7 Easy Steps to Apply Schengen Visa

If you ever wondered what’s the first step towards that gorgeous European holiday, then you are at the right place. If you are an Indian passport holder like us, then boy our little indigo books have been on some incredible adventures! One question that will never bother you again is – how to apply Schengen visa! Because it is explained beautifully here.

 The first step you need to do for your Euro-Trip is, get a Schengen Visa. Here are the things you need to know –

1.Understand the Preconditions

2.Figure out which Consulate General to apply for Visa

3.Plan and book your trip (flights and Hotels)

4. Book an appointment with the Consulate/Embassy in advance (At most 3 months before travel date or at least 15 days in advance)

5. Assemble all the required Documents

6. Write a compelling Cover Letter

7. Submit biometrics at VFS center / Visa Interview

8. Jump with joy when you get your visa

Let me walk your way through each of these steps. Remember these are general guidelines and its always recommended to cross check with the concerned Consulate before taking further action.

 

How to Apply Schengen Visa for Indian Citizens & Indian Passport Holders.

 

1.Preconditions for Applying Schengen Visa

 

• Passport Should be valid for at least next 3 months.
• Passport should have at least 2 blank pages.

 

2. Figure Out Which Embassy to Apply 

To understand which embassy to apply to, go over your itinerary. The following points determine which country you should submit your application to. The priority in which they govern, are given below.

1. The Country where you will stay for the maximum duration of your visit to Schengen Zone
2. The Country that is your first Port of Entry in Schengen Zone
3. The Country that is your sole destination during your trip

 

For example if you are planning to visit France (10 days) , Switzerland (6 days) and Germany (5 days). Then you should apply to the French Consulate because that is the  country of your longest stay in Schengen zone.

Another example : If you are flying into Switzerland and planning to stay for 10 days each in France and Switzerland, then apply to Swiss Embassy because that is your first port of entry in Schengen zone.

Hence if duration of stay is same in multiple countries then use the port of entry as tie breaker to determine where to apply for visa.

If the Country that you wish to visit, doesn’t issue visas or has no Embassy, then submit your application to the Consulate of another Schengen country that “represents” the country of your travel.

For example if you are in  Goa and wish to apply for Greek visa, then you must submit to a “representative” Consulate near you -that is the Portuguese Consulate General in Goa.

Another example,  if you live in Seattle and wish to apply for Icelandic Visa, then you have to travel to San Francisco to submit documents to the “representative” Consulate General, that is the Norwegian Consulate in SFO, which issues Schengen visa on behalf of Iceland. This is because the Icelandic Embassy in United States doesn’t issue Schengen Visa. 

3.Plan your trip

Book refundable hotels and flights. Buy travel insurance covering at least up to 30,000 Euros. Plan your itinerary. Understand if your itinerary requires you to leave Schengen zone. Familiarize yourself with which countries  are Schengen, Euro and Non-Schengen zones. 

For Example :

If you travel to Slovenia and stay there for a week. Then fly to Croatia , stay there for 4 days and fly to Italy. You are essentially doing Schengen –> Non-Schengen –> Schengen. Because Croatia is not a Schengen country while Slovenia and Italy are.

This understanding is very important. Because in the above example you will need to apply for a Multiple Entry Schengen Visa. That is because you are entering Schengen zones more than 1 time. You will have to specify this in your cover letter.

If your trip involves only the countries of Schengen zone  : for example Italy → Spain → Portugal, then you need to apply for a Single Entry Schengen Visa

 

4. Book an Appointment for Personal Visa Interview/ Document Submission

You can book an appointment at least 15 days before travel date and at the max 3 months before travel date. Its always recommended to book sufficiently in advance. Because in high season (like spring break or summer in Europe), the embassies are overloaded with visa requests and may not be able to sanction your visa within 7-14 days. So try and book your appointment at least 1 month before your travel date to save yourself anxiety.

 

5. Assemble all the required Documents

The application form for Schengen Visa looks as below. It is similar for all Schengen countries and the general format looks as shown:

 

• Completely and correctly filled Application Form. Visa Application forms are available in respective government websites. For example French visa form is available at France’s’ government website.
• 2 recent Passport Format Photos as per the requirements of the Embassy You’ve Chosen to Apply. (For example German consulate has different requirements from those of French Embassy)
• Passport
• Cover Letter stating Purpose of visit
• Travel Insurance
• Letter from Employer sanctioning leave for “X” number of days for Europe trip.
• Flight reservations. Flight itinerary & Dates specifying entry and exit from desired countries.
• Proof of accommodation during your entire stay in Schengen zone. Proof of hotel booking confirmations.
• Proof of stable finances. (Salary slips of last 3 months, Bank statements of last 6 months showing enough funds, Property documents, Proof of Business, Income Tax returns of last 3 years – The more “assets” and finances you show, the stronger your case becomes and chances of visa rejection become minimal)
• Proof of relation status (Like marriage certificate ,if spouse not mentioned in Passport , Birth Certificate of children ,etc ) 

6. Cover Letter

This is the key factor to determine whether you will be granted visa or not. Your itinerary should be clear. Your intent to return to your home country should be clear. Most visas get rejected because intent to return looks dubious and raises suspicion in Visa officer.

If you want that fantastic European holiday that your instagram feed keeps reminding you of, then don’t feel shy. Boldly and openly declare every reason that you have to return to your home country. That may be a your great job in home country , decent bank balances, investments or any other connections – family or property that tie you to your own country.

Remember liquidity has more weight than showing immovable assets or long term locked out investments. So show sufficient bank balance. The definition of “sufficient” could be different for everyone. But the rule of thumb I follow is 180 Euros per person multiplied by the number of days I intend to stay. The more financially stable you appear, the stronger your case gets.

If you need a multiple entry visa then mention it specifically in your letter.

 

SAMPLE COVER LETTER

 

To

Consulate General of  ” <Whichever country you are applying to>” 

 

From,

ABC

 

Dear Sir / Madam,

 

Sub: Request for issue of < “Multiple / Single Entry “> Schengen tourist visa

 

I kindly request you to grant me a< “Multiple / Single Entry “>tourist visa to visit Schengen countries. I intend to visit France and Switzerland for 1 month from 11th April 2018 to 11th May 2018 purely as a tourist. I am a <“your designation”> working for <“your company /private business”> and my family will accompany me during my tour.

 

Their details are as below:

Name :

Relation with applicant :

Passport number :

Employment : 

I am the primary applicant for Schengen visa for my family and I will bear the expense of travel, food and accommodation for the whole family during this 1 month of trip. We have chosen Paris, France as port of entry to Schengen region during our trip. Our itinerary is as below : 

 

Date	City & Country
11th – 20 April 2018	Paris,  France
21 – 30 April 2018	Nice , France
1 – 10 May 2018	Zurich , Switzerland
11th May 2018	Depart from Zurich to India

 

I have travelled outside India as a tourist in the past, and have correctly complied with those Visas and returned to India within the stipulated time frame.The purpose of my visit is entirely tourism and sightseeing. I have no intention of engaging in any form of employment outside India. I hereby promise to return to India before the expiry of my Schengen Visa. I am obliged to return to India for the following reasons:

• Return airline ticket from Zurich to Bangalore is purchased.
• Have a stable, secure employment in India
• Have my family residential property in India.
• Family ties in India.

 

I have enclosed all the necessary documents.

 

Yours Sincerely

ABC

 

7. Submit Biometrics / The Interview

 

You need to book an appointment in advance for submitting biometrics/Visa Interview. While it differs for each case, sometimes just submission of biometrics like fingerprints suffices, while other times you may have an additional visa interview too. You will have to personally submit all the documents to the Embassy/Consulate General. Here your fingerprints will be collected and the Visa officer will ask you some simple questions regarding your trip. Like what are you planning to see ? Who are you going with ? Be frank. Be confident. And submit the documents. Now wait for about a week or two to receive your passports by mail.

 

8.Yooohoo !

Go crazy once you receive that gorgeous passport with an approved Visa. The trip is on!! Start packing your bags now !

Leave your comments, insights and ideas below – you know how much we adore your inputs! 🙂

 

Disclaimer : The points mentioned here general guidelines towards obtaining Schengen Visa. It’s highly recommended you visit the concerned government website for most accurate and up to date information. Also, every case is unique and treated individually by the Visa officers.