Thoughts About the Process of Getting a Visa

Probably my least favorite thing about moving abroad for co-op is the crazy amount of paperwork and stress that goes into attaining a visa/residence permit/whatever your country needs to allow you to stay there for a full six months. Dealing with long lines, deadlines, and endless paperwork are all a necessary part of the process, but chug along--it'll be worth it!

What to do if you're traveling out of the country while your passport is being held for a visa application


Last year when I was applying for a student visa for Spain, I had a big problem that caused me a lot of stress and "what the heck am I going to do?" type thoughts. To apply for a Spanish visa, you need to drop off your passport at your local consulate for about a month while they process your application. This can become a big problem if you're like me and have plans to travel outside of the country during this month. After a lengthy amount of time skimming blog posts and hard-to-understand government websites online, I discovered that you can technically get a second passport. It's not a very well known fact, but in cases like mine, you can acquire a secondary passport that will expire after two years. This is SUPER helpful information when you're in a visa application limbo like I was.

General tips for getting a visa

Especially in the case of co-op where you're not exactly sure of where you're going until only a few months before, it's important that you stay on top of your stuff while gathering paperwork to hand in for a visa application. Your flight overseas is probably coming up way sooner than you realize! My suggestion is to make a clear checklist of everything you'll need, how you can get it, and set due dates for yourself as to when you'll have that paper in your hands by (and stick to them). Honestly, I should take some of my own advice, because I'd always find myself pushing back and procrastinating what I needed to do for my visas. 

My crazy Slovak Foreign Police story

So, apparently Slovakia doesn't exactly make it that easy for foreigners to move here--and after my visit to the Foreign Police this week, I can 100% see why. After a long process of gathering paperwork, it was finally time to go apply for my residence permit here. 

Now, it's impossible to make an appointment at the Foreign Police here in Slovakia. For whatever reason, they don't want to set up a simple online appointment system that would save literally save everybody so much time. Instead, you're required to wait in a line to get seen at the Foreign Police. Problem is, they only take about 30-40 people per day. This means that people start lining up at 9 PM the night before for the ability to be seen by the oh-so-charming Foreign Police. (Somewhat) luckily, I've been working with a relocation company in Slovakia who hired a man to wait outside all night for me in line. I then had to replace him at a bright and early 5:30 AM. He got there at 10 PM and was still 11th in line. I was extremely grateful for this man--the two miserable men behind me were literally falling asleep on the spot after standing in the cold March air all night. Thankfully, everything pretty much went smoothly once I got in the door, but this process seems absolutely insane and archaic to me. Come on Slovakia, you really can't think of a better way to handle things than this?

All in all, visas can be quite a headache, so just take a breath and remember that all the mountains of paperwork and bueracracy will be worth it in the end!


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