There, I said it. I’m so sick of all the Schengen procedures, when I’m only going to participate to a round table on blogging [more details on that soon] and not to blow up the country, really.
Anyway, here’s a song to brighten up your days. Who else than Brad Mehldau? <3 Enjoy! 🙂
To which country exactly were you applying for? It seemed like the French embassy in there.
IT’S HAPPENING TO ME TOO NOW!
hehe love the agreement: “I agree to visit ur country but there are conditions” 😛
… it’s true, visas are becoming impossible to get!
this is soooo sad.. but true :S
I know as a matter of fact that the French embassy has started lately an online VISA procedure, which should reduce the number of demeaning visits we sub-humans need to make to the actual embassy, so you might want to invest in that. By the way, the French embassy issues Schengens on behalf of a number of other Schengen countries, so this applies even if you aren’t going to France.
That said, shame on the EU, for they should know better. If I wanted to commit an act of terrorism in a Schengen country, I would do it, and nothing is stopping me. All of the paperwork contributes 0% to EU’s alleged security purposes – and they know it.
well at least the united states is treating people equally! they should all go through the full body scanner [http://goo.gl/S3DE] which shows you naked! that’s one additional agreement for me! i ain’t going to the US no more unless they reconsider their voyeuristic policies!
a.m., why would you blame those scanners on the US? They aren’t even legal in America. That’s airlines in foreign countries trying to pull that crap.
well, not actually,
the guest in the france 24 interview http://goo.gl/S3DE says (7:25) : “well today it’s voluntary, you can bet that within a few months or a year it’s not going to be voluntary” … (9:00) ” I think we have no choice, the American government has decided that this is the system, you’re going to (pit?) in and everybody worldwide is going to do it!”
Hi a.m,
That person is lying. Those machines are banned in the US. How is it that the US would “require” them in foreign airports? Our “friends” the French, up to no good again.
I hate that we have to go through stuff like that. I wish I had the ability to travel without going through all these visa procedures and having to apply and plan months in advance. Papers from work, bank accounts, pictures, interviews. It’s just 5 days, and if I couldn’t afford being there I wouldn’t spend thousands of dollars on a trip to begin with. If I wanted to invade their country and stay there, I’d at least do it legally by applying to schools or something.
Visa process is such a hassle, and that sucks because traveling is my all-time favorite thing to do and I plan to do a lot of it. I’m applying to the French visa next month and dreading it.
Maya, I love your blog and I can totally understand your frustrating sentiments about applying for a visa. BUT I have to tell you that I hate that people make the nazi-comment sometimes too easy, since I think it is quite offensive for any European. Rasicm ok, but will there be a deadly end to your story? Or a brandmarking as Lebanese for the whole society to know? Once your’re in Europe you will totally blend in with the masses, so threfore I think the nazi comment is a bit inappropriate.
My question is, how distinct is the thinking behind the Schengen procedure from Nazism? Not enough.
And quite frankly, I as a citizen of the world am sick of the Nazi complex. I am sick of me feeling apologetic about any use that I encounter (not to mention initiate) of the word ‘Nazi’, and of the readiness that I am supposed to have about accepting Nazism as the worst of all evils, as the utmost anathema, as the rock-bottom episode in human history. Worse episodes have existed and still exist in human history, but they simply are not the raison d’être of the US world supremacy, and therefore are not endowed with the semantic charge that makes us apologetic before Nazism.
Excellent post Maya and reference to this stupid problem that we face constantly in this country. Not only do you have to take off days 50 million times to get this visa, it takes you 3 weeks to do so, and this just makes it harder on us to just simply visit a country by a certain time. so eh BLEH
I feel like I’m responsible 🙁 Don’t worry Maya, i was born in Europe, lived all my life there, and yet i got the ever so pleasing comment on my (french) ID card: “Paola, c’estpas français? Salwan, c’est pas français non plus!” While he was holfing my FRENCH ID card, FFS.
Understand why I miss Lebanon so much now? “Paola, your passport has expired, maalech demoiselle, sign here, and you can, hamdellah 3al salemeh”
By the way, you should see the way people stared at me in Hungary. HIGHLY unpleasant. I hope you get your visa sson!
One of my younger sisters had to go through all the rigamarole to get a visa to study and eventually work, in Glasgow, Scotland. It drove her and my dad crazy having to do that. There was also which passport she wanted to enter the U.K. on. This was in 2004.
I believe visas should be something from the past now. In today’s Internet world, a Japanese person can work in the same company with a Kenyan one without any one of them leaving his country. We virtually are living together in the same place without those silly boundaries. Visiting a USA-based website or collaborating on a project with a French co-worker doesn’t require a visa, so why the heck do visas still exist in the non-virtual world.
I wouldn’t mind if it was the exact opposite, Tarek. As an American, I can visit virtually every country that I might WANT to visit without a visa, but I don’t think that’s the way things should be. I don’t think it should be as easy to cross borders as it is. I’m also not a fan of globalization (or this “I’m a citizen of the world!” stuff). I think globalization is at the heart of most of the world’s problems today. It’s the new imperialism.
Bravooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo, really.
Thax 4 speaking up my -and a whole lot of- minds :).
H.
I faced the same thing 2 years ago!!! For me it was easier to send my passport to Kuwait, get the visa from there without even going to the embassy…
All we need here is some respect!
Well I am going to Denmark next month and will apply for a Schengen VISA!!!!!
Will see whether the passport counts or the person does 😛
The amazing thing is that all these complications are ONLY targeted against us, other asian, african and latin american nations, regardless of their economical situations never face such difficulties. On the other hand, not only Europe puts obstacles in our way, but many other nations, try applying for a brazilian visa!!!! I feel we are becoming the “personae non gratae” of the world!!!!!
bleh….they’re still not over us….(-_-)
IRONICALLY Maya…did you know that you can get a VISA even FASTER In KSA than in LEBANON?!
that’s what i’m planning to do from there…..
screw them here….bunch of hypocrites…
😀 ya3tike el 3afye!
Hi Maya …
What a strange coincidence! because I was at a Schengen Visa issuing center today. The procedures went without a problem, although I’ve invested about 1 hour and half of my time there.
I agree with you that there is always a probability of a paper being rejected without apparent reasons, and what is really strange is that I got two different answers on the same question from employees working there.
These words summarized it all “A Passport Does Not Make A Person” …
Thanks Maya …
I bet u you are talking about the french embassy and u met the same lady …i felt i m reading my story!!! she said that i booked a hotel in paris, place of the seminar, while the company is based in Bretagne!!! and that i m a liar, and this is an old trick!!!
and when i asked if i can get any additional letter from the french company coz i can t risk a visa refusal she started shouting that she knows those tricks and that i have to sign or leave and refused to listen to my question..
moreover, i wrote a letter and put in the glass box for complaints and guess what after 15 days i came back to check on my passport and found my letter still in place….i was so shocked, this is so insulting.
Those are lebanese employees of the french embassy who are treating us in this way. i m wondering if it is the french policy or it s just personal?!!!
Forgot to mention that she insisted (the lebanese old single lady) that i speak french. do french speak arabic when applying to an arabic country visa?!!!!!
walla ma3k 7a2 ya Maya
Dady 7adar kl l wra2 la k3yo akher chi kl chi n2adimln yah
sar badn ticket ilna ok
sar badon Hotel reservation, jibnaln
akher chi badn l company li honik tdfa3 t2min w ma b3rf cho
ino hay mch awal mara bi rou7 3a Swiss ktiiiiirrrr 3a2adouuuhaaa
kl chi 3taynahn w daln m3a2dina…..
Hope tn7al
akid ma ilna ghina 3n Liban.
tc
love it
so humiliating and frustrating and yes it violates human right and respect
Mayaaaaaaaaaa
I totally understand!! i didn’t get the internship I really wanted becoz I DON”T HAVE A EUROPEAN PASSPORT!!!! 🙁
One of the most common problems we get with our clients is when they apply for a Schengen visa to France, but then they decide they want to stay more days in a different EU country. They their French Schengen visa becomes invalid and they need to apply for the country they will be spending most time in.
[…] came across a very well illustrated blog post on Schengen visas. Maya, the blog owner seem to really hit a dead end with her visa application. Such problems are […]
We are living this unfortunate circumstance right now : I thought as a person working hard to earn a living throughout my life bringing my resources to these nations would be welcomed with open arms!!! THINK AGAIN… before you attempt this today : this is not the “Good Old Days” anymore! This type of travel is over for us! If any European person wants to be in my country they are given 6 months and then can hop over to US/Canada. For us it is 3 months in all 21 countries!!! And the rules are so vague, unprescribed it is really hard to no the little rules and regulations. For example if you travel to China for vacation you get 6 months! You know when you have overstayed! Its simple mark the date on the calender. But when you are doing what me and wife are HAVE FUN…. No one talks of it, mentions it or can even reiterate the rules to you! This way as you move from country to country with all your various stamps (or no stamps) its like you are playing a game. Even couple months a new country signs on and no one ever tells you what countries are or are not with any degree of formality! This leaves it to a guessing game. With the maximum penalty of imprisonment!!!! I am peaceful person I love these countries and I always follow rules and policies but this is a real gamble today and no one from north america / Australia, nz seems to know anything about this.
It not only Sucks it doesn’t make sense for their economies. It seems illogical and it makes peaceful people feel like a refugee when traveling!!!
Presently I am enjoying beautiful Croatia outside the Schengen region. But not next year ! So the old idea about getting a camper and traveling Europe is out folks !!! For real because the only country you can buy a vehicle in and actually own it is England so when you go out on your trip DONT go NORTH !!! Are you crazy no one can communicate when your time is almost up so as the clock ticks you better pray you didn’t bring a vehicle from home or buy something nice in England because you might get booted out and have to deal with whatever someone is going to give you for you vehicle This can be the biggest expense of your life when you factor HUGE fines, shipping the vehicle through a third party or even imprisonment!!!!
So think twice before making travel plans in Europe those days are over than to this agreement. And as time passes our children will be forced flee to countries we have not been conditioned to travel ie, middle east/africa. Especially with an expensive camper that can’t take underdeveloped roads!!!!!
Bottom line is I never actually though it was real and now I am stuck in the middle of it. Waiting for the day that some border agents says
“Welcome to _______, you may have never been here before but you have already overstayed you welcome. And to turn back is not an option either!!!” This is not a circumstance anyone from North America/Australia NZ has ever prepared for !!!
So good luck to you all but the free world is an oxymoron to me!
anjad this time u are very right ,thanks for talking about the subject .
Leave a Reply