The Schengen area comprises of a group of European countries that do not have any restrictions for tourists traveling across their territory. Through the Schengen agreement, these countries are enable the removal of the internal border controls the Schengen member’s state, to build a Europe with no borders, it also harmonized the visa obligation between all Schengen members state and making it easier for students, businessmen, and tourists to visit multiple European countries for a period of fewer than 3 months.
The Schengen agreement, that advocates the freedom of movement between all the members countries and eliminated the instructions along with their borders, it was signed in 1985 in a small town called Schengen in Luxemburg, it is all started with 5 countries, and currently it has 26 member countries and several territories and micronations they are: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The application process of obtaining the visa is mandatory for your freedom of movement of this area. Therefore you should be careful when lodging your visa application.
In case you are going to Europe and you need a visa, continue reading this article which will guide you on the Schengen visa application process.
Contents
Which Schengen Visa you want to apply to?
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There are different kinds of Visa depending on what your purpose is. You can apply for one of the following
- Tourism visa, Business visa
- Transit visa, Study visa
- Visa for culture and sports activities
- Visa for medical reasons
- Visa for visiting family or friends).
Where do you want to apply?
It is subjected to how your destination country in Schengen has a regulated visa submission in your country of residence. First, you have to file your Schengen visa application to one of the following: the country embassy and one of their consulates. Moreover, there is the embassy/consulate of other Schengen state or a visa center to which the embassy of your destination country has outsourced visa submission.
What is the Most Suitable Time to Apply?
It takes some time for the institutions to process and approve the visa; you will have an appointed period within which you can file your visa application. The allowed period to apply for the Schengen visa as the following:
- You should apply for the visa three months before you start planning your trip.
- The latest application day is 15 working days before you intend to travel.
- Applying one month before the trip will be sufficient.
Book an Appointment
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You can book your appointment in case you want. Most of the countries will book an appointment online. On the other hand, in others, you need to book an appointment in person, at the embassy or consulate of your destination country.
Fill out the Visa Application Form
The Schengen visa application has the same format no matter which country’s visa is that the applicant is applying for. You will have to give the information on your Schengen visa application form: (your personal information, information about your background, your purpose of whishing the Schengen visa, other details regarding your trip).
Gather the Required Documents
The required documents are the key parts of your visa application; the required documents are the following:
- The visa application form
- Valid passport, two identical photos
- Travel insurance policy
- Round trip reservation or flight itinerary
- Proof of accommodation, proof of financial means
Other specific requirements differ from one visa type to others and some of the Schengen member’s states have their own extra requirements for visa application.
Attend the Visa Interview
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Don’t forget to show up on time at the place where you will be interviewed. There will be a visa consular to whom you need to handle the collected documents as required. You will be asked personal questions during the interview about the intended trip and other travel details. The interview may last around 10-15 minutes.
Pay the Visa Fees
A non-refundable administration fee is obligatory for the Schengen visa, for the visa application to proceed. Currently, the Schengen visa fee is 60 per person. Several groups (children, for instance) will have to pay a reduced fee or will be able to get it free of charge.
Wait for an Answer to your Application
Wait until you get a response about your visa application. Although in most cases it takes no longer than 15 days for processing a visa.
Every time you visit a Schengen country you will need to issue a Schengen visa again! Therefore, many people prefer to issue a golden visa to one of the European countries to obtain permanent residence or citizenship through real estate investment of this country and thus have opportunities to visit all European countries without the need to issue a Schengen visa and enjoy all privileges granted in it.
