What is a Schengen Visa?

written on October 10th, 2013 by Jean Del Mar

People are traveling more and more these days. Don’t forget to get your documents in order. To enter a foreign land as a tourist, a visa is required in most countries depending on your citizenship.

Countries that are part of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) allow their citizens entry to each other without a visa. For us Filipinos, that gives us a chance to travel easily to many of our neighboring countries.

Europe is also making it easier to visit. Have you heard about the Schengen Visa? It is a 26-in-1 visa. Sounds interesting, right? With only one visa, you get the chance to visit 26 Schengen countries in Europe namely:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Schengen Visa holder can travel freely anywhere within the Schengen territory. You can stay up to 90 days within a period of 6 months for purely tourism and business purposes.

Where to apply?

There are 3 things to consider when applying for Schengen Visa:

1. If you would like to visit only one Schengen country, then you must apply directly to the Embassy of that particular country.

2. If you plan to visit more than one Schengen country, consider what country you are going to spend most of your nights in.  That’s the Embassy where you need to process your application.

3. If you are planning to spend equal number of nights in several Schengen countries (Maybe you want to maximize your 90 days stay), the first country that you are going to enter will determine what Embassy you need to apply.

I have here a list of some Embassies that also represent other Schengen states (source: PTAA Travel Handbook).

• Embassy of Austria                 –           also represents Lithuania
• Embassy of Belgium                –           also represents Hungary, Luxembourg and Slovenia
• Embassy of Finland                 –           also represents Estonia
• Embassy of Netherlands       –           also represents Latvia and Poland
• Embassy of Norway                –           also represents Denmark and Iceland
• Embassy of Switzerland        –           also represents Sweden

 

When to apply?

It is highly recommended to apply visa (not only Schengen, but to any visa) at least 2 to 3 months prior the desired date of travel. We highly discourage you to purchase your ticket if you do not have a visa yet because visa application does not always guarantee approval from Embassy. A flight itinerary will do since it is one of its requirements.

What are needed?

Here are the basic requirements:

• Filled-up Schengen visa application form
• Passport (valid atleast 6 months)
• 1 passport sized photograph
• Evidence of transport and accommodation bookings or vouchers;
• Letter of invitation (if it is a sponsored trip)
• Evidence of financial funds
• Evidence of travel insurance
• Travel itinerary.

 

Note: These are just some of the requirements. Other requirements may be needed depending on the purpose of travel, type of visa applied and what Schengen country to visit. You can visit the website Schengen Visitor Visa for more details.

Want to make the visa application easier for you?

Come and visit Destination Specialists Cebu Inc. We can arrange all the things you need. A consultation will be conducted. This includes document validation, interview, and assessment. Less hassle and greater chances for visa approval.