How to Get a Schengen Visa (3)

In my last two articles on this topic, I have explored six steps to getting a Schengen Visa. This is the concluding part of the article. Enjoy it!

7. Prove that You Need the Visa You are Applying For: Getting a visa is not easy (I must confess). If you doubt me, ask those who have been refused visa many times without any tangible reason after all said and done.

Sometime last year, I read an interview in a newspaper which a consular said it is not their responsibility to give visa to applicants. If this is anything to go by, you will understand the reason why embassies are refusing their applicants visa. Every country is restricting access (entry) to its country. That is the more reason why you have to convince the consular or embassy beyond reasonable doubt that you need and merit the visa that you are applying for.

If you really wants to get a visa, there are about (3) conditions that you must fulfil. They are called “ties.”

(i) Family Ties: If you are single (unmarried) or a minor, you can hardly get a Schengen visa except your parents is travelling with you or you are going for study purpose or you have rich travel history or you are holding a foreign passport. These are some of the conditions that you can get a Schengen visa if you are between the age of 16 and 25 (and unmarried). Even if you are an adult and married or you are above the specified age, the Family ties is important to the embassy as they would like to know, “Who are you? What do you do? Do you have a family? Are you responsible? Are you a dependant or self-sustaining? If you cannot fulfil this condition, you are not likely to get a visa.

(ii) Work Ties: Are you gainfully employed? Where do work? What do you do as a person? Do you run business of your own or do you work with a company or organization? They need to ascertain these too before giving you a visa. If you run a business of your own you need to show proof by providing a certificate of incorporation. If you are working with a company or organization, you need to be get a reference from your company all that.

(iii) Country Ties: Among other things, the embassy would also like to know what would bring you back to you home country after getting a visa. Of course, your family, work, business, children, relative, etc are some of the things that would make you come back and not “disappear” if you are given a visa. These are some of the things or pre-conditions that the embassy would like to ascertain before giving you a visa.

8. Filling the Schengen Visa Application Properly: The Schengen visa application says a lot about the visa applicant. You can make your visa application successful or mar your chances of getting visa (even for life) with the information you provide on the two-page or four-page visa application.

This form has a lot of information about you (the applicant), where you are working, your family, your inviting organization (or host), your sponsor, your source of fund and the type of visa you are applying for. So, it would do you a lot of good if you take time to fill the form meticulously by providing the right information needed. If you think you are not knowledgeable in filling the form you can seek the help of a travel agent or consultant.

9. Book a Visa Appointment: After this, you need to book a visa appointment. Some embassies have ‘walk-in’ interview – you don’t need to book an appointment. Just make yourself available for the interview.

10. Pray: Having done your own part by crossing the ‘I’s’ and ‘t’s’, it is important to commit it to the hand of the Almighty God to do His part. With your visa application in His hand, your Visa is sure.

How to Get a Schengen Visa (2)

In my last article, I explained what a Schengen visa is and countries under the Schengen states. I also started out by telling you how to make your Schengen visa successful. This article is a follow-up on that.

2. Know the Requirements: Having known the type of visa you are applying for, the next thing is to start getting all the required documents towards your visa application. If you visit the website of the Embassy you are applying for, you will see all the required documents on there. If you need to be doubly-sure about the visa requirements, you can consult an experienced travel agent who would be of assistance to you.

3. Start filling the visa Application: The next thing to do after knowing the visa requirement is to start filling the visa application form. It could either be paper application or electronic (on the website or on your computer). But most embassies are phasing out paper application. Most application is now online. Before you start filling the form, make sure that you read the instruction on the form. Most times, they will also require you to create a Username and Password (which is usually case sensitive). Ensure you write your Username and Password down because you will need them in your subsequent application. Or when the computer logs you out. Please also remember that filling the form online needs a lot of accuracy and speed.

4. Make your travelling purpose clear: It is important to convince the consular or the embassy that would be issuing you visa beyond reasonable doubt about your purpose of trip. If you do not make this very clear, your visa application will be refused. It is one main reason why many visa applications are refused. It is not enough to fill in “Study”, “Visit”, “Tourism” in the visa application form. You have to clearly state this purpose and back up with a more convincing reason. Otherwise your visa application will be refused.

5. A Good Bank Statement of Account or Sufficient Funds: This is another major reason why many people do not get visa. Yes, many people want to travel and get visa, but they harldy make any preparation towards meriting the visa as visa is not got on a platter of gold especially for Schengen country. The embassy or consular would want to know how you would sustain yourself during your trip or if you have enough money for your trip. So, earmarking enough money for your hotel accommodation, feeding, sightseeing, round-trip airticket and other expenses is what would show that you have made adequate preparation for your trip. For your source of fund, if you can also include Credit card, cash and sponsorship (if you have one).

6. Get Genuine Documents: If you intend to get a Schengen visa( or any other visas at all), you have to make sure that you get genuine and authentic documents. Don’t patronize quacks and touts milling round the embassy or anywhere in the name of travel agents who will promise you heaven and earth that they have ‘Inside-link’ and the documents you present doesn’t really matter (whether they are got from Oluwole or anywhere). If you present a fake document, and the law caught up with you apart from been denied visa, some embassies might ban you for years and you might be behind bars. To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Yes, I am aware that some applicants have presented fake documents and get away with it. I hear a lot of these stories everyday from clients who come to my office for visa consultations. But, you might not be lucky. Remember, everyday for the thief, but one day for the owner. So, be warned and desist from that act if you are to patronizing agents who assist you with fake invitation letters, fake bank statement of account, fake travel insurance and all sorts. You can actually get the right documents and get your visa.

How to Get a Schengen Visa (1)

Have you been thinking of how to apply for a Schengen visa either for study, work, business or tourist purpose? If yes, then this article is for you..  Whether you are applying for the first time for this type of visa or you have been refused before. I think you will find this article informational.

Before talking about how to apply for a Schengen visa, I think it is important to know what s Schengen visa  is.

A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows a person to travel to any of the Schengen member states and stay for  a duration of 90 days either for tourist or business purpose. It allows anyone with this type of visa to enter, freely travel within and leave the Schengen zone within that specified period.

For the avoidance of doubt, the Schengen countries (states) are:  Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

From this list, you would see that twenty-six countries are in the Schengen . The list is growing by the day as more countries are joining  the Schengen state.

What this means is that if you happen to get a Schengen visa, you will be able to enter 26 countries with one single visa and be able to stay up to 90 (depending on the validity of your visa).

So, here comes the big question, “How do I get a Schengen visa?” Here are what you ned to do to get a Schengen visa:

1. Know the type of visa you are applying for: According to the purpose of travelling, the Uniform Schengen Visa applies to all of the two categories, “A” and “C”.

‘A” category stands for the Airport Transit Visa which allows its holders to travel through the international zone of the Schengen country Airport without entering the Schengen Area (county).

Airport transit visa is mandatory for the citizens travelling from one non-Schengen state to another non-Schengen state through a change of flight in a Schengen country airport.

“C” category stands for a short-term visa which allows its holders to reside in a Schengen Area for a certain period of time depending on the visa validity. This is particular category, according to the holder’s purpose of travel  can be obtained in a form of:

§  Single-entry visa

§  Double-entry visa

§  Multiple-entry visa