Schengen Visa requirements clarification
 

Hello,

we are planning for a trip to europe in april or may this year and few questions..we are indian citizens living in US and on AOS status (using advance parole documents to come back to US). We live in des moines, Iowa.

We are checking out various sites for the trip planning and as of now we are planning to visit Zurich,Lucerne,Venice,Florence,Rome in that order..This works out better for us with direct flights out of chicago.

Since Iam visiting Swiss first, Iam planning to apply for Schengen Visa at Swiss embassy in Chicago, I checked out their requirements..would that be OK or do I have to visit Italian embassy? i have heard bad reviews about italian embassy in chicago.

Iam hoping weather will be good in swiss and italy in april and may.

I Need some clarifications about swiss embassy requirements though.
1. Confirmed Flight tickets: I understand we only have to submit some itinerary from a website like europeandestinations.com.
2. Purchased Hotel reservations: This requirement is not clear to me..do I have to book and purchase hotel reservations in all cities iam visiting or just in the first city iam landing (zurich) ? does it have to be purchased tickets or can I print out from a website? whats the best way to get a hotel reservation and not pay lot of money beforehand?
3. Travel Insurance: Do I have to purchase travel insurance before i go for visa or just a quote from some website would work?
4. Do we have to visit swiss embassy personally or can I mail all my applications to them for visa? Can I ask for multiple entry visa?

I sent an email to swiss chicago embassy but have not received any response ..may be I have to call them hoping they can answer my questions.

Any help is appreciated..Thank You.

I admire your attempt to comply with the rules.

That said, your facts are so unique that it is highly unlikely you will get a knowledgeable answer here on Flyer Talk. Better to take your question to an Internet site that deals with Schenegen and related matters.

Although I cannot answer all your questions I don't believe you should depend on internet forums for complex questions relating to visa applications. However, there are some websites where you can obtain reliable information. (Apologies if you have already consulted them.)

EU's own document "Handbook for the Processing of Visa Applications and the Modification of Issued Visas" states the following (on p.23):

The website of the Consulate General of Switzerland, Chicago is very clear about who needs to visit the consulate in person for visa application based on the first 3 digits of your zip code.

I will try to answer a few questions.

1) You need confirmed tickets(try to book refundable tickets and change them if possible)
2) You can apply visa where your stay is the longest. For ex, if you are staying in Italy for more days than other countries, you should apply through Italy consulate. Even if you go to Swiss consulate, they will send you to Italy consulate.
3) You need to have confirmed hotel reservations and need to buy Travel insurance before you go for Visa
4) Don't know about Swiss but for Italy, you need to be present in person(exception for kids 10 years or younger)
5) Application form has a box where you ask for Multiple Entries.

thanks guys for the responses..I called Swiss embassy and received some information..Looks like I can apply for visa in mail..planning to do that soon..hopefully it works out..