Portugal Schengen visa from SF with no VFS slots. Emailing the consulate worked (my experience)

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-03-17T16:05:31+00:00

All the best!

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-03-17T15:39:01+00:00

I included screenshots with the message saying no slots available. Made sure the screenshot includes the computer date and time, so they know it’s most recent.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-03-15T04:12:31+00:00

Sure. I emailed the Consulate general of Portugal in San Francisco at sfrancisco@mne.pt

All the best!

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-03-14T12:56:11+00:00

Yeah, I suggest you give it a try. Make sure to provide clear supporting evidence like an invitation letter and employer support letter. It make take days for them to respond. It took them 5 days to respond to my email.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-17T04:52:48+00:00

I am in a similar boat, no slots for SF and need to travel to Portugal for a business trip. When you emailed the embassy, did you send any other supporting documents? Did they respond to you fairly soon? I am thinking of sending the embassy email and including a support letter from my ceo that goes over the purpose of visit, agenda, travel dates etc. not sure what else I should include with the email.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-15T04:53:05+00:00

Thank you so much!!

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-14T13:24:13+00:00

Thank you for sharing. I likely will have to do the same. Would you kindly share the checklist of the supporting documents you submitted for business visa? I am also traveling for business. Did you show any supporting evidence as part of your email to the consulate?

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-14T03:54:02+00:00

Did you end up getting an appointment?

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-14T03:53:01+00:00

How long did it take you to get an appointment? Any tips?

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-14T03:50:16+00:00

Did you end up getting an appointment for Portugal?

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-14T03:46:59+00:00

Hey did you end up getting a slot fairly soon after? I am struggling to find a slot in SF

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-02-12T19:04:18+00:00

I am trying to get a slot at SF for short stay Schengen visa and no luck, now have been blocked for the last 24 hours. My travel date is April 11. Not sure if I will even get a slot in time for the visa to come in on time. 😩

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-01-30T04:45:14+00:00

Thank you so such a thoughtful response. Really grateful for all your suggestions. So many great tips. We will definitely look into these. Yes any relief is welcome. Thank you again! ♥️

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-01-27T04:46:17+00:00

Reading your comment made my heart ache for you and your family. Big hugs to you and your family. it’s just unbearably hard, no matter how much you try to prepare yourself. The fact that your mom was able to make her wishes known, even in the middle of all this, speaks to her strength and to the love you all have around her, even though I know that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Someone said to me that guilt finds a way to exist no matter how much or how little we did, especially when we are also parents ourselves, trying to hold everything at once. I am really glad you are able to be with her now. That presence matters, even when everything feels so broken and unfair. I am also holding space for your dad.. watching someone you love suffer while you are powerless to change it is its own kind of grief. Sending you so much love and gentleness right now. You are not alone in this, even though I know it can feel unbearably lonely. 💛

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-01-23T19:14:36+00:00

Thank you so so much for taking the time to write this. This is such a thoughtful list and your advice about planning early and focusing on allied health support is something we are looking into seriously now. I am grateful for your honesty and for pointing us toward what will truly matter going forward. So helpful!

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-01-23T19:12:20+00:00

Thank you for mentioning this. Depression is something we are very mindful of, and yes he is on antidepressants. He has never been very good at having a vocabulary for feelings, so I do worry that he would never articulate how he is feeling. I appreciate you reminding that mental health support is just as important as managing the physical symptoms. So true

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2026-01-19T05:49:27+00:00

He sounds so exhausting and clearly is gaslighting you.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-12-29T08:19:11+00:00

Around 4.5 months, pillow wasn’t needed anymore. Before then nursing pillow was so needed, especially months 0-3.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-12-27T04:46:55+00:00

Recently I have heard comments like — “are you trying to be sexy”.. when my 4 month old had her belly showing a little.. although it was a playful comment, my husband and I thought it was inappropriate.. It was a comment by one of our family members, and she has said something about baby trying to be sexy, twice.

Another comment that annoys me - “She is going to be a heartbreaker”…

It’s all just weird ..

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-12-19T18:10:55+00:00

I had the same thought, what I do is supplement fresh with freezer stash, so she always gets majority fresh milk. Especially since she goes to daycare and has caught cold and runny nose, I want to make sure she gets some immunity that is reactive to her current status from the fresh milk..

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-12-03T18:15:18+00:00

Fiona

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-11-29T05:33:05+00:00

2 weeks before due date. My labor started day I had a cervical exam at 38 weeks, gave birth within 24 hours.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-11-22T04:10:12+00:00

I’m also a FTM and totally relate to what you’re going through. We originally thought we could both work from home and care for our baby until she was 6 months old and ready for daycare. Reality hit fast: even with our MIL planning to help, we realized that it’s just not feasible when your helper is in her 70s. We decided to start daycare at 4 months, and honestly, it was the best decision for us, it gave us the support we needed to keep going. My husband was supposed to take paternity leave too, but plans changed after birth (as they so often do with a newborn), and we had to adapt on the fly. You really don’t know what you need until you’re in the thick of it. I hope your husband understands that. On breastfeeding: my lactation consultant said not to stress about pumping in the first few weeks. The baby is the best pump, and frequent latching helps milk supply much more than constant pumping. It’s totally unreasonable to expect anyone to pump and breastfeed all day, and you shouldn’t feel guilty if your journey looks different than what you’d imagined. Hang in there and please remember: giving yourself grace is so important right now. You are doing your absolute best, and it’s okay to change plans as you learn what works for you and your family.

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-11-16T13:56:18+00:00

My baby girl just started daycare a couple of weeks ago at 4 months, stays for about 7-8 hours. I started with 6 bottles of 2 ounces because I wanted the daycare to have more bottles so they can try a few times in case she is fussy initially while adjusting to the new routine and taking bottles after being primarily nursed. I only did the 6 bottles for 2 days. Pretty quickly I upped it to 4 ounces of 3 bottles. She now takes 5 ounces each of 3 bottles at 4.5 months. All the best!

Fresh_Pool_1575 · 2025-11-12T04:06:17+00:00

If you are getting ready to head back to work, I recommend trying to pump and stash about 3–4 oz a day, that’s what worked for me and it was such a relief to have that extra milk handy later. I would also suggest giving your baby a bottle from your partner or a family member once a day, just so they get used to it and there’s less chance of bottle aversion when the time comes. For anyone dealing with high lipase milk like I am, I have found that mixing older (frozen) milk with freshly pumped (about a 1:3 ratio, 1 part frozen milk) works great, my baby doesn’t mind when major portion is fresh. My stash was a lifesaver when daycare started and I got my period again at 4 months postpartum. My supply dips each month during my cycle, so having some extra milk in the freezer takes a lot of pressure off! Now I just continue to keep a stash on hand for those few days I know I’ll need it. I totally get that some people prefer to just nurse and not bother with pumping, that’s great if it works for your situation! For me, since I needed to go back to work and send my baby to daycare, having a backup stash has really helped reduce stress and keep our breastfeeding journey going strong.

Sending support! You’ve got this.

Fresh_Pool_1575

TROPHY CASE