Plan Your Visit with a Schengen Visa Now, Check Out the Details Here!

For those who love traveling or going abroad, understanding the different types of visas is a must. One of the most talked-about visas today is the Schengen visa. This visa is frequently discussed by people who want to visit the Schengen area.

But where exactly is the Schengen area? And why does this visa have a special name?

To answer these questions, and perhaps others that you may have in mind, you can read the points below to better understand. Hopefully, you'll find all the information you need about the Schengen visa right here.

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Understanding the Schengen Visa

The Schengen visa is essentially a special visa required for visiting, whether for tourism or business, the Schengen area countries in Europe. There are at least 26 countries in this region, all of which you can visit with this visa.

According to several sources, Europe can be divided into three different regions: the Eurozone, the Schengen Area, and the European Union. The Schengen visa allows you to visit the countries that are part of the Schengen Area.

5 General Steps for Applying for a Schengen Visa

Applying for this special type of visa is not difficult. There are five main steps you can take to apply for and obtain a Schengen visa, provided you meet all the requirements and pass every test involved.

Here are the five steps:

1. Submit Your Application

You can submit your Schengen visa application through embassies, TLS Contact, or VFS Global. Each has its methods, but essentially, these three visa application centers share a similar process.

For embassies, you can visit their official websites to check the visa application requirements. VFS Global can be visited directly at their office or via their official website.

2. Schedule an Appointment

After reviewing the established requirements, you can schedule an appointment with the relevant authorities to submit your visa application. It's highly recommended to schedule your appointment well in advance, at least 6 months before your departure date, giving you ample time to meet all the document and requirement deadlines.

The visa application itself should be submitted at least 15 days before departure if all conditions and requirements are met.

3. Gather the Required Documents

Submit the necessary documents independently to the embassy or relevant office. The required documents can vary depending on the embassy where you apply. For example, when applying at the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, the documents you need to prepare include:

• Application form
• Contact consent form
• Passport
• Recent photos with a white or light grey background, 3.5 x 4.5 cm
• Cover letter in English or German
• Travel health insurance
• Travel itinerary, including flight bookings
• Purpose of travel
• Employment certificate
• Financial statement
• Marriage certificate or family card

For children, additional documents such as birth certificates, divorce certificates of parents (including child custody decisions if applicable), and death certificates (if one parent has passed away) are required.

4. Interview and Payment

After submitting all the required documents, you will wait for the interview schedule. The embassy or relevant office will contact you for the interview.

Questions usually revolve around your trip, the purpose, duration of your visit, planned activities, places you wish to visit, and so on. You will also undergo a photo and fingerprint process and pay the required fee.

5.Processing and Collection

Once you’ve completed the four steps above, the embassy or relevant office will review all the documents and requirements submitted. This review process will result in a decision on your Schengen visa application.

This process takes at least 15 days from when the embassy receives your visa application. If approved, you can request delivery by courier if you cannot pick it up in person.

If your submitted documents are incomplete, the visa processing time will be longer. Therefore, it's highly recommended to carefully check all the required documents and confirm with the embassy or the agency assisting you to ensure a quicker process.

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Ideal Processing Fees and Requirements

Regarding the processing fees, they will be charged according to applicable regulations. The fees during the process depend on the respective embassy. However, as noted on visa.vfsglobal.com, the European Commission has announced a visa fee increase from €80 to €90 for adults, effective since June 11, 2024. All general visa applications submitted on or after this date will be subject to the new visa fees. For more details, refer to the relevant documents at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:L_202401415.

The requirements for applying for a Schengen visa depend on the embassy where you apply. A little tip: applying directly at the embassy of the country you plan to visit may make the process smoother.

List of Schengen Area Countries

As mentioned earlier, the Schengen area comprises 26 countries. These countries can all be visited with the Schengen visa you obtain. The list includes:

• 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
• Switzerland