schengen visa
Picture by Paul Watson

Step-by-Step guide
There are different type of Schengen visas, each specially designed to facilitate the particular needs of the visitor like business visa, tourist visa, immigration visa etc… This guide is specially designed for tourist visas. Other guides will soon be available on our website for other types of visas.

Each of the Schengen member states have slightly different application procedures, ask for specific documents and make different charges. We will try our best to include procedures specific for each country. However this is a general overview on the requirements…

  1. Fill and sign the Schengen visa application form. The application for must be signed by Applicant with the same signature as the one available on the passport.
  2. Add two recent passport-size photographs, in colour (3,5 x 4,5cm), per person, with a white background, with good contrast / clear / good quality, printed on normal photographic paper, unmounted and full face without sunglasses or head covering.
  3. Original passport and a photocopy of the personal data pages: passport must be valid at least 3 months after the expected return. Passport must be signed and have at least two blank visa pages.
  4. A confirmed return air travel tickets and its photocopy.
  5. If you have been previously granted Visas to a Schengen include it to maximize your chances
  6. Proof of funds: You will have to provide the necessary documents to prove you have the necessary funds for this visit: copy of Bank Statement and/or International Credit Card….
  7. Hotel reservation or information about the host with exact address and housing arrangements must be provided. If your not staying at the hotel a “Certificate of Board and Lodging” must be obtained by the person you are visiting - It can be obtained from the local Town-hall or Police Station- Original + one copy
  8. Medical insurance: You must have a medical insurance valid in Europe that covers illness and/or accident charges of a minimum of 30 000€.
  9. Itinerary of your trip, indicating the entry and exit dates, the number of days spent and the purpose of visit for each Schengen country you visit (hand written or issued by the travel agency).

N.B.:

  • E-mails are not accepted.
  • You must apply in person
  • Some embassies may limit the number of applications they will accept per day sotry to arrive early in the morning.
  • Other embassies may require that you take an appointment for an interview.
  • Embassies close on national holidays in their own country.

Additional documents:

  • If you are an alien to the country of residence: You must provide the necessary documents that certifies that you demonstrate your residence in that country. For example if you are a Lebanese citizen applying for Schengen visa at the French consulate in Egypt you have to provide Egyptian residency documents.
  • If under the age of 18 and traveling without the parents or with one parent:
    1. A parental authorization to travel form, completed and signed by the parents or legal guardian authorizing the child to travel and appointing the person responsible for him. This letter should be authenticated by a solicitor, or by a Consular Officer of the applicants’ nationality;
    2. Parents’ valid passports must be enclosed with the application, or certified copies if the parents are residing abroad;
    3. Original Full Birth Certificate, stating both parents’ names, with official translation if not in French or English. This official translation must be certified as a true copy by your Embassy/ Consulate or by the legalization office of the Schengen country.

N.B.: As in any other important situation, as a responsible citizen you are advised to check your files carefully before applying. All the documents that you present to the Consulate might be requested by the border Police before entering the Schengen State.

A guide to Schengen Visa Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
Disclaimer: Every effort is made to provide accurate and complete information. However we cannot guarantee that there will be no errors. We make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of this post, and all provided are to be used as a guideline

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This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2007 at 1:42 am and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.