Switzerland Visa Requirements for US Green Card Holders-2020

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Switzerland Visa Requirements for U.S Green card holders

It does not matter whether you visit Switzerland for its countryside scenery or dramatic mountain ranges, there’s nothing forgettable about this European nation.

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. 

Sadly Switzerland has one of the highest visa rejection rate of 6.99% in 2016. This post will help you in understanding Switzerland visa requirements for US green card holders and how you can make sure that you get your Schengen visa approved.

Are you sure you need to apply for Schengen visa at the Switzerland consulate ?

The consulate at which you need to apply for a Schengen visa depends on several factors. You need to apply at the Switzerland consulate if your main “theme” of your trip to Switzerland. 

Where to apply for Schengen Visa

Do green card holders (US Permanent Residents) need a visa for Switzerland?

Sadly yes, you need to get a Switzerland Schengen visa if you would like to visit Switzerland with a permanent residence or green card. Only full US citizens who hold the US passport can visit Europe without a visa. So if you are an Indian or Russian residing in the US, you will need to apply for a Schengen visa before you can go for a trip. Simply follow our simple article below to know how you can get Switzerland visa as a U.S Permanent Resident easily.

To get Switzerland Schengen visa as a resident in the US you need to do the following steps :

  • Determine which consulate you need to apply for Schengen visa based on your trip
  • Get an appointment for your Schengen visa (plan this in advance) ( Get Schengen visa appointment  for $ 10 )
  • Collect & organise all the documents needed for your Schengen visa application
  • Either attend for the interview in person or mail your documents to the consulate.

Schengen Visa appointment

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from New York?

Follow the simple to apply for Switzerland Schengen visa from Newyork.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from San Francisco?

Learn to apply for a Switzerland Schengen Visa from San Francisco easily.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from Montreal Consulate?

Easy way to apply for Switzerland Schengen visa from the Consulate of Montreal.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from Vancouver Consulate?

Learn to apply for a Switzerland Schengen Visa from the Consulate of Vancouver.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from Atlanta?

Learn to apply for a Switzerland Schengen Visa from Atlanta easily.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa from Washington DC?

Follow the simple to apply for Switzerland Schengen visa from Washington DC.

How to apply for a Switzerland Schengen visa?

Before you can apply for Switzerland Schengen visa you need to determine which consulate of Switzerland in the United States has the jurisdiction to issue your Schengen visa. You can determine this by visiting the below link.

Switzerland Schengen visa consulates in America

For this example, we are considering New York as our Switzerland visa processing center. By clicking the blue link adjacent to “New York”, you will be taken to the consulate’s website

Is it mandatory to appear in person?

Since May 15, 2014 all diplomatic representations of the Schengen member states in the US have to capture the biometric data (finger scans and facial image) of persons applying for a Schengen visa. The data will be kept in the Visa Information System (VIS) for 5 years.

  • If your finger scans have not yet been collected, a personal appearance is mandatory when applying for a Schengen visa.
  • If you have received a Schengen visa, issued after May 15, 2014 and your finger scans were successfully collected, you won’t have to rerecord your fingerprints for your next visa application and personal appearance is not necessary. You can mail your complete Schengen visa application to the corresponding consulate and provide a copy of your visa sticker issued after May 15, 2014 in addition to all other required documents.

How to fix an appointment online?

If you are applying for a Schengen visa for the first time or have not received a Schengen visa in the US since May 15, 2014 you will need to apply in person with an appointment. Click the below link to fix an appointment.

Click to schedule an appointment

 

Next, we will see how we can make an appointment for Switzerland Schengen visa in the US.

STEP-1 

Change the selection to “United states” and click “next”.

STEP-2

Select New York(As per our example) and click next.

STEP-3

  • If you want to complete online the visa application form for a Schengen visa  and then make online an appointment click “online application”.
  • If you only want to make online an appointment click “Make an appointment”.

Switzerland Schengen visa requirements for US green cardholders

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A summary of documents needed for your Schengen visa is as below

  1. Passport
  2. Two photographs
  3. Completed Schengen visa form
  4. Permanent Residence Permit card
  5. Flight itinerary
  6. Hotel bookings
  7. Schengen visa insurance
  8. Proof of sustenence
  9. Cover letter
  10. Letter of employment(if employed)
  11. Company registration(if self-employed)
  12. Letter from college (for students)

You need to submit a photocopy as well as an original of all the documents to the visa consulate.

Duly filled Schengen visa application form- You can either fill the Schengen visa application form online, take a print out or you can download the form and fill it and submit it with the other required documents.

You can also apply for Schengen visa by filling the following form.

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Passport-  Must be valid for at least three months beyond the planned stay, issued within the previous ten years and have at least 2 blank visa pages.

Two photographs- As per the required specification.

Notarized copy of proof of residency in the USA, e.g. a valid permanent resident card (green card), H1B visa (plus I-797), F-1 visa (plus I-20), etc.

In case you are applying for a tourist visa or a business visa a confirmed copy of Flight reservation is to be submitted. Flight itinerary is a safer way of submitting a visa application without buying an actual flight ticket which can prove to be expensive if your visa is refused.

What is a flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate ?

Flight itinerary is a safer way to submit a visa application without buying an actual flight ticket which can prove to be expensive if your visa is refused. 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.

Netherland consulate

Spain consulate

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 round-trip ticket.

Germany consulate

Italy consulate

Our service includes flight itineraries which are accepted not only for Schengen visa but for all other visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa etc.

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.

Proof of accommodation such as hotel bookings We would not suggest you to make your hotel reservations before your visa is approved. We have seen many customers who make all the bookings thinking they can cancel them once they get their visa only for the visa process to be delayed resulting in huge cancellation fees.

Proof of sufficient financial resources: bank statements from the last 3 months, listing your full
name and address. A minimum of $100 per day is required to cover expenses (students:
$30).

If you are not in a position to prove sufficient financial resources, an official declaration of
guarantee, signed by your host and certified by the immigration officials in Switzerland, may
be required. When applying for the visa, you will be handed out the necessary form and given
further detailed instructions.

If you are employed: A recent letter from your employer including your position and salary.

If you are a student: A recent letter from your school/college confirming your enrollment.

If you are self-employed: include a copy of your business license and tax return.

A medical insurance with international coverage of at least USD 40,000.

See our article to get travel insurance for a Schengen visa.

Travel Itinerary requirements: 

For tourist visa: Hotel reservations for every night you intend to spend in a Schengen country is to be submitted.

For business visa: Letter of invitation from the host company in Switzerland. The letter must be sent by the host
company (e-mail or fax) directly to the competent Swiss representation and has to include your name as listed in your passport (family name in capital letters).

For visit visa:  Letter of invitation from the host in Switzerland, including your name (as listed in your passport, family name in capital letters), length of your stay, relation to your host (friend, family member, etc.), plus name, address and contact information of the person inviting you. This letter, along with a copy of the host’s Swiss passport or Swiss residence permit, should be directly sent to the competent Swiss representation (e-mail or fax).

Once you have accumulated all the documents, you can apply at the Schengen consulate of your main destination.

Switzerland consulates in the US

District of Columbia (DC), Delaware (DE), Kentucky (KY), Maryland (MD), Virginia (VA), West Virginia (WV), Northern Mariana Islands (MP), Guam (GU),Illinois (IL), Indiana (IN), Iowa (IA), Kansas (KS), Missouri (MO), Nebraska (NE) Embassy of Switzerland in Washington
Alabama (AL), Arkansas (AR), Florida (FL), Georgia (GA), Louisiana (LA), Mississippi (MS), North Carolina (NC), Oklahoma (OK), South Carolina (SC), Tennessee (TN), Texas (TX), Cayman Islands Consulate General of Switzerland in Atlanta
New York (NY), Connecticut (CT), Maine (ME), Massachusetts (MA), New Hampshire (NH), New Jersey (NJ), Pennsylvania (PA), Rhode Island (RI), Vermont (VT), Bermuda, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands,Michigan (MI), Minnesota (MN), North Dakota (ND), Ohio (OH), South Dakota (SD), Wisconsin (WI) Consulate General of Switzerland in New York
Alaska (AK), Arizona (AZ), California (CA), Colorado (CO), Hawaii (HI), Idaho (ID), Montana (MT), Nevada (NV), New Mexico (NM), Oregon (OR), Utah (UT), Washington (WA), Wyoming (WY) Consulate General of Switzerland in San Francisco

How long does it take for your Schengen visa to be processed?

The time needed for a visa request to be processed may vary from case to case. It is therefore strongly recommended to take the necessary steps well in advance so that the visa can be issued in the time required.

  • Short stay visas (tourists, visitors, business) are in general processed within 10-15 days.
  • Visa for persons who have already received authorization from a Swiss cantonal authority will be generally processed in one week

How much does it cost for your Schengen visa?

For adults (12 years and older): 68 USD

For Children (6 – 11 years old): 40 USD

For (younger than 6 years old): Free

FAQ about Switzerland Schengen visa by US permanent residents

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Will all Schengen visas be issued for 90 days?

Schengen Visas are not granted for a fixed duration rather it is granted for the number of days that you present in your travel itinerary and your flight & hotel bookings.If you want you can add some flexibility by adding 10 days to your itinerary. You can do this by using our flight +hotel plan

Is Schengen visa valid for multiple entry?

A short-stay Schengen visa entitles the holder to visit the Schengen countries for tourism, visiting friends/family, business, etc., up to 90 days within a 180 day period from the date of first entry. The stay may be either continuous or several visits depending upon whether the visa is single or multiple entry.

Why should I take the flight &hotel from you ?

Because we are the best in this business. We have been in operation from the past 5 years and in those years we have processed over 100,000 orders such as yours. Here is a screenshot of our sales this month alone

But the interesting part is over 50% of our customers are referred by previous customers.

Do I have to purchase the same ticket from you once my visa is approved or can I make my own bookings ?

No,

Once you get your visa you can make your own bookings and no need to worry about the bookings you make with us. You are free to make your own plans. we will handle all the cancellation charges and you will not need to pay anything extra.

Can I see a sample flight itinerary and hotel bookings

Our documents can change based on the availability of the agents

This is our flight booking sample

Can I make changes once I place the order ?

Yes 100%. Each purchase on travelvisabookings will be given a minimum of 3 changes. If you have made a mistake in your order or want to change your travel plan, then drop us an email and we will make the changes for you.

Can I add more traveller names in my itinerary ?

Yes 100%. For a small fee, you can add your co-traveller’s names in your plan. Also, as a policy we will add children below 15 years in your order for free !!

How can travelvisabookings.com book a flight ticket without paying for them ?

We use corporate services to create itineraries and hold flight bookings for you.

Is travelvisabookings a scam ?

Well, our competitors would like you to believe so. There has been a lot of propaganda on social media trying to book us as a scam. But we are providing the exact service as them for over 5 years. We would advice them to work with the same enthusiasm on their website to improve it and challenge us with customer support.

Is paying through travelvisabookings secure ?

Yes, 100%. We do not save any of your card or Paypal information. All your payments happen on the payment gateway and we get only the payment confirmation. We do not save any of your information on our website except your check out form.

What if my plans get cancelled ?

Then you will get 70% refund from our end.

Can you apply for Switzerland Schengen visa from the USA while you are on a B1/B2 visa ?

Unfortunately, no you cannot apply for a Schengen visa with a B1/B2 visa from the US. You will need to go back to your country of origin and apply from there

Can I re-apply for Schengen visa through some other country after being refused by one on grounds of insufficient documentation?

Yes, you can but make sure your documents are in order as needed this time. All countries have different financial soundness constraints, check carefully, though more or less the required documents would be almost the same for all Schengen countries, double-check and then apply.

Should my first trip be to the country which issued my Schengen visa?

Your first port of entry does NOT need to be the country that issued you a Schengen visa. When deciding which country to apply for a visa, this is determined by which country you’re spending the most time according to your filed itinerary. Once the visa is issued, it does not matter what country is your point of entry.

Is it possible to extend a Schengen visa?

There is no easy way to extend a Schengen visa. Article 33 of the Schengen Visa code only allows an extension if you cannot leave the Schengen area (force majeure) or you can provide “proof of serious personal reasons”. Otherwise, you have to apply for another visa and you can only do that from your place of residence.

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