A Long Road To SteemFest!

Two months ago I found out about the possibility of a Steemit conference happening in Europe. SteemFest as we know it now was just an idea at the time.

It was all hush-hush initially and few details were available but it really piqued my interest! Frankly I was waiting for a chance to visit the Netherlands for a very long time! It seemed like a great new opportunity to travel abroad, meet Steemians from all over the world and also explore 1 or 2 amazing countries from Europe along with their culture and cuisine!

2 months later, SteemFest has been announced and has sold several tickets. Many rooms at the Volkshotel have been booked already for the conference! Several users I interact on a regular basis on Steemit.Chat have confirmed their participation and there's quite a buzz around the conference in general!

However, those of us who aren't citizens in one of the 'developed' western countries, the road to SteemFest is filled with quite a few bumps. However, that's the beauty of any journey, is it not?

Sometimes you travel for business and other times for pleasure. SteemFest sort of balances it both quite well for me and ergo I felt it's time to quickly align my goals and somehow travel to Amsterdam for the conference taking place from the 11th to 13th of November.

Never ending paperwork!

I realized quite early-on that it will take meticulous planning to get there. For starters once I figured out the visa type I had to get a bunch of documentation ready. Getting a visa is easier if you've been to a Schengen state before as is the case of most western countries when it comes to visa renewals.

However, for first timers who don't have the flexibility of changing the dates it can be a problem. Considering that I've already booked my non-refundable return tickets as well as the insurance, there's no way to change the itinerary anymore or I lose all of my money! That's 1100 USD for the flights, insurance and visa formalities combined!

Source

Netherlands as I understand is quite welcoming of tourists. Fortunately, when I discussed the idea of traveling to Netherlands, my buddy from my school who now lives near Amsterdam offered to send the sponsorship documents making the whole process a little bit easier. He literally saved my ass by helping me with the sponsor documents.

Why not a business visa for attending SteemFest?

I was unsure if a business visa is the ideal way to go since there's no time (loss of visa fees aside) for rejections and for reapplying. Since I plan on an extended trip and arrive 10 days early to help @roelandp in organizing the conference and leave 2 weeks after the SteemFest is over as I intend on traveling a little.

@roelandp was kind and offered to help in this regard if I needed but I opted for the family/friends visa type since I have a sponsor whom I've known for over a decade which I felt might make things easier!

In the process I realized I wasn't alone. @infovore and I are in similar boat with tons of paperwork to be taken care of!

From my discussions with @thebluepanda, @razvanelulmarin, @sjennon and few others from the EU region I found out that some of the countries in Europe doesn't require their citizens to hold a visa to enter the Schengen region but they still have to undergo some formalities but not quite as extensive as mentioned below.

Infact, I was mistaken. I had previously thought that citizens of most if not all of the countries in the European continent didn't require a visa or any other formalities and were free to travel in and out of Schengen states at their whim and fancy. Turns out that's not the case at all!

Source: Schengen Visa Info

Here's is a list of documents I'm submitting to the consulate for my visa.

• Fully completed and duly signed Schengen visa application form and photographs for visa.
• Original and Copy of my passport.
• Previous travel history including copy of travel visas to USA and Indonesia.
• Copy of e-ticket for my return flight to Netherlands via Bombay, Delhi and Moscow with Aeroflot.
• Copy of Letter of Invitation to Netherlands.
• Copy of Proof of Sponsorship letter.
• Copy of my Sponsor’s Passport and Proof of Legal Stay in The Netherlands.
• Original and Copy of my travel medical insurance policy, valid for the whole Schengen Area and covering up to 100,000 Euros for medical and hospital care plus repatriation for emergency medical reasons.
• Documentary evidence of my self-employment.
• Documentary evidence of my latest 2 year Income Tax Returns and 3-months bank statements showing my monthly income.
• Documentary evidence of my financial investments in Fixed deposits, PPF and Mutual funds etc.
• Documentary evidence of my joint ownership of my residential property in Mangalore, India.

In addition to this I'll have to show them that I can carry sufficient Euros. I've budgeted for 500-1000 Euros in cash in addition to other travel expenses to be on the safer side. Previously, we could simply send these documents over and get the visa. But the issues in Europe has resulted in several policy changes. Now we have to show up in-person for fingerprints and bio-metrics adding to the time and costs.

This isn't a huge problem and fortunately planning ahead allowed me to work my ass off and come up with the funds and apply for the visa. But the sheer paperwork and running from pillar to post to complete some previously incomplete documentation was simply exhausting. This is an area where life in India can be quite tasking! But, fortunately I managed to renew my passport 2 weeks before it expired 3 months ago, cutting my troubles in half.

In India, it can be really hard to get the renewal done quickly if your passport expires as a friend and fellow steemian @norbu found out recently.

But due to lack of appointment dates available I managed to get an appointment on the 6th of October and yesterday all my paperwork came through.

What now?

In an hour from now I hit the road to Bangalore city which is approximately 400 kms away for my Visa appointment. Fortunately, this time I've got some company with my buddy @droidsid joining me on the drive in his car.

I'll be honest, the fact that I'm speaking at the conference in addition to assisting @roelandp means that I have to get there at any cost and these visa requirements has made me a little anxious.

SteemFest

Source

@roeland has a great list of activities planned if you've seen the itinerary. I'm sure all of us attending will have a great time interacting and networking with each other.

Remember, we're social creatures after all and there's a lot more to Steemit than simply sitting behind a computer and authoring our posts!

Wish me luck with the visa!

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I've authored a few posts which are quite interesting:

1. When I Lost Sight while Steeming!
2. Brown-headed Gulls in action at the frozen Pangong Tso, 14000+ ft
3. 5 Reasons to see the Shanti Stupa, at Leh!
4. Dummies Guide to Using Steemit.Chat Effectively Everyday!

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@firepower