Schengen Visa: Tourist or Visitor

score:6

Accepted answer

Tourist and visitor visas are one and the same thing. You have to tell the consulate about the purpose of your trip and there are some guidelines about the type of documentation expected based on that but no hard and fast rules or distinct categories of visas.

What I think is going on here is a little different. With all the details you provided (invitation letter, friend in France), it looks like the trip wouldn't happen if you weren't going to France to see your friend. It can therefore be considered the main destination and you would then have to apply to the French rather than the Swiss consulate. Staying a little longer in Switzerland blurs the picture a little bit but it is true that a consulate can decline to process an application if they think you should have applied to another consulate.

Note that if the Swiss consulate would decline to process the application on that basis, it would not be a refusal and they should refund the visa applifcation fee (VFS global may try to keep their fee but I am not sure whether that's legal). You would however need to reapply to the French consulate and potentially lose a lot of time waiting for another appointment (or even be forced to cancel the trip if there is no time) so that's not completely hassle-free for you.

Upvote:1

The application is made already, there is not much you can do apart from wait now anyway... Sometimes visa centre staff don't really know the rules themselves and ask you to sign waivers or declarations saying that they are not responsible for the outcome. Ultimately they all serve to make sure they get paid even if the visa is not issued.

Without having seen the letter from your friend I am not sure why they might decide that France is the main destination, unless there was something in the content that got their attention. You may equally be visiting your friend because you will be nearby for your holiday, just as much as you are only going on holiday off the back of visiting your friend, which are both broadly speaking the same purpose anyway. Perhaps if it is not accepted maybe share a bit more detail on the contents of the letter?

Of course if the Swiss consulate returns the application and then you apply to France, they could possibly also say, "Switzerland is the main destination".

One thing I would point out is that if you applied to France on the basis of staying with a friend, you would normally need a "Attestation d'accueil" from the local town hall in France. This would not necessarily have been required for the application you have made to the Swiss consulate, different consulates can ask for slightly different documents.

Anyway, you have submitted and it is no longer in your hands, my advice is try not to worry about it... visa centre staff regularly scare applicants when they caveat their own uncertainty, and then the visa is processed without a hitch... this happens surprisingly often!

Good luck, I hope you are issued your visa :)

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