Learn to overcome the fear of rejection by following the tips on how to secure a Schengen visa. A lot of people wish to travel across the globe but the one thing stopping them from realizing their wish is the reality of visa application. This is definitely true for individuals who dream of touring different countries in Europe. Now, these hesitations can be put aside because this article has everything you need to know to get that much-needed stamp of approval from any Schengen member embassy.
What You Need to Know about Schengen Visa:
If you are travelling to a Schengen member country, then you need to know what the Schengen visa is. This is a short-stay tourist visa awarded by any Schengen member embassy to eligible applicants. Some embassies grant a 20-day, single entry visa while other embassies grant a 90-day, multiple entry visa. The number of days and entries given to each applicant is given under the discretion of the Schengen member embassy. Of course, these embassies do take into account your travel itinerary before deciding the length of your tourist visa.
The Schengen Member Countries:
In order to maximize your travel plans and to properly schedule your target itinerary, it is helpful to know what countries share the Schengen visa. Each Schengen member country acknowledges the same visa; therefore your short-stay, single entry visa can be accepted in any of these member countries.
There are currently 26 Schengen member countries that use the same tourist visa:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland (not a European Union Member State)
- Italy
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein (not a European Union Member State)
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway (not a European Union Member State)
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland (not a European Union Member State)
All the listed countries above accept tourists with Schengen visas. You can go in and out of these countries even if you have a single entry visa provided you have not entered a non-Schengen member country.
Who Needs a Schengen Visa?
The good news is – not all tourists need a Schengen visa to be permitted to visit any of the listed countries above. There are countries that have running agreements with the Schengen member countries which permit its nationals to enter any Schengen member country without going through the visa application process. Check the list below if you are one of these lucky passport holders:
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Bolivia
- Bosnia
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- El Salvador
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Guatemala
- Holy See (Vatican)
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxemburg
- Macedonia
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Maurice
- Mexico
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Uruguay
- Venezuela
If you are a passport holder of any one of the countries about then you are in great luck! This means that you are allowed to enter the designated Schengen city hubs like Amsterdam, Paris, Madrid, and the like and you will be granted a short-stay visa on the spot by the immigration officer in the airport.
Tips on How to Secure a Schengen Visa:
If your country is not listed above, that just means that you need to apply for a Schengen visa before flying out of your country of origin. You do not need to feel dampened about this because the truth is it is quite easy to get an approved visa. You just need to complete the required documents and be ready to be interviewed by the consul. In other countries, visa applicants need not go directly to the embassy because many Schengen member countries have hired a third-party visa processing unit where applying tourists go to. Go through the tips on how to secure a Schengen visa below and use these as you guide:
Tip # 1: Complete the Necessary Requirements:
Yes, there may be a handful of documents you need to collate before you can even proceed with your visa application but these documents are actually quite easy to get. Just complete it one day at a time and you will surely finish it in a week. Here is the list of requirements:
- Valid passport and copies of the front and back pages
- Current passport-sized photos with white background
- Completed Schengen Visa application form
- Proof of travel such as flight booking, travel itinerary, and hotel booking – You may get a Flight Booking for Visa and Hotel Reservation for Visa just for your visa application without having to pay for the airfare or hotel booking.
- Travel Insurance– It is better to acquire this from Schengen Travel Insurance, an affordable and reliable insurance company.
- Personal Coverage Letter
- Bank Documents
Tip # 2: Use a Personal Checklist for your Requirements:
Yes, it can be quite overwhelming to get all the documents listed above. For sure, some visa applicants do skip a requirement or two and only realize it when they go to the embassy or the 3rd party visa processing unit. To avoid this disastrous situation, it is best to make a personal checklist of all the requirements that you need. It is very easy to make – you can write on paper or encode it on your smartphone or laptop. You can use whatever is more accessible and convenient for you. Tick the box of the requirement that you have so you can easily see how many more documents you need.
Tip # 3: Collate your documents in clear book:
You might have decided to put all your documents in one plastic or paper envelope but a better option is to put all your documents in one clear book. If you don’t know what a clear book looks like – it is a ring-bound plastic book with plastic sheets inside. In a clear book, you can put a document in each plastic sheet. That way, when the consul or the visa processing personnel asks you to pull out a specific document, you can just leaf through the pages with ease. You can also swiftly double and triple check if you have brought all the documents you need for your interview.
Tip # 4: Know you Itinerary by Heart:
Not that you are planning to lie about your trip but consuls do ask frequent and repetitive questions about your itinerary just to check whether your intentions for visiting is pure or otherwise. So that you will not be suspected of having malicious intentions, make sure to know that ins and outs of your itinerary most especially if you are travelling across borders.
Tip # 5: Relax:
This is probably the most important tip out of the entire list on the tips on how to secure a Schengen visa. Once you are called by the consul or the agent, just stay relaxed. You do not need to feel jittery just because you are being interviewed. Give straight answers to the questions thrown at you. Remember less words, less mistakes.
Tips on How to Secure a Schengen Visa – Are you ready?
If you have followed the tips above, then you are truly ready to go through the entire visa application process. Set an appointment with the Schengen member country where you plan to stay the longest and submit all your documents. Should you need further assistance in getting a visa or itinerary, contact us through our website or our WhatsApp (+1 201-554-8735). Apply with ease with the aid of these tips on how to secure a Schengen visa.
