smoothoperaytor

Interview less than 12 hours away. Checked every document as much as possible. We've been together almost every day since we met 3 years ago and have hundreds if not thousands of photos together. It's now a matter of making sure we've not forgotten anything. Getting to Poland was an adventure, for sure. No matter what happens, we'll continue to enjoy our time here and in other countries in Europe until my wife's Schengen visa expires at the end of December.

Medical exam done. They wanted the original copy of my wife's immunization records. This means you can't have someone scan and email it. Fortunately we found this out just in time and had my wife's mother get the records and send them via courier. It took 4 business days and they arrived the same day as the exam. My wife waited for me in the hospital while I waited for the courier. Once I had them, and brought them to her, the rest of the exam went smoothly. She did need three additional vaccinations which were around 1100 RUB each. 

About getting a COVID19 vaccine, they were unable to provide the one she would need for the US. I don't know if this excludes her from having it be a requirement. The doctor in Moscow asked if she needed it for Poland (the answer is no) and recommended she get it elsewhere just in case.

I don't think Sputnik (the Russian vaccine) is accepted. If the exam is done in Russia, there's an option that basically says "vaccine unavailable" and that should be okay. If the exam is done in Poland, then they'll provide the vaccine that's approved for America. I'm not 100% sure on this, so don't take my word for it. I guess we'll find out more information tomorrow when my wife has her exam.

Yeah, we hope so too. We're going to dedicate this weekend to going over our documents and making sure everything is in order.

The hospital told us there used to be 5 doctors. Now there are 2 and only one is available for visa documentation. I guess it's not a priority at this time. You need the proof of the interview to get the exam, but they don't check if you have the proof until you show up. So, I guess you could try to schedule an interview and hope that you have it before you actually go to the hospital. 

About testing, it's about getting as much done as possible on your own. 

No idea. First time hearing about what you mentioned.

My wife got her Schengen Visa to Spain. They said 10-15 business days, but it took about 5. We can now leave early. The visa is for 30 days.

Medical wasn't easy. They're booked for the next 3 months. But we found out that by calling multiple times a day, you can get lucky and take a spot from someone who cancels. It took us 3 days of calling to do just that. 

We also found out you can save money by doing the required test at another clinic instead of the official clinic in Moscow. This will also save time. Be sure to have all of your immunization records as well. They prefer the original copy instead of an email printout. If you don't have them, you probably have to get whatever vaccines are needed again.

That's the first time I've heard of a case being successfully transferred from Poland to another country. We've already started the difficult process of going to Poland, so it's too late to do something else. But had we known this was possible, it would have saved time and money.

Interesting. There's already a price difference between Moscow and Poland — $275 vs. $80. But it's better to get the exam here where we are than to go all the way to Poland and take the risk of scheduling at the last minute.

11 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

A Titer is a blood serum test to determine if antibodies for a particular virus are present in the blood.  Antibodies indicate the person has previously had the vaccine, or has experienced an immune system response.

I see. We'll find out tomorrow. 

According to one of the documents from the clinic:

Quote

If you are unable to bring your vaccination record, you will be considered ‘not immunized’ and will be given the recommended vaccines according to your age and medical status.

19 minutes ago, Crazy Cat said:

Just retake the vaccines or request titers to be drawn.

It may be possible. Although I think my wife would prefer not to get more shots. 

Titers? What's that?

Anyone know if the "copy of your immunization records" is obtainable online? It's one thing we overlooked and are already in Moscow. Hoping we don't have to make a trip back to my wife's city to get this document. It's one of the listed requirements here https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/Supplements/Supplements_by_Post/MOS-Moscow.html#Med_exam_instructions.

3 minutes ago, Master5 said:

Actually the agency we called just provided some info for us, they don't do visas, they said it's too bothersome these days. We plan to apply directly at visa center without any middleman. One complication here is flight/hotel reservations that are required for visa applications, anyone here tried https://visareservation.com? Are they reliable? Also, medical insurance is needed. This whole Schengen visa process is a major headache. I would easily pay someone 40,000RUB to handle all that, but it's hard to trust anyone with such important matter.

I have never used that site, but I came across these sites when I was researching the process. I haven't used either, so I can't comment on their effectiveness. They're free and look legit.

https://www.atlys.com/tools/flight-itinerary

https://www.atlys.com/tools/hotel-itinerary

7 hours ago, Master5 said:

I see, thanks! Actually I plan to schedule the medical examination in Warsaw since we are far from Moscow. We called one travel agency and were told that there is a big backlog for Spain (popular destination apparently) and that there should be a good chance with Hungary. I also read on this forum about other couple getting Schengen visa through Hungary. Hungary is close to Poland, probably possible to travel by train from there in case Poland would refuse to board Russian citizens on airplane.

 

Single-entry 15 days visa would work fine for us as long as the case is approved and we don't have to travel there again. 

Please keep us updated. I was told Hungary wasn't an option, but I don't know if that's actually true or the agency I contacted didn't work with the Hungarian embassy. I regret not checking more agencies. Also, what was the price if you were quoted one? Ours was 40,000 RUB for Spain. Full service. We provide the docs and they do the rest. We needed a letter from work and that was an extra 3,000. 

7 hours ago, slavaskii said:

If you are planning on doing it in Warsaw, I highly recommend getting in touch with the doctor ASAP. When we scheduled earlier this year, the wait was a little over a month, if I recall. I'm sure you'd also be eligible to take a cancellation, but if for whatever reason they won't have results by when you need them, Lithuania (iirc) may be another option. Results may take several days to return and they will need to be brought to the Embassy.

I spoke with a doctor in Poland and they said they wouldn't schedule an appointment until my wife was in the country. I suppose I could have said she was in Poland, but I was only getting info when I first contact them. They told me results would take 1-2 days.

1 hour ago, Master5 said:

Hi guys! Totally unexpected, we got the email about our Warsaw interview appointment today, just about 2 weeks after the DQ email. I was expecting to get the appointment email in 6-9 months from now judging by other people experiences. Maybe it's because the case has spent almost a year at NVC, not sure.

 

The interview is scheduled for the 2nd half of December and we have only 1 month to get the Schengen visa, would it be enough time? We plan to apply for Hungary Schengen visa for my wife as it seems other people had good luck with this country. Also, how many days medical examination usually takes? I mean to get all the test results? I'm nor sure for how many days prior to the interview it should be scheduled.

It should be enough time if you start immediately. We ended up going with Spain. We were told Hungary wasn't a good option. I'm not sure if it's because of the agency we decided to use. I'm curious to know what you find out. Also because it's my wife's first Schengen, we will likely only get a single-entry for 15 days. 

About the medical, the only company in Moscow is booked until the end of Dec. We hope to get help via a walk-in. I would try to get it asap as the results are good for 6 months (I think).

3 minutes ago, Simplytex said:

Your comment about the medical also made me think - is the Dept of State now releasing a large number of immigrant visas for interviews, now that the diversity visa cycle has closed. I can't remember if the Moscow physician would only accept appointments for people with scheduled interviews or not...

Maybe. The plan is to try our luck with a walk in. We'll be in Moscow next week. If that doesn't work, I contacted the Warsaw doctor and they won't schedule unless my wife is in the country. Results are expected to take 1-2 days, so if we don't have luck in Moscow we'll head to Warsaw as soon as possible. 

1 minute ago, Simplytex said:

Holy smokes that's not good. I'm wondering if there would be any use in talking to the Polish embassy/consulates in the US... There is one right down the road from me, just to see if they maintain the same narrative.

I doubt it. The US Embassy in Poland told me they don't deal with immigration or border issues. 

Another update. 

I was wondering if I could get some clarifying information about how Russians can enter Poland. I contacted the Polish Border and Customs. Their reply was not helpful.

They said:

Quote

Actually during the sanctions imposed on russia due to the terroristic war in Ukraine there isn’t any exemption for travellers from russia who would like to enter Poland to interview at the American Embassy in Warsaw.

Basically, that it's not possible as far as they're concerned. The subtle detail of them purposely not capitalizing the country of Russia tells me they're not interested in helping. 

So about the medical exam, the office listed for Russia told us they're fully booked and they got a surge of calls recently. The earliest time to schedule a date is the end of December. 

I'm in communication with the doctor in Warsaw, but contact stopped when I mentioned the country where my wife is from (Russia). Hopefully it's just a standard delay in messaging. 

I recall reading on this forum that walk-ins at the Moscow location are possible. It just takes time and patience. We can go and wait all day if needed. That may end up being our only option.

As for the Schengen, it's looking like Hungary isn't the best option and Germany is the ideal choice for someone who hasn't had a Schengen visa before.

7 hours ago, slavaskii said:

It's far easier to just have it delivered to the Warsaw MBE location. Not terribly far from Centrum, plus you can call them and they'll let you know if it's arrived before you venture down there. Trying to send to a hotel could be problematic, especially if for whatever reason you need to change hotels. I personally haven't heard of a single person who chose that latter option. 

Yes, I ended up figuring this out. The instructions weren't clear about picking a location since the link it sends you to in the instructions is incorrect. 

5 hours ago, Simplytex said:

Keep us updated on the visa... We will be trying to get Italian as a "test run" in the next few weeks. 

Will do. Going through the process now. Looking for an agency in Moscow that can help with the Schengen. Hungary doesn't seem to be as popular as Italy, Germany, or France.

Thanks. That seems like the thing to do.

20 minutes ago, Simplytex said:

Congrats! When will the interview be? 

 

You can try Hungary, others that come up commonly are Spain, Italy, and Greece.

 

I believe passport "pickup" can only be done at two mailboxes etc locations or the embassy, unless you meant delivery? 

 

I am also thinking Moscow medical will be the easiest to do, less chance of the doctor getting mixed up with requirements and Russian, etc. 

December 7.

Pickup would be preferable since we'll stay in Warsaw until the process is finished and assuming all goes well, we plan to leave directly to the US after. But as I go through the checklist, one of the items is a receipt of proof of delivery. Maybe this is not needed. But for the sake of clarity, I was thinking of choosing an address in Warsaw. 

But then this step says you'll get info for picking up the visa, so maybe the delivery isn't needed unless you plan to have it delivered.