Tips & Tricks For Applying A Schengen Visa

Lessons from 99.2% visa success throughout 9000+ travellers.

I needed to reschedule my honeymoon as a result of the German Embassy wouldn’t settle for a traveller’s cheque assured by an Italian financial institution. That was the primary time I skilled the facility of the Schengen Visa.

The Schengen Visa is infamous (after the US H1B) for its rejection charge. It’s probably the most sophisticated visa processes. For somebody who’s spending shut to three,00,000 INR, not solely are a few of the paperwork and processes fairly baffling but in addition sexist. Take, as an illustration, a no objection certificates that’s required from the fiancé’s father for her to journey. I’ve by no means understood how MATTE and GLOSS pictures ever make a distinction to the visa — on condition that both means my picture on the visa absolutely doesn’t appear to be me.

The most absurd of all — the bank card copy. Do they realise first-time travellers may not have that? Especially after having booked flights, accommodations, inside flights, automobile rent, inside trains, exhibiting a financial institution steadiness of round 2,00,000 INR and exhibiting FDs – how would a bank card copy make a distinction. Like critically? If you’re a banker and are studying this — put up a stall with 45min Credit card issuance under VFS centres, relaxation assured a certain shot 100% development in enterprise. If you don’t consider me, ask the pictures and Xerox guys within the VFS buildings.

My pet peeve — some embassies need financial institution statements in A4 paper with financial institution stamp and seal, some need in these perforated papers. Why? Well, that’s simply how it’s.

Let us assume you will have all this sorted and also you head to VFS. If there’s one organisation that deserves an award for passing the buck — VFS wins it arms down. Take for instance this case when one in all our travellers took all of the paperwork however this champ at VFS requested her to not submit the financial institution paperwork. No marks for guessing the tip end result – Her visa utility was rejected as a result of there wasn’t sufficient monetary proof!

We can neither change VFS nor the record of paperwork required, but we’re deeply affected by this randomness. So, we determined to attempt to doc all our learnings from our huge expertise in submitting functions. As all the time — disclaimer: While this has labored, the ultimate resolution rests solely with the embassy.

How simple is it to get Schengen Visa?

Using our information and suggestions from different visa brokers, we have now compiled a listing of situations you’ll be able to relate to whereas making use of for a Schengen. With #1 being the simplest to acquire the visa, the situations get more durable as you go down the record.

1. Folks with fats passports full of quite a lot of visa stamps (together with Schengen ones)

2. Families through which not less than one member has travelled abroad.

3. Couples who’ve been to international locations aside from Schengen

4. Couples the place both the husband or spouse is salaried and have travelled abroad earlier than

5. Couples who’re self-employed and are on their first worldwide trip

6. Group of buddies with prior Schengen visa / worldwide journey

7. Friends who’re first time travellers — that is an attention-grabbing bunch, you by no means know why your visa bought rejected however your folks was authorised.

8. Solo with prior journey — second final is the massively comforting place to be 🙂

9. Solo first time traveller — All one of the best! It takes a extremely fats financial institution steadiness and compelling purpose to get a Schengen visa

Embassy Toughness Index

The under record is only primarily based on our expertise and tales from people whose visa functions have been rejected. Processing time and strictness are the 2 indexes we have now used to reach at this record. #1 is the simplest of the lot.

1. France/Germany — French and Indian governments have the understanding to course of visas in below 72 hours. This is the swiftest of the lot. The complexity of the docs is similar as different Schengen embassies.

2. Italy/Swiss/Netherlands — These are colloquially known as ‘honeymoon embassies’ as many of the honeymoon functions are routed by them. Time to course of takes wherever between 7 and 15 working days and the set of docs is commonplace.

3. Greece/Austria — These embassies are identified for the next than regular share of private interviews. They additionally are inclined to course of visa as per departure date and generally it may well so occur that you just wait fairly some time in your visa.

4. Spain — One of the hardest embassies to grant the Schengen. They are most infamous for calling up and confirming if the rooms have been booked.

7 issues to enhance your success ratio

These are just a few steps that we have now seen work previously. Like all secret sauces, a mixture of those steps is what is useful.

1. Write outrageous masking letters

Pitch, pitch and pitch. Tell them how a lot you like their nation. Tell them why you’re going there only for a visit and inform them that you’re not Vijay Mallya. They need to know should you’ll return to India. Give them causes for that. There aren’t any marks for brevity in masking letters. Here is the letter our Co-Founder and famend journey hacker Srinath wrote when he utilized for his UK visa.

2. Know the foundations inside out

Even cricketers like Shikar Dhawan fall prey to visa guidelines. Do you assume we have now an opportunity? Here are a few of the most frequently over-looked guidelines:

You want to use within the nation you’re staying the longest. If there are two international locations that you just spend equal time in, you then apply within the nation of entry.

You want to offer pictures of engagement, marriage playing cards and so forth in case you are not but married.

If you’re married however don’t have a wedding certificates, you then want a notary attestation (or add your partner title on the passport).

If you’re travelling with a child, you then want his/her beginning certificates.

If you’re masking a number of international locations inside the Schengen space, as a rule, you will have proof of journey (low-cost flights, trains, automobile rental and so forth).

Ensure you place within the resort’s telephone numbers and enter all of the accommodations you’ll be staying in. Don’t be lazy, ever.

MATTE vs GLOSS — there’s a distinction. Don’t trouble arguing. Don’t even goof up on the 80% face and clear background.

Show the go away letter out of your firm. If you’re in-between jobs, then supply letter from the brand new firm and relieving letter from the outdated firm are a should and non-negotiable. Ensure you give a landline that’s working — we have now had circumstances the place landlines have been referred to as.

Do not switch cash into your checking account 2 days earlier than the visa appointment. And no, don’t PAYTM it.

3. Get your funds so as

ITRs, Bank Statements, FDs, House Documents — present as many paperwork as doable. Don’t assume twice so long as it’s clear cash 🙂 There appears to be a direct correlation between how a lot cash you will have and visa issuance.

Given Indians plan holidays about 45-60 days upfront, you don’t have sufficient time to maneuver cash into your account after you will have booked your visa appointment. Please plan for it upfront. They have to see a working account. Please don’t push cash right into a dormant account with final entry about 6 months again. That’s certain shot rejection technique.

4. Plan your journey well

Plan in such a way that you find yourself spending most time within the simpler international locations. An further day in France or Italy received’t compromise the expertise quite a bit however can massively have an effect on your visa success probabilities.

5. Apply with ample buffer

This is usually going to be that ONE journey that defines that 12 months. Plan properly upfront. You not solely save on air-tickets (present fares ex-Chennai are 34k for May/June journey — take a look at right here), however you even have sufficient time to use for a visa and go for that private interview or furnish further paperwork.

6. Be hawkish about official paperwork

Classic circumstances — The embassy calls your workplace and you aren’t in that department. In such circumstances, please don’t give landline numbers, although it’s good to be there within the paperwork. Please all the time give a cell quantity (ideally of somebody who is just not all the time caught in conferences 🙂

If you’re self-employed make sure that your COI, MOAs are so as.

7. Push again VFS

We have seen that generally VFS may be fussy about issues that aren’t talked about on their web site. As lengthy as you will have crossed off each doc in that guidelines, be happy to ask them to take the paperwork. They may scare you saying, they don’t take accountability if a visa is rejected. The truth is that they don’t either-ways, so don’t be coerced. Worst case, ask them to reschedule the appointment to a later date (freed from value). They would largely oblige.

8. Carry further docs

Additional pictures, unfilled varieties with signatures of candidates. You by no means know what they need as soon as you’re in VFS.

What can Pickyourtrail do to assist?

We have additionally put collectively a listing of paperwork for visas for probably the most generally utilized embassies. Feel free to entry the pattern varieties and checklists right here. We have tried constructing as complete a listing as doable — the visa utility type, masking letters and each doable doc that we all know the embassy would need. PS: The doc record is at the moment up to date each month so it’s all the time secure to cross-check with VFS in case they tweak any asks lately.

What’s simpler to do? If you’re planning a Eurotrip this summer season, give Pickyourtrail a spin. We have constructed trade first routing algorithm that minimizes value and it’s fully on-line. Your trains, inside flights, actions, accommodations, airways — all at one go. At on-line costs + real-time cell concierge, you don’t have to fret if flights are rescheduled, however as a substitute sit up for shocking your fiance, contextual restaurant solutions and so forth). Check out our FB critiques right here. I’d like to have suggestions on the product too. Happy holidays!

Also learn: Schengen Visa for Indians

PS: If you’re asking if we have now AirBnB, the reply isn’t any. Yes, we did have it final summer season however have pulled out. One of the principle causes is that there was a spurt in visa rejections for AirBnB bookings – once more that is primarily based on our expertise and may not be all the time so. There are additionally different buyer points like — hosts blaming visitors for breakages and you must log in and guide rooms individually in opposition to Pickyourtrail’s one-click guide platform.

Related reads:

How to plan a Europe journey from India? | Hacks for the primary time International traveller | India’s wanderlust tales

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