How to get a Schengen visa yourself

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Detailed instructions that will tell you what documents need to be prepared, where to carry them and what to be ready for when obtaining a Schengen visa.

Types of Schengen visas

There are the following categories of visas:

1. A - a visa that gives the right to stay within the transit territory of the airport.

2. V - a transit visa for transit through the territory of the country. This type of visa allows you to stay in a Schengen country for no more than 5 days.

3. WITH - a tourist visa with which you can stay in the country and travel throughout the Schengen area for a certain period:

• C1 - up to 30 days;
• C2 - from 30 to 90 days;
• C3 - multiple entry visa valid for up to one year;
• C4 - multiple entry visa valid for up to 5 years.

4. D - national long-term visa.

If you are going on vacation to one or more Schengen countries, you need a Category C visa.

Also, visas differ in the number of visits:

• Single entry visas … With them, you can enter and leave the Schengen area once. After that, the visa is considered invalid, even if its validity has not yet expired.
• Double entry visas … With them, you can enter and exit the Schengen area twice.
• Multiple entry visas … With this type of visa, you can enter and leave the Schengen area as much as you like during the validity of the visa. As a rule, these visas have a limit on the days of stay, allowing you to stay in the Schengen area for no more than 90 days out of 180.

Which country to apply for a visa

The visa should be obtained at the consulate of the state to which you are traveling or in which you will spend the most days of travel. If you plan to visit several countries and stay in each of them for an equal number of days, you should apply for a visa of the country you will enter first.

There is a lot of controversy about the first entry rule, which suggests that you must first enter the country that issued your visa. This is not entirely true. Technically, you can get a visa from one Schengen country and enter another at the same time. However, be prepared for questions from the customs officer, who will probably want to know about the reasons for such a difficult route. If you can explain and prove that you will spend most of your trip in the country whose visa is in your passport, there will be no problems.

It doesn't matter which country you enter first. It is important where you spend more time. If you do not get to the same country, it can be difficult to get a new Schengen visa from its consulate later.

What documents do adults need

You can apply for a visa no earlier than 90 days before the start of the trip.

The list of required documents varies slightly depending on the country you are going to. Therefore, before submitting, be sure to check the exact list on the website of the relevant consulate. You will definitely need the following documents:

Visa application

The application form or its electronic form must be taken directly on the website of the consulate of the country where you are going to travel. There you can also find an example or instructions for filling out an application. Complete and print all pages of the application, including the code, and sign it.

Passport

You will also need copies of all pages with personal data, marks and stamps, as well as page 14 with or without marks. Of course, this does not apply to children under the age of 14.

International passport and a copy of the page with personal data

The passport must be valid for at least three months after the last expected date of departure from the Schengen area, contain at least two blank pages and be no older than ten years. It is also recommended to make copies of all previously issued Schengen visas. If you have another valid passport, you must also provide it along with a copy of the page with personal data.

The photo

The size of the photo is 3, 5 × 4, 5 centimeters. It should be done no more than 6 months ago and meet the ICAO standard. … You can take a picture directly when submitting documents at the service and visa center.

Hotel reservation or original invitation with information about accommodation

In some cases, the reservation must be prepaid.

Documents confirming your financial solvency

• Bank account statement for the last 3-6 months. On your balance sheet, you must have an amount ranging from 40 to 70 euros for each day of your stay abroad. Alternatively, you can provide travelers checks for the same amount.
• Certificate of income from the place of work, drawn up on the company's letterhead. It should indicate your salary for the last six months, as well as be stamped and signed by the manager.
• For individual entrepreneurs, a certificate from the tax office on income for the last six months can serve as proof of income.
• Pensioners can provide a certificate from the pension fund on pension payments for six months.
• Non-working citizens should provide a sponsorship letter written by those committing to fund the upcoming trip. This letter must be accompanied by a copy of the first page of the sponsor's passport, as well as any original financial document of the sponsor confirming his solvency, for example, a statement from his bank account.

Documents confirming your intention to return to your country of residence

• A certificate from the place of work or study, which says that your work or study place is reserved for you for the duration of the trip. Students should also provide an original and a copy of their student ID.
• Individual entrepreneurs can attach a certificate of registration of an individual entrepreneur.
• Pensioners need to attach the original and a copy of the pension certificate.
• If you own real estate in Russia, please make copies of your title deeds.
• Round-trip tickets. If you are going to travel by car, provide the exact travel itinerary and attach your license, registration certificate and international car insurance.
• If you are married and / or have children, attach copies of marriage and childbirth certificates.

Personal data processing agreement

It must be properly executed and signed by you.

Insurance for at least EUR 30,000 per person

It should cover the entire duration of the trip. It's easy to get it online.

What documents do minors need

If you are traveling with a minor, you will also need:

Copy of birth certificate

If the child is traveling with two parents, you only need a copy of the child's birth certificate. But the consulates of some countries may require the original birth certificate or its notarized copy.

Parent or guardian consent

The consent of each parent or legal guardian must be signed by a notary, if the minor leaves without being accompanied by both parents / guardians. If the child is accompanied by only one parent / guardian, the consent of the other parent / guardian is required.

If the parent has exclusive parental rights, the death certificate of the other parent or a court order to terminate parental rights must be provided.

Copy of Schengen visa

If the accompanying parent already has a Schengen visa, you will need a copy of it, as well as proof of the joint trip, such as ticket and hotel reservations.

When to pay and what are the fees?

The consular fee (fee for consular services) is 35 euros, and if you need a visa urgently, then 70 euros. Please note that you will pay in rubles at the current exchange rate. Some groups of citizens are exempt from paying the fee, for example, children under 6 years old, disabled people of all groups and their accompanying person, as well as family members of citizens of the Russian Federation legally residing in the territory of the Schengen countries.

The service fee (payment for the services of the visa center) will cost you approximately 20 euros. In addition, you may be offered an additional service of courier delivery of ready-made documents.

Consular and service fees do not need to be paid in advance. This is done when submitting documents.

Where to submit documents

You can apply for a visa at visa centers, as well as at some embassies. If the embassy of the country you are going to visit accepts visa documents on its own, most likely it does so by appointment. Visa service centers usually work without an appointment. The exact information on where and when you should carry your package of documents can also be found on the embassy's website.

Visa centers are not travel agencies, but organizations that accept and issue visa documents directly with the permission of the embassy. They take your documents, send them to the embassy, then take them from there and give them to you.

The decision to issue a visa is made at the embassy and does not depend on the visa center.

When submitting documents at the visa center, you may be asked not to use the phone (at least not to talk on it in the waiting room). When your turn comes, your documents will be checked, clarifying questions will be asked, and you will be asked to pay the fees. Find out in advance how payment is accepted at this visa application center or embassy. Cashless payments are not possible everywhere, and in some places there are no ATMs. If you need cash, have it ready in advance.

After payment, your documents will be accepted and your fingerprints taken. Since September 2015, this is a mandatory procedure for persons over 12 years old, which is carried out every 5 years. If you have a plaster cast on your hand, then prints will be taken only from those fingers that work. The rest of the prints will have to be removed when receiving the next visa.

You can get a visa online. Then you will not have to go to the visa center, but you will need to pay for the services and for the delivery of the visa to your home.

When is an additional interview conducted?

An additional interview is conducted in cases where there are doubts that you are going to return, or when some information in your documents requires clarification. As a rule, in such situations, a consular officer will contact you by phone. However, interviews are usually dispensed with.

How many consider an application for a visa

Applications of citizens of the Russian Federation for a Schengen visa are considered within 10 calendar days from the date of receipt of the documents at the embassy. The term for consideration of urgent applications is 3 working days.

When accepting documents, you will receive a number that will allow you to track the status of your application on the website of the service center or consulate. Unfortunately, there is no way to find out what decision was made on your appeal. You can only see where your documents are.

Sometimes service centers send SMS notifications that the documents are ready and can be collected. But, as practice shows, this service is very unreliable, so it is better to monitor the status of documents yourself.