Steps to get a Schengen Visa for Salaried Indians

There is a popular joke doing rounds. It goes, “During the World War II, 1.2 million Indians fought for the British as British India. And that probably was the easiest way to obtain a Schengen Visa ever!”

Jokes apart, getting your first Schengen Visa as an Indian can be a little overwhelming. Especially, if you decide not to involve an agent. Going through the whole grill without an agent will definitely be a lot cheaper, but you need to know exactly what you need. This blog aims to give you exactly that. A Step by Step guide to obtaining your first Schengen Visa. So, read along. . .

Schengen Visa Applicants – What do the Consulates Want to Assure?

• That you are a legal citizen of the country you claim to be.
• That You are not a potential threat to their country/countries.
• That you are permitted by your country to enter their jurisdiction.
• That you come and leave as a traveler and do not intend to settle there as an illegal immigrant.
• That you have sufficient funds in your bank or an adequate sponsor for your stay for the designated period.

If they can assure the validity of the above, voila you will have a Visa at your doorstep in no time.

Basic Trivia for Schengen Visa Application

a) Apply to the Country you intend to stay the longest. For our case it was 7 days in Switzerland and 9 days in Greece, so we applied to the Greece Consulate. However, if your period of stay is exactly the same for all the countries, then you need to apply to the Schengen country you intend to enter first.

b) Single Entry Visa vs Multiple Entry Visa: It is important to know under what category to apply for. If you do not wish to re-enter the Schengen area once you have left it within the designated time, then a Single Entry Schengen Visa will suffice. If not, however, you need to go for a multiple entry Schengen Visa.

c) The Schengen Visa Fees: The all-inclusive Visa Fee is around Rs 13,100. This includes Passport Courier Fee and Application Status Updates via SMS and Email.

d) Application Timeframe: You are allowed to initiate the Visa Application process at most 3 months before your scheduled date of departure. However, your Visa Application will not be considered if you leave in less than 2 weeks (15 days to be precise). As a rule of thumb, apply at least 45 days before your scheduled departure. This gives you a safety net and enough cushion to deal with processing delays due to heavy rush or reapplication window should there be any errors/misses from your end.

e) Bank Funds: You are required to show atleast twice or thrice the amount you intend to spend in your Schengen Vacation as your liquid bank funds

With the above Trivia in place, let us proceed to the exact documents needed for your Visa Application.

Documents (2 Copies of each)

**Do not lie/forge/forfeit/conceal any documents and/or information. The Embassy will most certainly discover it and you will be liable to undergo legal consequences including but not limited a lifetime ban. **

GENERAL DOCUMENTS

i. Passport : Your Passport should be valid for atleast 6 months (from your scheduled date of departure) with atleast two empty pages.

ii. Previous Visa: You are required to submit photocopies of the Visa of other countries you have visited. If you have visited any Schengen country before, that is a huge plus for your Visa grant. If not a Schengen country, a visa for any other country previously visited also holds value. However, if it is your first time outside your country it is highly recommended that you visit some other countries near your vicinity before taking the leap into the Schengen area. But it is not a mandate and you can very well get your visa processed successfully if your other areas (documents/finances) are perfect.

iii. Visa Photo: You need to submit 4 copies of passport sized (4.5 smx3.5 cm), good quality,  recently taken photographs (not older than 3 months) with a white background and more than 75% of face coverage.

iv. Cover Letter: A Cover Letter is to be written in the form of an application addressed to the relevant Consulate, stating the reason and period of travel along with passport number and the financer of the trip. For instance, if a couple is travelling together and wishes to share the expense, two separate cover letters need to be prepared stating that the entire trip would be self-financed.

v. Schengen Visa Form (To be Downloaded from www.vfsglobal.com): Download the Form from the website and fill in all the details. You will be required to give a detailed account of your flight reservations, each day Itinerary, accomodations, inter-city commute. The proof of bookings need to be attached along with the Schengen Visa Form.

vi. Medical Insurance: A mandatory Medical Insurance is to be purchased for the duration of your trip. The amount varies as per your health cover, but the minimum amount of medical insurance to be purchased is 30,000 Euros. We purchased the insurance from www.policybazaar.com.

EMPLOYMENT DOCUMENTS

vii. Leave Letter: Adequate leave grant for the designated period duly signed by the employer needs to be presented to the Embassy.

viii. No Objection Certificate (For Govt and PSU Employees) : A No Objection Certificate stating that the applicant is a permanent employee of the organization and that the organization has no objection to his/her visiting the mentioned Schengen countries, duly signed by the competent authority/management, needs to be submitted to the Embassy.

ix. Salary Slips: Last 6 months Salary Slips, generated online (without signature) or manually (with signature) is to be provided to the Embassy.

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

x. Bank Account Statement: An all-inclusive transaction statement showing your total liquid balance needs to be presented. Please assure a consistent healthy bank balance throughout the period of 6 months. Total liquid funds available should at least be twice the amount of money you intend to spend on your vacation.

xi. Income Tax Return (ITR-V): Last three years’ ITR complete with e-verification is required to be submitted. Alternatively, you can submit the FORM-16 provided by your employer (Last three years), but it is advised to carry both.

xii. Form-16: Please carry last three years’ Form-16 provided by your employer for your Visa Interview. It is not mandatory provided you have your ITRs (last three years, complete in all respects).

Some other documents which you can carry to further boost your chances for a Quick Visa Approval are:

a. House Allotment letter/Possession Certificate (if any) under your name

b. A Consolidated Statement of your Equity Holdings (Shares and Mutual Funds if any)

c. Your CIBIL Score and Last 3 months’ Credit Card Statement.

Please Note that it is desirable to carry them but are in no way mandatory. You can safely tuck them towards the end of your file and pin them towards the end of your photocopy bundle.

Once you have sorted out all your documents, including your Flight Tickets, Accommodation Confirmations and Transfers, arrange them in a chronological order in a folder bag.

Book your slot online with a comfortable window, (preferably the first slot of the day) and rest assured, you will receive your Schengen Visa delivered to your doorstep in no time.