for less than 90 days.
Here, we’re dealing with short-stay Portugal Schengen visa only.
Do green card holders need a visa to enter Portugal?
Green card holders are US permanent residents and not US citizens. And yes, they need a visa to enter Portugal, even if they’re going for a short span of time.
However, worry not, this article has been specially curated for US permanent residents visiting Portugal. This guide will tell what exactly you need to do.
How do you know if you have to apply at the embassy of Portugal in Washington DC?
Many people visit more than one Schengen nations at one time. Visiting Spain along with Portugal is something that most tourists do. So, how will you know if you need to apply to the embassy of Spain or the embassy of Portugal?
Well…as per the Schengen rules, you need to apply to the embassy of that country where your stay will be the longest. So, you can apply at the embassy of Portugal, only if your stay in Portugal will be the longest.
If you intend to stay in both countries for the same duration, then apply at the embassy of the country, you’ll enter first.
The following image will explain this better.
How to book an appointment for a Portugal Schengen visa?
On the ‘Visa Information‘ page, you’ll find the appointment-booking link.
Scroll down the VFS Global page to find ‘Schedule an appointment’.
If you have registered in the last 30 days, your credentials will still be valid. If you have never registered on this website, or you registered long back, you’ll have to click on ‘New User‘.
As a new user, you’ll have to enter your name, surname, email, and contact number. Set a password and you’re done.
Use the same password and your email ID to access the appointment-booking portal. Choose a convenient time slot and a date to book your appointment.
Documents required for Portugal Schengen Visa
You’ll need to submit many documents at the embassy of Portugal in Washington DC. Here is the exhaustive list:
- Passport
- Schengen visa application form
- US permanent residency card
- Recent photographs
- Round-trip flight tickets
- Hotel reservations
- Travel insurance
- Cover letter
- Employment documents
- Proof of financial sustenance
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Here’s what you need to know about these documents:
Passport: The embassy will demand your original passport. It, of course, needs to be valid and the validity should be at least three months from the date of your return to the states. The passport should also have two blank pages.
Schengen visa application form: You can download this form online. Fill the form carefully. Ensure that the information you provide on the form is accurate. Take a print-out of this form and sign it.
US permanent residency card: This can be any document that proves your legal stay in the US. Its validity should also be three months from the date you plan to return to the US.
Photographs: You’ll need to paste a passport-sized photograph on the Schengen visa application form. It needs to be a recent one and it should have a clear view of your front face.
Round-trip flight tickets: This is something that all Schengen country consulates demand. They need to know the date on which you plan to leave the country. Most people these days are opting for temporary flight tickets and you should do the same.
What is a flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate ?
Of course, in fact all the embassies mention the same. We have added links to the official visa pages which you can verify.
France Consulate
Your travel itinerary : you MUST BOOK your airline ticket but do not purchase until the visa has been approved.
We recommend that you do not purchase travel tickets until your visa has been approved. On the other hand, you may provide us with a reservation, a planned itinerary or an online printout of a roundtrip ticket.
Travel reservation to and from schengen area, not a ticket. Note: Make travel reservation which you can cancel
Flight (roundtrip)/travel reservations and full itinerary (if several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries) with the name of passenger and one copy
Round trip ticket/reservation, originating in this jurisdiction to Europe (and ultimately to Italy) and back, including internal entry and exit points of travel i.e. EURORAIL tickets, car rental, internal flights. The names on reservations have to reflect the names on passports.
We can provide you with flight itineraries which is accepted by not only for Schengen visa but for all visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa etc.
In fact the European union visa requirements for visa states the same.
As per the official document,
Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state.Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected.
That is why we have a 100% visa acceptance rate although some of our customer have been requested to provide “additional documents”, none of their visas has been rejected for providing fake documents.
With 80% of our customers being return customers or companies that process visas for their employees/clients, our approach is the best approach if you want to ensure the safety of your visa.
This is our orders screen for this month. Most of the orders have been placed by repeat customers.
The best part about our service is along with getting a flight reservation without payment, you can also get confirmed hotel bookings, personal cover letter, leave/no objection letter for your visa consulates.
Hotel reservations: The embassy also needs to know where you’re to stay. So, do you need to make your hotel reservations before your Portugal Schengen visa gets approved? Well…the embassy wants that. However, you can save a lot of your money by opting for temporary hotel bookings instead. You’ll get this by paying a fraction of what you need to pay in the case of actual hotel reservation charges. We offer temporary reservations that are accepted by all the consulates.
Travel health insurance: We also offer Schengen travel insurance. This has the minimum coverage that the consulates want.
Cover letter: A cover letter is a great way to enhance the chances of your visa approval. We offer tailor-made cover letter for each of our clients. We include everything that is required.
Employment documents: If you’re working in the US, a letter from your employer will be required. Self-employed individuals need to submit their business license and IT return documents.
Proof of financial sustainability: You’ll need money to sustain in Portugal and you’ll have to show the same to the embassy. Recent bank statement photocopies, credit card statements, and travel cards are ideal proof of your ability to sustain financially.
What are the visa fees?
The visa fee for the Schengen nations depends on the type of visa you’re applying for. The table below gives a detailed information about the same:
You’ll be applying for a short-stay visa. Along with the visa fee, you’ll have to pay for the insurance and the temporary booking charges. Here’s is what you need to pay exactly if you hire our services:
How do these temporary bookings work?
It’s simple. You avail our services to book flight tickets and hotel rooms. These are temporary bookings only. So, even if your visa gets rejected, you don’t have to bear huge cancellation charges.
Once, your visa gets approved, convert these temporary bookings into actual ones. We give you the liberty to make changes to your travel itinerary as well without additional charges.
Why should you take temporary flight and hotel reservations from us?
We have an experience of more than 5 years and we offer a wide range of services. We’re your one-stop solution for Schengen visas. We offer temporary flight and hotel Bookings, cover letter and health insurance. We have a huge client base who are happy with our services, and we’ll ensure that you’re happy too.
Can H1B visa holders apply for the Portuguese embassy in Washington DC?
No, they can’t. If you’re one, you’ll have to go back to your native to apply for your Portugal Schengen visa.
Can the Portugal Schengen visa application be mailed?
No, you can’t. You’ll have to schedule an appointment online and submit the documents in person to get your visa done.
How long does the Portugal Schengen visa process take?
It takes around 2 weeks. The embassy of Portugal in Washington DC recommends that you apply for the visa at least one month in advance, especially during the peak tourist seasons.
What is the validity of a Portugal Schengen visa? Is it always for 90 days
No, it’s validity is for the days you mention in your travel itinerary. That’s the reason we add 8-10 days to your itinerary so that you can explore the country properly.
Embassy of Portugal in Washington DC Information
Address:
012 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Phone
+1 202 35 054 00 (Chancery)
+1 202 33 230 07 (Consular Section)
Fax
+1 202 462 3726 (Chancery)
+1 202 223 3926 (Consular Section)
info@embassyportugal-us.org (Chancery)
mail@scwas.dgaccp.pt (Consular Section)
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