Schengen Visa Guide
What is Schengen visa?
Schengen visa is a uniform visa issued by a 26 countries 22 of which are European country and the remaining 4 are non-European countries which signed Schengen agreement. The Schengen visa is considered as an authorization to allow it's holder to roam freely within those 26 countries Schengen space.
The duration of stay is for up to 90 days if they hold valid Schengen visa short stay type C used for tourism and business visits or up to 365 if they have a Schengen long term visa type D national visa valid for medical, study or family visits. With the multiple entry visa you can visit several countries outside the Schengen zone and several European countries.
Which country gives the longest Schengen visa?
There is no Schengen country that gives longer visa than another as the Schengen visa is standardized for all 26 Schengen countries. However, as of February 2020 the Schengen visa rules have changed to provide more flexibility and ease to foreign nationals travelers who visit several Schengen countries more often.
It has become possible now to apply for multiple entry Schengen visa up to 5 years. This benefit will be given to selected travelers who meet the below criteria:
- The traveler hasn't misused any of his previous Schengen visas or overstayed.
- The traveler can prove having a very good financial situation in their country of origin.
- The traveler can prove that they are genuinely going to leave the Schengen zone before the expiry of their visa.
How much bank balance is required for Schengen visa?
Too many visa applicant who are applying for Schengen visa for the first time are mostly concerned and worried about how to prove sufficient funds for visa. This leads them to focus on their bank account end balance. Unfortunately, this would make them deposit large amount of money before they print out their bank statement to show a larger closing balance.
By doing so you are jeopardizing your Schengen visa application and your Schengen visa will mostly be rejected. What visa officers are looking for when reviewing your bank statement is:
- Regular and legal source of income: This could be monthly salary, savings, investments returns etc..
- Regular expenses: Your monthly expenses show your life style and the ability on regular savings.
- Your regular savings: Seeing your average monthly savings and your closing balance will clearly show if you have made any large deposits for the sake to get Schengen visa.
VisaTitans experts advise not to focus on how much bank balance is required for Schengen tourist visa and follow the above guidelines the next time you apply for Schengen visa.
How long is Schengen visa valid for?
Schengen visa validity starts from a few days and could go up to 5 years as per the 2020 Schengen travel visa policy update. The Schengen visa validity given to any traveler mostly depend on their Schengen travel itinerary and the country where they are applying from.
For example if you are travelling to a Schengen country for couple of days you might be granted a Schengen visa valid for 10 days but if you present multiple trips Schengen itinerary you could be granted multiple entry visa valid for up to 5 years.
How much is the travel insurance for Schengen visa?
The Schengen visa travel insurance requirement have been set by the Schengen countries to follow the below rules:
- The Schengen visa insurance must cover the entire Schengen area.
- The Schengen health insurance must be valid for your entire stay at the Schengen states.
- The Schengen travel insurance must has a minimum coverage of 30000 Euros.
The Schengen travel insurance cost is relatively cheap and the price would basically depend on the applicant's age and number of days you will stay in the Schengen state. How to get travel insurance for Schengen travel visa is simplified with VisaTitans .You will be given the option to choose your preferred Schengen travel insurance while you are applying for your Schengen visa online.
Which is the easiest country to get Schengen visa?
The Schengen visa requirement are almost the same for all 26 Schengen countries. What really matters the most is the way you prepare your Schengen visa application and gather the Schengen visa requirement. Your previous travel history as well as your employment and financial status contributes the most into getting your Schengen visa approved.
That being said, based on their annual Schengen visa approval rates the below are the 10 Schengen countries considered to give Schengen visa easily:
Lithuania. 98.7% approval rate.
Estonia. 98.4% approval rate.
Finland. 98.3% approval rate.
Iceland. 98.3% approval rate.
Latvia. 97.9% approval rate.
Poland. 97% approval rate.
Luxembourg. 96.3% approval rate.
Slovakia. 95.8% approval rate.
Czech Republic. 95.3% approval rate.
Greece. 95.1% approval rate.
How fast can you get Schengen visa?
To get a Schengen visa quickly you have to make sure that you have properly and completely filled the Schengen visa application form online, gathered and submitted the Schengen visa requirements as per the Schengen country's relevant embassy or consulate checklist.
The standard Schengen visa waiting time is 15 working days however in some instances you might get your visa faster specially if you are applying for your Schengen visa during the low season. If you have a genuine reason to get Schengen visa fast then you should write a cover letter to explain this reason and you might be lucky enough for your Schengen visa to be processed as fast as you wish. Therefore there is no such thing as which country gives the quickest Schengen visa.
How do I book an appointment for Schengen visa?
In most countries the Schengen states have assigned an authorized Schengen application visa centre to handle their visa application acceptance such as VFS Global, TLS Contact, BLS International etc. otherwise the Schengen visa submission is done at the country's embassy or consulate.
To get appointment for Schengen visa you will have to access the appointment calendar on the application visa centre website or the embassy's website and choose your preferred date and pay the visa fee. For some Schengen countries there will a charge to book the appointment to ensure seriousness. When booking the appointment you will be required to enter your passport details.
Once you have booked your Schengen visa appointment you will be allowed to reschedule Schengen visa appointment date one time only. If you are sure you wont't be able to attend your appointment you may cancel the Schengen visa appointment at least 24 hours prior to your date. If you make this early appointment cancellation the paid fee will be refunded.
During summer where most travelers make Europe their top destination there might be no appointments slots for Schengen visa. You should plan to book your Schengen visa appointment at least 6 weeks before your intended travel date.
You should arrive at the Schengen visa application centre or Schengen country's embassy at least 15 minutes before your appointment. The Schengen visa application submission will take roughly 15-30 minutes.
How do I book a flight for Schengen visa?
Flight reservation is one of the Schengen visa requirements and if you submit your Schengen visa documents without it your Schengen visa will be rejected. However since you don't know if your Schengen visa will be approved or rejected and if the Schengen visa was rejected then you lose your flight reservation cost.
To solve this dilemma, VisaTitans experts advise you to make fully refundable flight reservation or make Schengen visa flight itinerary via a travel agency. VisaTitans provides flight for Schengen visa services when you apply for your Schengen visa application online.
Can I keep my passport when applying for Schengen visa?
No, all Schengen countries require all applicants to submit the original valid passport along the other Schengen visa required documents. The passport will be kept at the embassy during the Schengen visa processing which usually takes about 15 working days. However, if you have any emergency you are allowed to submit a passport withdrawal application and you would receive your passport back within couple of days.
Withdrawing your original passport before the completion of the Schengen visa process will most likely cancels the entire process and you would have to apply again for your Schengen visa.
