Moving to a foreign country invariably involves an innumerable amount of paperwork, and preparing to go off on my next adventure is no exception. What I wasn't expecting, though, was how much more paperwork is necessary for Luxembourg compared to the amount I needed to go to France and Germany.
To elaborate:
· Germany doesn't require an advance visa for US citizens, but an Aufenthaltstitel (residence permit) has to be secured within 90 days of entering the country.
Back in 2011, the permit required my passport, a passport photograph, the application form, a confirmation of my internship from BASF, proof of lodging, and €50 in cash. Fairly straightforward, though it had to all be done in German, which was a bit daunting. Took about three weeks.
· France requires Americans to have a visa issued in advance by a French consulate to stay for more than 90 days. Then, within 90 days of the first entry to France, you have to get an extra sticker that "transforms" the visa into a residence permit for the duration of its validity.
Because I was going under a language assistant temporary work visa and was applying in Frankfurt, though, all this required was my passport and a photocopy of the data page and my German residence permit, a photograph, my fingerprints, and my work contract and arrêté de nomination (an official ministerial decree declaring that I was appointed a language assistant to specific schools). I did have to personally go to the consulate. No charge due to it being an exchange program visa, and I was able to pick the visa up the following day. The validation sticker required a medical exam along with a copy of my passport data page, French visa, and German entry stamp and proof of accommodation.
· Luxembourg doesn't require a visa for US citizens, per se, but an autorisation de séjour temporaire (authorization for temporary residence) has to be obtained before entering Luxembourg. This acts as a visa substitute that has to be used within 90 days to get a Luxembourg residence permit.
However, the paperwork necessary consists of:
- Certified copy of my birth certificate;
- Copy of every single page of my passport, used or otherwise;
- Background check clearance letter;
- Copy of a current CV;
- Copy of my most recent degree certificate;
- Enrollment letter from the university;
- Work contract from Luxembourg.
All of it has to be mailed to the Luxembourg Embassy in DC, and it can take up to 3 months. Not as fun, especially when I'm waiting on documents from Luxembourg to arrive. And, with it being summertime, that makes things quite a bit slower. That said, I have everything except the stuff from Luxembourg in my possession, so, once I get the contract and enrollment letter in my hands, it'll be mailing time.
Still looking at getting out of here hopefully around the middle to end of September at the latest: I think I can probably get on the plane over there, at the latest, about two weeks after I get the AST, though it won't be cheap to get the ticket and getting the housing arranged might be tricky. It's still all very exciting, though, and I can't wait to both start the new project and get over there.
So, yeah, more to come soon. Possibly.
