Schengen Visa Requirements

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I remember those time when I applied for my visa it was really a grueling experience. Since I have never been into a country which requires visa, waiting for the result is really tormenting. Not to mention the anxiety of whether your visa will be approved or not. For today’s blog, I will be sharing to you the requirements you need to submit when applying for Schengen Visa. I must say, gathering all these requirements can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry, I will be here to guide you. You don’t necessarily need a travel agency to do it; you can do it yourself. So let me share to you how I was able to obtain my first Schengen Visa.

NOTE: There are various types of Schengen Visas and requirements may vary for each embassy. For this visa guide, we will focus primarily on tourist visas or short-stay visas. The application process for a work, student, or sponsored visa (to name a few) will differ. 

 Current Valid Passport

You can submit your old passport (if available) and current valid passport. For Philippine passport holder, when submitting your current passport you must take into consideration the 6 months validity as required by the Bureau of Immigration.

In most cases, you are required to submit a photocopy of the first page and last page of both old passport and current passport. Photocopy of previous visas and immigration stamps from countries previously visited.

Cover letter

Some embassies don’t require a cover letter but it is good to have one. In writing your own cover letter you must consider the following:

• Your personal cover letter must state your purpose for travel and duration of stay.
•  It must clearly specify the dates when you intend to enter and depart.
• Further labeling why you have applied at specific Embassy.

• It must indicate how you intend to fund your travel and stay. For sponsored travel, you must give details about your sponsor, your relationship to the sponsor and the reason for sponsoring you.
• Cover letter should also contain your detailed itinerary. It must list all the countries you plan to visit.
• The status of your employment
• If there are any required documents you are unable to submit, give an explanation of why that is.

Sample Cover Letter

Application form

Application form can be downloaded on the embassy website for the country you are applying. You can also check on third-party branches such as VFS Global or VIA. Make sure to answer the application form truthfully. Remember, honesty is always the best policy.

If applying for short term tourist visa through VIA you are required to attach a photo on your application form. One (1) recent passport-sized or 2x2 photo with white background (ears should be exposed and with collared shirt/blouse).

Detailed Itinerary

Planning for an itinerary can be hassle but it can help you boost your visa application. The immigration officer will be checking at it to see what you line up to do in the country. Travel itineraries come in a variety of formats. You may choose a Word format or itinerary templates in Excel. In making an itinerary for visa application you must consider the following:

•  Duration of Stay
• Travel Dates
•  Places you will visit or activities you will do.
• Accommodation- this must include the name of the hostel, full address and booking confirmation number. If you’re visiting a friend or relative, or have sponsor, write their name and full address.

Sample Detailed Itinerary

Flight reservation ticket

Booking a flight before getting your visa is not recommended as there might be a chance that you will be denied (Knock on the wood). Remember tickets to Europe cost an arm and leg. What you can submit is a flight reservation instead.

What is flight reservation ticket and where to get it?

This is not actual booking and you don’t need to pay for the flights in full yet. From the word itself “reservation” meaning you just need to reserve them. A few airlines will allow you to reserve flights for minimum charge. Cathay Pacific, for example, will allow you to hold your booking for 72 hours with a holding fee of $15 otherwise your booking will be automatically cancelled.

Another option is to get from travel agency that offers it. I highly recommend Gazelle Travel and Tours. They issue legit reservation proof that I submitted on my application.

For flight reservation request visit Gazelle travel and tour

Proof of Financial Means

•  Copy of real estate property or title deed
• Bank Certificates supported by passbook or Statement of account with 6 months history for frequent traveler.
•   International credit card statements with 6 months history (if available)

Proof of Employment 

• If employed, Certificate of Employment accompanied by No objection Letter and Income Tax Return (ITR)
• For applicants who are Government Staff, Approved Travel Authority
• If Self-employed, Business License/ permits, BIR registration and Financial Statement/Income Tax Return Professional License Card (PRC Card)
• For students, Certificate of Enrollment and Approved Leave of Absence (if traveling during school year)

What is No Objection Letter?

As stated above, No objection letter should be submitted along with your certificate of employment. A No Objection Letter for visa is a legal certificate issued by an agency, company, university, etc., to their employee or student that they agree for the visa candidate to take off the days for which he or she has applied for a visa.

The process of obtaining it depends on the type of company where you work or university you are in. In my case, I have to obtain a leave of approval from our Workforce Management and have it approved by our manager. After I get the approval, I requested to our HR Advisor to write a letter of no objection for me. If you work at a smaller company, you can request from your boss to write the letter for you.

No Objection letter should include the following information:

• Date of when the letter is issued
•  Company’s Name, Address and Telephone number
•  Direct it to the consular officer or Embassy with full address of the Consulate.
• Employer’s name, current occupation, gross annual income/ monthly salary (annual allowance, if any).
• Declaration of no objection against the employee’s international visit
• Indicate the leave approval for the whole duration of employer’s travel. Indicate also the employer's expected date of return to work.

Your No Objection letter should be issued, certified and signed by your supervisor or manager or HR head. Since it has to be verified by the immigration officer, it is very significant to include the employer’s name, company’s address and contact information.

Sample No Objection letter

Travel health Insurance

Getting travel health insurance is consequential especially traveling to a distant places. For Italian embassy, Travel Health Insurance with coverage of at least 30,000 euros (with 15 days allowance beyond travel period) is required. I recommend MAPFRE travel insurance. They are one the of Schengen accredited insurances that offers at low cost.

Accommodation

Personally, Booking.com is the best site when booking for accommodation as they offer No prepayment and cancellation policy. You can reserve your booking at least 1 year which is enough time while you save for your trip. There are plenty of hostels which you can choose from that offers reasonable price. Alternatively, you can book with Airbnb that offers arrangement for lodging.

If you invited by relatives, you are required to submit Letter of Invitation and both of your PSA documents to prove relationship.

Visa Fee

As of Feb 2, 2020 Schengen Visa Application for Adult costs €80 which is around Php 4500. 

IMPORTANT REMINDER:

Make sure to bring ORIGINAL AND PHOTOCOPIES of ALL required documents.

 

So that’s all of it. Pretty easy ey? Sure it is. As I mention you can opt to have a travel agency to arrange it for you but it's a different kind of accomplishment when you do it yourself. I hope you have learned a thing or two on this blog. Don’t forget to sprinkle a little prayer for your visa to be approved before submitting it (It definitely works for me- wink). For step by step guide please check Schengen visa application process for Philippine passport holder.