Is it possible to enter the Schengen area as a tourist while a German work visa request is in process?
My girlfriend is from Venezuela and she is in the process of requesting a work visa for Germany at the German embassy in Santiago de Chile (as she will obtain her Chilean residency soon).
While the visa request is in process (ie: after the interview at the German embassy), is she allowed to travel as a tourist in the Schengen area?
Additional information
I do not know if it is relevant but during this tourist trip, she would enter Schengen through Italy or Spain and spend most of the time in Switzerland.
My understanding is that as she is from Venezuela, she does not need a Schengen visa and she should therefore be allowed to enter as a tourist.
Best Answer
Answering my own question. There was no problem at all to enter Schengen as a tourist while the visa was being processed at the German embassy in Santiago. This was confirmed at the embassy. She just had to come back to Chile to pick-up the visa.
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