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I am applying for a short-stay (2 months) Schengen visa to stay in the Netherlands for the purpose of study (sent by my home institution in Russia as part of my PhD program). When, as advised by the visa centre, I am filling in the visa application in the automated form at
https://consular.mfaservices.nl/ the system demands, in a compulsory way, to provide the name and address of either my hotel or the person I’m staying with. Meanwhile, I’m yet to learn that, as flight and accommodation are provided by the Russian side, through a slow bureaucratic process.

Yet, if I just print the visa application as a paper form from the web site of our Netherlands embassy https://www.niderlandy-i-vy.nl/, this field “Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s)/hotel(s)/temporary accommodations” is not starred for compulsory. Who is right here?

  • Option A: the electronic form is correct, and it is impossible to apply for a Schengen visa without having an exact address of accommodation. Why, then, did my visa centre explicitly confirm to me that “if the Russian side covers all expenses (which it does), neither flight nor stay must be already decided to the moment of visa application”?
  • Option B: the paper form is right, and I may just leave it empty. Why, then, the electronic form treats those as compulsory?
  • Option C: the goal of the entry was misunderstood by me. While reading the name of the section in the final printout, “Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s)/hotel(s)/temporary accommodations,” it seems to me that giving the (working) address of the person who is in charge of my invitation to the Netherlands is okay.

Currently, I have prepared all the possible options: empty printout to fill in at the spot; printout filled with data and this field empty; printout prepared with the online method by giving the address of my inviting university as the “Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s)/hotel(s)/temporary accommodations,” as in Option C. Which was the correct choice? Should I postpone the visa application as try to force my side to pay for some particular flights and place to live immediately?

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This question is similar in nature to the one linked below and should also be read.

In general, it is not advised to finalize travel arrangements before a visa is issued.

Some application forms explicitly state 'if known' when asking for an accommodation address, others don't.

The Schengen Border Code does not state that suppling an address, upon application for a visa, is mandatory.

You will, no doubt, be suppling a letter from your home institution in Russia.

This letter, or in a second letter, should state that they will be organizing the travel and accommodation arrangements.

If this letter also states that they prefer to do this after the application is granted, then it should be clear to the Embassy or Consulate why the field has not been filled.

What is important is that the accommodation address must be known when entering the Schengen Area.

Sources:

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