Apply for Schengen Visa in India – European Visa requirement for Indian Nationals
Apply for Schengen Visa in India – European Visa requirement for Indian Nationals: As per the statistics more than 10 million Indians travel to European counties every year. It’s expected the percentage may grow up to 15 million by 2021.
Schengen visa For Indian Nationals
Indian citizens can apply for visa in any Schengen Area member countries Consulate (embassies) and who ever have been granted a visa can visit freely in any of the 26 Schengen member states till their visa is valid. They don’t need to apply in each and every country for visa individually. In short visa holder can travel all 26 Schengen countries with a single valid Schengen visa.
How to Apply for a Schengen Visa in India?
Below are the steps you must consider while you plan to apply for a Schengen visa in India.
1 } Figure out which type of Schengen visa is required for your trip. You must apply for appropriate visa depending on the purpose or reason of your travel.
There are 3 primary visas types you can apply for:
- Uniform Schengen Visa– This type of visa allows the holder to visit any Schengen state within 6 months of issue for up to 90 days. This visa can be a single entry, double entry or multiple entry visa.
- Limited Territorial Validity Visa– This type of visa allows the holder to visit particular countries only and restrict the holders from entering any other Schengen country during the visit.
- National Visa– This type of visas are granted to students and working professionals who need to reside in the Schengen country for study or work. This can be either single or multiple entry visas.
There are different Schengen visa types to select and apply
2} Search where you are most comfortable to apply for a Schengen visa in India. Select the nearest embassy / consulate of the country you need to apply at.
3} Decide minimum 3 months ahead to apply for a Schengen visa in India. At least 15 working days is must to apply for visa before you intend to travel to Europe.
Applicants must apply for their visas at one of two embassies:
A) Apply at the embassy of the country which is your intended point of entry.
B) Apply at the embassy of the country where you planed to spend the maximum duration of your trip
4} Prepare all the required Schengen visa documents for Indian citizens.
Fill in the application form and submit the required documents : once your appointment is scheduled, visit the embassy’s website or office to collect the application form.
- Two passport size photographs of 32-36 mm height as per embassy guidance.
- Passport (with at least 2 blank pages) and copies of old visas
- Get Cover letter/sponsorship letter Mentioning the reason of travel, duration of travel
- Get Travel insurance of a minimum coverage value of €30,000
- Book Flight itinerary reservation from India to Europe and back with dates of travel to tourist spots in detail, along with Hotel reservations accordingly
- Proof of Citizenship and civil status like : Birth certificate, Marriage certificate, and Citizen identity documents like Voters ID
- The employment contract If employed, past 6 months income statement, leave and travel approval (No Objection Certificate) from the employer, a copy of previous IT returns
- If self-employed : a copy of the business license and registration certificate, P&L statement for the past 6 months, a copy of IT returns and other proof of financial sufficiency
- If a student- no objection certificate from school/college, proof of enrolment
- If retired- a copy of pension documents for the past 6 months
You must personally handed over all documents to the concerned person at the embassy.
5} Get an appointment for interview at visa application center in India. You can make an appointment online, or through phone. You can find more information for each EU embassy/consulate located in India Pay the visa fee. All Schengen states have fixed visa fees. Below are the fees as per visa category
Schengen Visa Category | Fee in EUR | Fee in USD* |
Adult | 80€ | 95$ |
Child between 6-12 years of age | 40€ | 47.50$ |
Child younger than 6 years of age | Free | Free |
Holders of diplomatic passport | Free | Free |
* The applicable visa fee in USD (US Dollar) is as per the current exchange rate. It is subject to change without notice.
6} Attending the interview. Be on time at the embassy, prepare yourself to give best as per your application, Remember be relax and answer appropriately, officer will check all of your documents and verify your answers tally with the information you’ve provided in the form. This interview proves to be crucial for your visa application acceptance. You need to convince the officer that you intend to abide by all the laws of the host country, and you will return to your home country with in visa validity. Your interview with the officer will get decided to grant you the visa or get rejected.
7} Wait for the processing of your visa. Once the interview is done, you may have to wait for at most 15 days, for a response from the embassy on your application.
8} Biometrics: Your biometrics are tagged to your visa application and they act as records of identification during your travel so once you are done with visa interview, the embassy official will take your biometrics.
9} Acknowledgement of acceptance/rejection letter by the embassy: After a week or two of the visa application process, the embassy will send your visa stamped on your passport by post if your application has been accepted. In case of rejection, the letter will contain information about the reason for rejection issued.
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