Schengen visa requirements- what are they?

A Schengen visa is a special and most common visa that people apply for when visiting Europe. You need to know schengen visa requirements thoroughly as it will make it easy to apply schengen visa. Schengen visa omits the need for applying for different visas to enter the Schengen region and makes the Schengen zone a visa-free entry space. It is a short stay visa that allows the stay of up to 90 days in the region. This article talks about schengen visa requirments in detail.

Understanding schengen visa requirements

When applying for the Schengen visa, there are certain important documents that are needed to be submitted with the application. Fulfilling the schengen visa requirements is important for the acceptance of the Schengen visa application.

Documents required as part of  schengen visa requirements

When applying for a Schengen visa application, the following list of documents are required:

  • Visa Application Form: Completely filled with the correct information and signed the form before submitting; any person applying with you for the visa must fill a separate form.
  • Two Recent Passport Size Photos: Your photos should not be more than 3 months old and follow visa photo requirements
  • Passport: It should not be older than 10 years of the time you applied for Schengen visa. Also, it should not be expiring within 3 months after you leave the Schengen states and have two empty pages.
  • Travel itinerary: The purpose of traveling with all the time frames, dates, places, etc. that you will visit written in the form of a letter to inform about your traveling plan.
  • Round trip ticket or flight itinerary or flight reservation: It is a document same as a round trip ticket that contains the date, flight number, your name and other valid information that is required by the visa officer to know about your landing on the Schengen states and taking off to your homeland. 
  • Proof of accommodation or Hotel reservation: It is proof to tell where you will be staying during your stay in the Schengen state. Your proof of accommodation could be any one of the following. 
  • letter of invitation if you are being sponsored by a host
  • Rental agreement
  • Travel insurance policy: When applying for Schengen visa, you need to provide travel health insurance with the minimum coverage of 30,000 Euros; this is to cover any medical emergency, accident, or even death in the Schengen region. It should be valid in every Schengen state for the complete time you are staying. 
  • Proof of visa fee: You need to give the evidence of it. Schengen visa fee for adults is €60 and for the children of ages 6 to 12 the visa fee is €35.                                                                                                              Above mentioned are the necessary documents that are required by every person as per schengen visa requirments to apply for a Schengen visa.
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Additional Documents for visa applicants per Schengen visa requirement

    There are certain documents that are required to be endorsed with the application depending upon the visa type you applied for.

    The documents needed are dependent upon the applicant’s current status of employment, marriage, and education. The especially required documents are as follow:

    For self-employed:

    • A business license copy
    • Bank statement showing the account activities of the last 6 months
    • Income tax return

    For employees of a company:

    • Contract of employment
    • Leave approval letter/ leave permission from the company
    • Bank statement showing the account activities of the last 6 months
    • Income tax return

    For students:

    • No objection letter from the current institute
    • Enrollment evidence

    For retirees:

    • Pension statement of the last 6 months

    For a person married to an EU citizen and unemployed:

    • Valid passport of the spouse
    • Proof of marriage / Official marriage certificate
    • Spouse’s employment letter not older than three months

    For minors:

    • Schengen visa application form signed by both parents
    • Birth certificate
    • Certified copies of passport or ID card of both parents
    • Family court order if only one parent has the custody of the child

    For those who are visiting the family or friend

    • Affidavit of support: When a person who is applying for the Schengen visa could not bear their own expenses, they must show the official affidavit of support at the visa office in their place of residence. The original document is required.
    • Means of subsistence: When the applicant is bearing all the expenses when staying in the Schengen state, he/she should submit the supporting documents providing information about their financial status. When the relative or friend would be covering the expenses in the Schengen state then a formal document provided by the relevant authorities to the resident should be submitted with the visa application.
    • Letter of invitation by the relative or friend residing in the Schengen region.

    Where to initiate schengen visa application – How to apply?

    When you get all your documents ready, you need to apply at the consulate of the country for the Schengen visa where you want to go and collect documents per schengen visa requirement. When you have more than one Schengen state in your visiting list then go to the Consulate of the country where you will spend more time than others. When the stay is of equal length in all the Schengen states then go to the Consulate of the country you will be visiting first.

    The correct time to apply for Schengen visa application– When to Apply?

    When you want to visit the Schengen region, make sure you submit your Schengen visa application 15 days before you wish to travel to your destination. Ensure you fulfill all schengen visa requirements before applying for schengen visa. Also, don’t submit the application earlier than three months before you intend to visit the Schengen region.