Schengen tourist visa - does this mean visa approved?

[Doronazl]

My wife applied for the visa last thursday through the german embassy

submitted all the documents including hotel and flight reservations.

of course its not paid yet since we dont know if she would get it or not

not sure why it works this way but they ask for her to submit her passport along with her documents - normally passport is being taken by embassies only upon approval right?

anyway ,today she got a SMS message saying this :

Your passport has come back, you can pick it up from 9-13 next monday onwards.  

what does this mean ? did she get it ? didnt get it ? 

anyone has experiecnce with this ?
i would like to book the flights already rather than wait till monday.

[transam]

Can you not ask via that message..

[theoldgit]

It means no more than your passport is ready for collection. hopefully with the visa vingette attached.

I'm afraid you won't know the result until the envelope containing the passport is opened, it's no good messaging the author of the SMS, they won't know the answer.

[Donutz]

Normal Schengen procedure is that you have in the application with the passport (via either the embassy or the optional external service provider-who will forward it to the embassy for you-). The back office staff of the embassy processes the application and then gives it back to the people at either front desk of the embassy or external service provider. Those do not know the result, they will inform you that your application has been completed and ready for collection (or about to be mailed to you). 

 

You will only know the result when you open the passport.

[Doronazl]

33 minutes ago, Donutz said:

Normal Schengen procedure is that you have in the application with the passport (via either the embassy or the optional external service provider-who will forward it to the embassy for you-). The back office staff of the embassy processes the application and then gives it back to the people at either front desk of the embassy or external service provider. Those do not know the result, they will inform you that your application has been completed and ready for collection (or about to be mailed to you). 

 

You will only know the result when you open the passport.

I understand but we were told in the embassy that if theres a problem to get the visa then they will ask for more documentation

Then we would have gotten a call from them if its not enough for them? 

Or they could just say denied and thats it...? 

[Andyfez]

Recently applied for a French shengen visa.

Same response. Handed it in on the Thursday, Monday got a message saying passport was being sent back.

Arrived EMS Wednesday with visa inside.

But we had to book flights in advance, show bookings, and pay for visa in advance.

Sounds strange that you didn't have to do this?

[rasg]

Are you married? The requirements are, or shouldn't be, as onerous if you married.

 

Each country varies in their requirements. They shouldn't but they do.

[mrmicbkktxl]

2 hours ago, Andyfez said:

Recently applied for a French shengen visa.

Same response. Handed it in on the Thursday, Monday got a message saying passport was being sent back.

Arrived EMS Wednesday with visa inside.

But we had to book flights in advance, show bookings, and pay for visa in advance.

Sounds strange that you didn't have to do this?

If married to a EU citizen Visa is free of costs

https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/travel/entry-exit/non-eu-family/index_en.htm

[Doronazl]

4 hours ago, Andyfez said:

Recently applied for a French shengen visa.

Same response. Handed it in on the Thursday, Monday got a message saying passport was being sent back.

Arrived EMS Wednesday with visa inside.

But we had to book flights in advance, show bookings, and pay for visa in advance.

Sounds strange that you didn't have to do this?

they asked to make reservations only, not pay.

im an israeli citizen though so i dont know maybe different rules since im not a EU citizen

[theoldgit]

2 minutes ago, Doronazl said:

they asked to make reservations only, not pay.

im an israeli citizen though so i dont know maybe different rules since im not a EU citizen

The advice of many Consulates is not to make non refundable reservations, travel or accomodation, until a visa has been issued, whilst this is of course sensible many visa sections don't make this clear, and many visa application centre staff don't fully understand the implications.
Your nationality would have made no difference.

[Donutz]

17 hours ago, Doronazl said:

I understand but we were told in the embassy that if theres a problem to get the visa then they will ask for more documentation

Then we would have gotten a call from them if its not enough for them? 

Or they could just say denied and thats it...? 

If they are not entirely sure about approving or denying the visa they can/will  contact you for further info. But if it's a clear cut case they can deny or approve the visa without contacting you for additional paperwork.

[Doronazl]

3 hours ago, Donutz said:

If they are not entirely sure about approving or denying the visa they can/will  contact you for further info. But if it's a clear cut case they can deny or approve the visa without contacting you for additional paperwork.

got it, makes sense

hope for the best, il update the result when we got it

thanks people.

[sandyf]

On 7/12/2019 at 10:09 PM, Doronazl said:

I understand but we were told in the embassy that if theres a problem to get the visa then they will ask for more documentation

Then we would have gotten a call from them if its not enough for them? 

Or they could just say denied and thats it...? 

Unless things have changed in the last couple of years the Germans work differently to most other Schengen applications. The staff at the desks are embassy staff and the decide if the application is in order or not, it is possible that in certain circumstances they may have to refer the application. I am a UK citizen and when we went it was fairly straightforward but I saw many being handed their applications back, some completed additional information and went back to the desk and others just left the building.

If my wife had had to pay it would have been done there and then but we were given a zero charge receipt. We were told to go and buy an EMS envelope and address it, then hand it in at the visa EMS desk, passport was back 2 days later.

It would appear that the 60 Euros is payable on collection which is a bit surprising as I was under the impression that the fee was payable whatever the outcome. Good luck on a positive outcome.

[Doronazl]

Visa approved, thanks all for the help

One thing i forget to ask there

They put a start and ending date on the visa

31 july until 29 September, and next to it it says duration of stay 46 days

What exactly does this mean? We can enter during those dates and the 46 days start to count then? Or have to leave by sep 29 no matter what? 

[Donutz]

21 hours ago, sandyf said:

Unless things have changed in the last couple of years the Germans work differently to most other Schengen applications. 

Thats pretty much as the Schengen rules dictate: front desk staff makes an first check to see if the application is admissible. The staff may ask a question or 2 to clarify something or point out small errors. But once the application is accepted it's the colleagues in the back who look into the application in detail. They may refuse the visa, approve it or sometimes decide that a decision cannot be made without further information from the applicant or national authorities back in the country of the embassy. The passport is then given back to the people at the front. There the passport can be collected or if you handed in an EMS envelop, it will be sent to you.

 

The visa fee (if any, it's waved for family members of an EU national) always needs to be payed regardless of the decision  and I only know of embassies that make you pay upon making the application rather than upon collecting the passport. 

 

If one went via the designated visa service provider (vfs, his, bls) they do the same as the staff at the front desk of the embassy,  using a checklist,  then forwarding the papers to the embassy.

[varun]

1 hour ago, Doronazl said:

Visa approved, thanks all for the help

One thing i forget to ask there

They put a start and ending date on the visa

31 july until 29 September, and next to it it says duration of stay 46 days

What exactly does this mean? We can enter during those dates and the 46 days start to count then? Or have to leave by sep 29 no matter what? 

Can enter Schengen at the earliest (stamp in at immigration) on 31 July 12:00 AM local time,

and must leave (stamp out at immigration) of the Schengen area by Sep 29 11:59 PM local time.

 

[sandyf]

4 hours ago, Donutz said:

Thats pretty much as the Schengen rules dictate: front desk staff makes an first check to see if the application is admissible. The staff may ask a question or 2 to clarify something or point out small errors. But once the application is accepted it's the colleagues in the back who look into the application in detail. They may refuse the visa, approve it or sometimes decide that a decision cannot be made without further information from the applicant or national authorities back in the country of the embassy. The passport is then given back to the people at the front. There the passport can be collected or if you handed in an EMS envelop, it will be sent to you.

 

The visa fee (if any, it's waved for family members of an EU national) always needs to be payed regardless of the decision  and I only know of embassies that make you pay upon making the application rather than upon collecting the passport. 

 

If one went via the designated visa service provider (vfs, his, bls) they do the same as the staff at the front desk of the embassy,  using a checklist,  then forwarding the papers to the embassy.

I have done Germany,Spain and Malta, the latter 2 are done by VFS. The Germans do operate differently, they do not use VFS and they use an interactive application form named VIDEX. We were told at the desk during application submission that the visa had been granted and would be valid for 4 days, just enough to cover the 3 day trip.

If you remember I took them to task with Solvit over the use of VIDEX for EU nationals as it did not allow for family members. Although the visa was very straightforward that was because I had followed their rules at the time, full set of documents including financial information.

[Donutz]

6 hours ago, sandyf said:

I have done Germany,Spain and Malta, the latter 2 are done by VFS.

VFS (or TLS and BLS) etc are optionso for all Schengen embassies.  Atleast untill the new Schengen rules will come in effect (probably start of 2020). Though some really try to force the optional service provider down your throat,  making it less optional than that the Schengen rules dictate.

[Donutz]

8 hours ago, varun said:

Can enter Schengen at the earliest (stamp in at immigration) on 31 July 12:00 AM local time,

and must leave (stamp out at immigration) of the Schengen area by Sep 29 11:59 PM local time.

 

Indeed. 

 

Enter on 31-7-19 or later.

Leave before the end of 29-9-19.

 

Do not stay more than 46 days. 

So if you enter on 31-7, leave on 15-9. T

 

he last two weeks are a 'period of grace' so that you can enter the Schengen area 1-2 weeks later and leave a bit later as well. 

[sandyf]

17 hours ago, Donutz said:

VFS (or TLS and BLS) etc are optionso for all Schengen embassies.  Atleast untill the new Schengen rules will come in effect (probably start of 2020). Though some really try to force the optional service provider down your throat,  making it less optional than that the Schengen rules dictate.

Fairly obvious from your comments that you have never applied for a Schengen visa in Bangkok. The only checklist the embassy front desk has is for appointments and applicants with a valid appoint are allowed through to the holding area. At the appropriate time the allocated applicants are allowed into the inner sanctum where there is a line of glass cubicles and applicants queue up at the cubicle they have been allocated. Each applicant enters the cubicle as it becomes free, on one side there is a hatch to the embassy and a member of staff that scans in the application into the system from a QR code.

VFS has never been an option in Bangkok, although it may well be from the start of next month.