Schengen Visa Info for Philippine Passport Holders

Located in the western Pacific Ocean is the archipelagic country of Southeast Asia, the Philippines. With 7,641 islands, it is the 13^th most populated country in the world. Every year, thousands of applications reach the table of the consulate with up to 80% of which got approved, according to a census. How to apply for a Schengen visa with Philippine passport and get accepted? This article contains all the necessary information.

Does Philippine Passport Holder Require Schengen Visa?

According to the Hanley Passport Index, related to the freedom of traveling to the citizen, the Philippine passport ranks 73rd in the world. Filipinos have the benefit of accessing 67 countries either visa-free or have the visa on arrival. The Schengen region does not lie in that list. Thus, the Schengen zone is not a visa-free region for Filipinos. However, applying and getting accepted for the Schengen visa means you can visit 26 European countries for up to 90 days within 6 months. One Schengen visa makes every Schengen country visa-free for Filipinos.

Schengen Visa Application Fee for Filipinos:

The Schengen visa application fee is fixed for the different regions of the world including the Philippines. You need to pay the fee immediately when you apply. This fee is non-refundable even when your application is not approved by the Consulate.

[i] Updated on 23/04/19, the values may vary depending on your current day of conversion.

When to apply for Schengen visa?

Make sure to apply for the Schengen visa before 15 days when you wish to travel or no more earlier than 3 months. But the time duration may lengthen depending upon your application and the required documents, so we recommend you to apply one month before. 

Schengen visa type for Filipinos:

Schengen countries provide the following kind of visa to the Philippine passport holders. You can apply for two kinds of visa application depending upon your visit:

1. Tourist visa

As the name indicates, it is only for the tourist who wishes to go to the Schengen region during their holidays.

2. Business visa

It is for the people who wish to carry out any kind of business activity in the Schengen region. The main thing to remember is that it is not an employment visa at all.

The above mentioned two types of visas are further categorized into these three types:

·        Uniform Schengen visa

It allows the visa bearer to visit any country that lies in the Schengen region.

·        Limited territorial validity visa

Not all but the holder of this visa could go to only a few Schengen countries.

·        National visa

The visa bearer could only go to the single country that he/she has applied for.

Which Embassy or consulate to apply?

As the Schengen region is consists of 26 countries, then which Embassy to go for to submit the Schengen visa application? You can apply on any of these two embassies to get your visa:

1. Apply at the embassy or consulate of the country where you will be staying the most
2. If you are going to spend equal time in two or more countries in the Schengen region then submit your application in the consulate of the country you are going to land first.

How to apply for a Schengen visa with the Philippine passport?

To apply for Schengen visa in the Philippines, follow these simple steps:

• Decide the visa type you require
• After that, make the timeline of the trip so that you can know where you should apply
• Choose the right time to apply
• Get all the necessary documents that are required by Filipinos to apply for a Schengen visa
• Make an appointment online, via phone, or in-person at the embassy or consulate located in the Philippine for the visa interview
• At the appointed day, attend the interview with all your documents
• Pay the visa fee according to the above-mentioned table
• Sit back and wait for your visa to arrive

Necessary documents needed for the Schengen Visa by the citizens of the Philippines:

When applying for a Schengen visa, the Philippine citizens must have the following documents:

1. Visa application form: Fill it, print it and sign it
2. Two identical photos: The photos should not be older than 3 months
3. Valid Philippine passport: The passport should not be older than 10 years and should remain valid after 3 months when you leave your last Schengen state. Also, your passport must have at least two free pages.
4. Proof of legal residence in the Philippines: Your national ID card of the Philippine will work.
5. Flight itinerary or round trip ticket: You don’t need an original round trip ticket for that but require to show your flight reservation in a valid flight with a date.
6. Schengen travel health insurance: Before you make your trip to the Schengen state you need to purchase Schengen visa insurance that provides you the coverage of at least €30,000 in case of any medical emergency in the Schengen zone.
7. Hotel reservation or accommodation proof: You need to provide your proof of accommodation by showing your hotel booking details or an invitation from the host.
8. A cover letter: The letter should thoroughly cover your purpose of traveling and details about your trip.
9. Means of subsistence: Provide your bank statement, payslip, or any other means to show that you have enough money to support your trip. If not, then you need to show a sponsor letter from the host.

When all the requirements of the Schengen visa are met by the Philippine passport holders, then there’s very little chance for the visa application to get rejected.