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| Prague, Czech Republic |
NOTE: The text below are based on my personal experiences only. I’m neither connected with any travel agency nor the embassy. Also, the requirements and steps I listed are meant for short-stay Schengen tourist visa ONLY. For questions on other visa types such as spouse visa, work visa, and student visa, this blog entry may not be able to directly answer them, and it’s best to inquire at the embassy or application center.
What is Schengen
The term “Schengen” is actually a town name in Europe (in Schengen, Luxembourg) where the Schengen Agreement was signed in 1985. In the said agreement, all member countries unified to create a “borderless area” for the purpose of easy travel, which means going from one member country to the other is like on a domestic or local travel. Moreover, there’s a single jurisdiction and common visa policy within the Schengen area. |
| Vienna, Austria |
The Schengen visa is highly connected with Europe travel. However, note that NOT ALL European countries are part of the Schengen Agreement. While there’s a total of 44 countries in Europe, there are only 26 Schengen member countries, namely:
Where to apply the Schengen visa
Philippine passport holders need to get a Schengen visa. To apply, you have to go to the embassy (or consulate) of one of the member countries.Some embassies use a third-party agency that takes the tourist visa applications. Examples of which is VFS Global and BLS International. This means that instead of going to the embassy, you head to the agency instead. They represent the embassy, thus if you have questions, it’s best to ask them first. The French Embassy in Manila, for example, gets the services of VFS Global. Note that there’s also VFS Global for UK, Norway, Australia, etc. in Manila with their respective office locations. Do not get them confused with the VFS Global France, which is in Makati City.
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| Granada, Spain |
- If you’ll visit ONE member country only, apply to its embassy. For example, if you plan to go to Spain for 10 days, then apply at the Spanish Consulate.
- If you’ll visit MULTIPLE member countries, you apply where you’ll stay the longest. For example, if you plan to be in France for 5 days, Belgium in 3 days, and Switzerland in 2 days, then apply at the French Embassy.
- In case of equal number of days per member country, apply where you’ll first enter or start your trip. For example, if your itinerary is Germany first for 3 days, then Poland for 3 days, and finally Luxembourg for 3 days, then apply at the German Embassy.
What are the requirements
Even if the member countries are said to have a common visa policy, note that the visa requirements are different per embassy. That’s why it’s important to check the embassy’s website for a list of requirements.
For specific requirements, I can only speak of what the French Embassy listed and required from me. Luckily, I was granted visa by the embassy more than once already.
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| Paris, France |
For specific requirements, I can only speak of what the French Embassy listed and required from me. Luckily, I was granted visa by the embassy more than once already.
1. Valid passport: Make sure that your passport if valid for at least 6 months upon return date of intended travel and it has at least 2 blank pages.
2. Application form: The form may be digitally filled up. Just make sure you complete all fields and put N/A if an item isn’t applicable to you.
3. Passport-size photo: It must be taken in the last 6 months with white background. If you aren’t sure of the size, when you have your photo taken at the shop, just inform them it’s for Schengen visa application.
4. Proof of financial means
Bank statement and bank certificate: FYI, they’re different from each other. A bank statement shows the cash flow (i.e. debit and credit) in your account. For Schengen visa, it’s usually required to present a 6-month bank statement. Meanwhile, a bank certificate is a proof of the account’s existence. You can request for these at the branch of your account. It costs P100-200 and may take one business day to get processed.
I submitted bank statement and bank certificate of 2 bank accounts to the embassy. One is a payroll account where I withdraw money more often so there’s less money in it, and the other is a savings account where there’s bigger amount.
So how much money should be in the account? Just make sure the amount can finance all your expenses while in Schengen area. As estimate, Europe travel costs 60€-100€ per day, inclusive of food, accommodation, transportation, and other expenses.
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| Kehl, Germany |
5. Proof of employment
Certificate of employment (COE): Since I’m an employee, I requested a COE from my company’s HR. For self-employed, business permits and other documents may be submitted.
Income Tax Return (ITR): I also requested this from my company’s HR.
6. Travel insurance: As a general requirement by Schengen countries, the insurance should have a coverage of at least 30,000€ that will cover your entire stay within the Schengen area.
I often get Blue Cross / Pacific Cross as my travel insurance, and the exact plan for Schengen visa is called Euro Prestige Plan. What’s good is that in case of visa denial, the insurance may be refunded by 80%. The price of the insurance depends on the number of days of coverage. You can either purchase it online or go to their head office in Makati (open even on Saturdays).
7. Travel itinerary: I usually create a table to present this document so that it’s organized. Here’s an example:
8. Proof of accommodation: I presented hotel reservations done via booking.com. What’s good is that most accommodations at booking.com don’t charge an amount right away for reserving and you only pay when you’re at the hotel. Meanwhile, in case you have a sponsor, you may present an invitation letter and documents to prove his/her residency in that country.
9. Return flight reservations: Note that it isn’t advised to buy the plane ticket right away because you’ll never know if your visa gets approved or not. For some, they take this risk to go after the airline promo. To be on the safe side, you can go to any travel agency to reserve flights. As for me, I reserve flights myself though it also costs me (but way cheaper than get travel agency services) to hold the reservation. Airlines such as Emirates, Cathay Pacific, etc. have this flight reservation option. The amount only gets waived if I push through with purchasing the tickets.
10. Cover letter: For me, a cover letter should be short, specific, and direct to the point. In the body, I only include the arrival and departure dates in Schengen area, number of days per city or country, and the purpose of travel.
11. Other supporting proof of identity: I gave an NSO-issued (original) birth certificate. Note that once you submit original documents, they won’t be returned to you anymore.
What to do before the appointment day
- Complete all the requirements. To be organized, I put them all in a long brown envelope, with the documents sorted by: original, photocopied, and extra copies.
- Register an account at France-Visas. This is to create your application and fill up the application form online. Note that it will ask you to verify the account via email, so make sure you use an active email address.
- At the France-Visas’ website, fill up the application form. It's divided into 6 pages, namely: Your travel plan, Your personal information, Your previous visas, Your stay, Your contacts, and Recap. They're pretty much self-explanatory. Just make sure you fill up all correctly and in case an item isn't applicable, put N/A.
- Once submitted, you’ll be given a checklist. Print this along with the online application and bring it on the appointment day.
- Next, go to VFS Global's website. Click "New User?" to register an account. It will ask you to verify the account via email, so make sure you use an active email address. Note: This is a different account from France-Visas. It's meant to book an appointment for you.
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Select your preferred date. The date is marked green when available, red if not. Then, select your preferred time. Application is Mondays-Fridays, 7AM to 2PM. Once done, it will issue a visa appointment letter. Print this and bring it on the application day.Note: You can set an appointment as early as 3 months and as late as 5 days before intended travel date. To be on the safe side, I'd say book 1 month before the intended travel date.
What to do during the appointment day
- Go to VFS Global office on your appointment date. Physical appearance of all applicants is required. Be at least 15 minutes early.
- Sign up at the reception. Note that no bags are allowed inside. If you have a non-applicant companion, better leave your bags with them downstairs. Otherwise, you can make use of the lockers (for a fee).
- A queue number will be assigned per applicant. Once called, submit your requirements at the designated counter. In this step, your passport will also be collected, so just be sure you don’t have any upcoming international travels.
- You’ll be called again where you have to enter a small room for your photo and biometrics to be taken.
Devin, Slovakia - Next, the staff will ask basic questions such as your name, birth date, etc. Also, you need to double check the spelling of your name on the computer.
- Pay the non-refundable 60€ visa fee. This is converted into peso, which depends on the exchange rate on that day.
- In case you prefer the passport to be given back to you via delivery, you need to pay P330 for the courier fee. Make sure you place the correct name, address, and contact numbers. If you want to personally claim the passport, you’ll be notified via SMS. The passport collection schedule is Mondays-Fridays, 2PM to 4PM.
- Lastly, just wait and pray :) With my experience, during the first application, it took more than 10 business days before I got my passport back. However, in the succeeding applications, it only took 2 business days.
VFS Global France
30th Floor, The World Centre, Senator Gil Puyat Avenue, Makati City
+63 2 7904903
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