Schengen visa: Do I need to submit friend's invitation letter for 2-day visit during 10-day trip within Schengen Area?
I'm a Vietnamese passport holder so I need to apply for visa to enter Schengen area this October. The main purpose of my trip is to join company training in Belgium with Brussels to be my port of entry. However since I'd be arriving early Friday, I'd like to fly to Oslo to visit my friend over the weekend first and will stay at her place before actually joining the training in following week.
My questions are:
(1) Does my friend need to provide me with an invitation letter with her signature and confirmation from local authority on her residency status there?
(2) Will she need to mail the paperwork to me in Vietnam?
(3) Does she need to send along copy of her passport, visa and proof of ownership of the property?
My friend is Vietnamese, has lived in Oslo for 5 years and now works there under skilled worker visa. She also owns the place that I would be staying (bought it with her Vietnamese husband, still paying mortgage installment).
For 2-day visit, I really don't want her to skip work and go to local office for such hassle. If having such invitation letter is a must, is there any other alternative option for me to prove my accommodation during my trip to Oslo? (Maybe book then cancel the hostel booking? I'm not sure if it's OK to do so).
TIA :)
Best Answer
The justification for your sojourn in the Schengen Area is company training. You do plan to also visit a friend, but that is not why you are travelling. You are going on a business trip and should apply for a business visa.
Documents to be submitted for a business visa from Vietnam to Belgium do not include proof of accommodation, unlike for a family/friend visit visa. Your friend does not need to submit anything.
As there is nothing suspicious or illegal about visiting friends or family while on a business trip, there is no reason not to answer truthfully to any questions about this side trip.
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Does Schengen Visa require invitation letter?
Invitation letters are written and addressed to the applicant. Regardless of where you are applying to/from, all of the Schengen zone countries will require you to produce an invitation letter for a Schengen visa if you are indeed being invited to the zone.Can you visit a friend on a tourist visa?
Many students wish to invite friends and family for a short visit to the United States. The B-2 visitor visa is a good choice for visits of 6 months or fewer in duration or for family members who do not qualify for an F-2 or J-2 dependent visa (such as parents, siblings, cousins, etc.).What is an invitation letter for Schengen Visa?
A visa invitation letter is a written letter from the person you are visiting who lives in the Schengen country you want to go to. The person you are visiting is inviting you to stay with them and by default, they guarantee that you will not stay in the country illegally.REASONS WHY SCHENGEN VISA APPLICATIONS GET REJECTED (Highly requested)
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Answer 2
As long as you have the visa for your company trip, your friend doesn't need to do anything. Just following the procedure to get the visa for that biz trip, and you're free to visit your friends wherever they're in Schengen area.
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