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I'm currently a green card holder through asylum (my nationality was Indonesian). Also I have the travel document (refugee travel document). Work requires me to travel to Brussels for a team training. To go there, will I need visa? If so, what kind of visa I should apply?

Victor Utama
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  • Note that you need to travel on the Refugee Travel Document, not the Re-Entry Permit (which, while you can travel on it, will require visas). – Michael Hampton Sep 06 '16 at 20:13
  • Yes, i stated above that i hold travel document. Furthermore,if i required visa, then what type of schengen visa? Will i need working permit or i can just use visitor visa. – Victor Utama Sep 06 '16 at 20:22
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    The Refugee Travel Document and Re-Entry Permit are two completely different documents. You should be traveling on the Refugee Travel Document; you only need the Re-Entry Permit if you will be outside the US for more than a year or want to reside in another country. And, as the linked question explains, you are visa-exempt for short stays if you travel to Belgium on the Refugee Travel Document. – Michael Hampton Sep 06 '16 at 20:26
  • I just confirmed again, mine is actually refugee travel document, not re-entry permit. – Victor Utama Sep 06 '16 at 20:28
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    You can just book your flight and go, however you need to make sure that Belgium is the first country where you enter the Schengen area. If you don't get a direct flight to Brussels from the US, you should arrange to transit outside Schengen (e.g. the UK, where you won't need a transit visa). – Michael Hampton Sep 06 '16 at 20:54
  • Aside, in case you end up having to apply for a visa for some reason: Schengen visas do not come in separate types for business and pleasure. Rather, you have to provide justification for the purpose of your trip, which may be a business purpose or not. – phoog Sep 06 '16 at 22:08
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    @MichaelHampton Why can't the traveler pass through, say, Germany on the way? Germany apparently also allows visa-free travel for refugees. Victor should therefore be fine booking a flight on Lufthansa. – phoog Sep 06 '16 at 22:14
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    @phoog Yes, he probably could. The point is that he'll need to check his transit points carefully. Especially if his company is buying the plane tickets. – Michael Hampton Sep 06 '16 at 22:33
  • @MichaelHampton agreed. Travelers using a refugee document has to consider each Schengen country's visa requirements separately. (The same is true for visa nationals who are traveling on diplomatic or service passports.) – phoog Sep 07 '16 at 14:29
  • I'm just not sure why this is mark as a duplicate when i have a specific questions. Anyway, i called the General Consulate of Belgium in NY. Explained about my immigration status and the purpose of my visit there. The rep said i dont need visa. Although, she clarified that it's a short term visit and will not be paid in Euro. – Victor Utama Sep 08 '16 at 14:12

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