Schengen Tourist Visa
Schengen Tourist Visa
Schengen Tourist Visa Description
Overview
A Schengen tourist visa is a short-stay visa that allows non-EU nationals to travel to any of the 29 countries in the Schengen Area for tourism, business, or family visits. With a Schengen visitor visa, you can move freely between the Schengen countries, meaning you don’t need separate visas for each country. This visa is for temporary visits only, not for work, study, or long-term stays.
Understanding the Validity Period
The validity period of a Schengen tourist visa allows you to stay for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. This means that over the course of six months, you can spend up to three months (90 days) in the Schengen Area.
How Long Does it Take to Process?
The processing time for a Schengen tourist visa is generally up to 15 calendar days from the date of your application. However, it can sometimes take longer depending on factors such as the complexity of your application, the volume of visa applications being processed, or if additional documentation or an interview is required. It’s recommended to apply for the visa at least 3 weeks before your intended travel date, but you can apply as early as 6 months before your trip. Applying in advance gives you enough time in case of delays or if any additional documents are requested.
What is the Cost?
The standard fee for a Schengen visa is €90. Children aged 6 to 12 years need to pay a reduced fee of €45, and children under 6 years old do not need to pay anything. Note that the amount usually needs to be paid by cash (in Indian Rupees) at the Visa Application center and by Demand Draft if the application is directly submitted to the Embassy. Cards payments may not be accepted.
Important Documents Required
- Your passport/Travel document: Valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned date of departure from Austria (the Schengen zone). No older than 10 years. And it should contain at least two blank pages.
- Two identical photographs: The photos should be of passport format – a recent whole-face capture with a light background.
- Visa application form: Fill it completely and with sincerity. Do not forget to sign it at the end after you print it.
- Civil status certificate: Please provide civil status documents such as birth certificate, marriage certificate, family certificate, or death certificate (if applicable).
- Letter of invitation: An invitation letter from your relative or friend (SPONSOR), inviting you to visit, with a copy of his Passport.
- Proof of Funds: To show that you have enough money for your trip, you need to provide documents like CA Report, bank statements, pay slips, or a letter from your employer. The amount required depends on how long you plan to stay and your travel plans. For a single person, it’s good to have at least 5 lakhs INR to show that you can cover your expenses during your stay.
- Occupational Documents:
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- If you’re employed, you need to provide evidence of your job and your ability to return to your home country after the visit.
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- Your position, salary, and length of employment.
- Confirmation that you are on leave and expected to return to your job after the trip.
- Details of the vacation/leave dates and your return date.
- Recent Pay Slips: A few months’ worth of pay slips to show your income and employment history.
- Tax Returns: Copies of your recent tax returns.
- If you own a business or are self-employed, you need to provide proof of your business and financial standing.
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- Business Registration Documents: Proof of business registration, such as the business license, certificate of incorporation, or partnership agreement.
- Income Tax Returns: Personal and business income tax returns for the last 2-3 years to show stable income and financial stability.
- Financial Statements: Bank statements and other financial documents that demonstrate the financial health of the business.
- If you are a farmer, you need to prove your farming activities and financial stability to show that you are committed to returning to your home country after your visit.
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- Land Ownership Documents: Proof of land ownership, such as the title deed of your farm or lease agreements.
- Agricultural Income Proof/ JForms: Documentation of income generated from farming activities, such as receipts, sales invoices, or financial statements.
- Tax Returns: Personal and farming-related tax returns for the past 2-3 years.
- If you are a student, you need to show that you are currently studying and intend to return to your educational institution after your visit.
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- Enrollment Certificate: A letter from your school or university confirming that you are currently enrolled and in good standing.
- No Objection Letter: A letter from your educational institution granting you permission to take a short leave for travel.
- Sponsor Documents (if applicable): If someone is sponsoring your trip, include their financial documents, an affidavit of support.
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- Documents of the Sponsor:Documents of the Sponsor include Visa status, Passport & Visa copy, Residence Proof, Employment proof, Tax document and pay slips if working, Bank statement showing some funds (This is important)
- Round-trip Flight Itinerary: 7- Round-trip Flight Itinerary, containing the dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit. A booked flight reservation from India to the EU and back. If you take any internal flights, you will have to include those tickets too.
- Day-To-Day Visa Travel Itinerary: A “Schengen Visa Day-To-Day Travel Itinerary” is a schedule that contains details about your travel plans, such as your travel dates, flight and hotel booking/reservation, destinations you plan to visit at specified times, and means of transportation to move between those destinations. For some Embassies/Consulates, this document is mandatory while others consider it optional and request only the travel ticket and hotel reservation/booking. However, we recommend you submit it even if the Embassy/Consulate where you are applying to get your Visa does not request it specifically. Submitting it is important because it can speed up your Visa processing times and increase your chance of approval.
- Some additional Documents
- If you are married, you need to provide your marriage certificate.
- If someone is supporting you financially for the trip, you need to provide their affidavit of support.
- If you have previous international travel experience, you need to provide: Copies of previous visas (e.g., U.S., UK, Australia, Canada or Schengen visas).Stamped pages from your passport showing your travel history.
Steps to Apply
- Free counselling and assessment from our team.
- Documents preparation.
- Submit documents and required information with us.
- Submit your application.
- Book appointment.
- Attend appointment and submission of your documents at the center. Also, the payment of the fee should be made at this time.
- Wait for Processing.
- Receive Your Decision.
Important Things To Note
- Some Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but, request the original air ticket when the visa is collected. There is always the opportunity to obtain a Flight Itinerary and Reserved Flight Ticket instead of buying a costly Flight Ticket. A Fight Itinerary for Visa Application is not a real Flight or Air Ticket that you have to spend so much money buying.
- As a general rule, you should be careful checking if your booking confirmation number is valid (hotel and air travel). This is because the diplomatic office will do it anyway, and if there can be tracked attempts of fraudulent hotel booking, the office staff will refuse your visa application and penalize you further. To avoid this unwanted scenario, you confirm your booking number by direct contacting the hotel, either through written email or by other means.
- Tourist visa – You need to apply for this visa if you’re specifically visiting the Schengen area as a tourist to see the sights and explore the famous European landmarks. Visitor visa – You need to apply for a visitor Schengen visa if you have a family member or a friend who lives in the Schengen area or are an EU/EEA citizen. For this type of visa, you are usually required to submit a letter of invitation from your friend/relative.
- Schengen embassies/consulates in India typically require you to schedule an appointment for your visa application 4-6 weeks in advance. You should submit your Schengen visa application at least 15 days before your planned trip and no earlier than six months.
- The visa is usually for the period of your trip +/- a few days. This means that you will have to re-apply for the visa for the next trip. However, it is likely that you will receive visas for longer periods (up to 2 years) after you complete 2-3 trips to the Schengen Area.
- First time applicants need to submit the application in person to provide the bio-metric data (finger print and retina scan). For subsequent applications, in person submission is not required.
- There are currently 29 European countries in the Schengen Area. These 29 countries share a common legal framework and there are no checks on the borders between them. The countries issuing Schengen visas are: “Austria”, “Belgium”, “Bulgaria”, “Croatia”, “Czech Republic”, “Denmark”, “Estonia”, “Finland”, “France”, “Germany”, “Greece” “Hungary”, “Iceland”, “Italy”, “Liechtenstein” “Lithuania”, “Luxembourg”, “Latvia”, “Malta”, “Netherlands”, “Norway”, “Poland”, “Portugal”, “Romania”, “Spain”, “Sweden”, “Slovenia”, “Slovakia” and “Switzerland”
- Please note that once you have the Schengen Visa in hand, you can visit any of the 29 countries (not just the countries you applied for entry).