Schengen Visa Application

Schengen visa application is quite easy and straightforward. A Schengen visa is a short-stay visa. It gives the holder the opportunity to travel around the Schengen area.  The Schengen area comprises 26 countries known as the Schengen States.

The Schengen states 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. There is no border restriction between these countries. Thus, holders of Schengen visa can travel around the Schengen states without visa restrictions.

In order to make travelling more convenient across the EU countries, the Schengen Visa was introduced. Now you can tour several European countries. You do not have to worry about loads of paper works, money and time spent for visas. Once you meet the requirements, you will be issued a Schengen visa. You can stay in any of the Schengen areas for a duration of no more than 90 days within a 180-day period.

A Schengen visa is an authorisation issued by a Schengen State with a view to:

• transit through or an intended stay in the territory of the Schengen States for a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180 days period (“short stay visa”),
• transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Schengen States (“airport transit visa”).

On June 14, 1985, Schengen came to life after ten European Union member states concluded on the original Schengen Agreement. The agreement was signed by 10 EU member states at that time. In 1990, an agreement was reached to help remove the internal borders and this agreement introduced the Schengen visa policy. In later years, some other EU member states joined the agreement and it became part of the EU incorporations.

Note: we do not offer a Schengen visa. We only help with things you need to know in order to make Schengen visa application easy.

Schengen Area Countries

The Schengen Area Countries cover an area of 4,312,099 square kilometres with a population of over 400 million people. There’s a lot to explore for those going on tourism. About 1.3 billion Schengen border crossing is witnessed yearly. This crossing has helped to boost business, trades and tourism.

Schengen Area comprises 26 European countries. These countries have agreed that people visiting any of them could gain access to other Schengen area using a unified visa called Schengen visa. This implies that with a Schengen visa you can tour the Schengen area for a duration of no more than 90 days in any 180 days period. However, you should note that not all the EU countries are part of the Schengen area. Travelling to Russia? Get your tourist or business visa invitation HERE.

Note:

• The United Kingdom and Ireland are not part of the Schengen area. The two countries have agreed on a common travel area. A Common Travel Area is an open borders area comprising the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. A Schengen visa is not enough to visit this area. You will require a visa to visit any of these countries during your tour.
• Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway and Switzerland are part of the Schengen area even though they are not members of the European Union.
• Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Romania are seeking to join the Schengen area.
• Albania, Andora, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Georgia, Ireland, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, The United Kingdom and Vatican City are European countries which do not yet belong to the Schengen area.

The Schengen border agreement brought:

• the abolition of internal border controls,
• definition of uniform visa issuance procedures,
• operation of the SIS database,
• the establishment of a cooperating structure between internal and immigration officers

Note: we do not offer a Schengen visa. We only help with things you need to know in order to make Schengen visa application easy.

Schengen Visa Application: The Requirements

Citizens of some countries are required to get Schengen Visa in order to travel to the Schengen area. They need to submit some documents before they are issued a visa.  The Schengen visa application and requirements are almost the same in the Schengen areas. If you only plan to visit just one country in the Schengen area, you must apply for your visa at the Consulate of the country you are visiting.

However, if you plan to visit several Schengen countries, then you must apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country where you are going to stay for a longer period. If it turns out you are spending the same number of days in your countries of visit, then you will be required to apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country of your first point of entry.

The Schengen visa application: requirements to process a visa:

• Schengen visa application form (filled and signed)
• Original passport (should not be older than 10 years and should be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date you will exit the Schengen area)
• Copy of the visa/residence permit if applying in a third country.
• Two recent passport-sized photos (taken within the last 3 months)
• Round trip flight reservation
• Detailed hotel reservation
• Proof of health insurance
• Latest credit card statement
• Latest bank statement
• Original signed employment letter. If you are a student, a letter from your school or college.
• Self-addressed envelope if you are not picking up the passport in person
• Bank money order for the visa fee
• Schengen Travel Health Insurance
• Proof of paid visa fee

Schengen Visa Application fee

The fee for Schengen visa varies. It depends on the Consulate you are applying for a visa. You may find it at €60 or higher.  Once paid, the visa fee is non-refundable whether you are granted or denied a visa.

Those Who Do NOT Need A Schengen Visa

Citizens of the following countries are not required to obtain a Schengen visa in order to enter any member country of the Schengen Area for tourism or business purposes:

Albania	Andorra	Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina	Australia	Bahamas
Barbados	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Brazil
Brunei	Canada	Chile
Colombia	Costa Rica	Dominica
El Salvador	Georgia	Grenada
Guatemala	Holy See (Vatican City State)	Honduras
Hong Kong S.A.R	Israel	Japan
Kiribati	Macao S.A.R	Malaysia
Marshall Islands	Mauritius	Mexico
Micronesia	Moldova	Monaco
Montenegro	Nauru	New Zealand
Nicaragua	North Macedonia	Palau
Panama	Paraguay	Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Saint Lucia	Saint Vincent
Samoa	Serbia	Seychelles
Singapore	Solomon Islands	South Korea
Taiwan	Timor Leste	Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago	Tuvalu	Ukraine
United Arab Emirates	United States of America	Uruguay
Vanuatu	Venezuela

Note: we do not offer Schengen visa. We only help with things you need to know in order to make Schengen visa application easy.