How to get a Schengen visa on Indian Passport without any travel agent's help

Of course, we all want to travel, and with Europe attracting a large number of tourists from India we are only more enthusiastic now! There has also been an increase in the number of tourists recently, and this has raised a lot of queries regarding the Schengen Visa among Indians, and how to apply for it. Quite simply put, it is a magical item for travelers.

Often, it’s considered as a hassle to apply for the visa, because requirements and formalities of an application process takes lots of efforts. Along with this, the fear of getting your visa rejected always lurks in mind.

This is the reason why travel agents and tours operators are minting money from travellers, and ignorance lands many in booking hefty package deals for Europe.

The countries issuing Schengen visas currently are Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Here are the few things that one needs to keep in my mind while planning to apply for the Schengen Visa.

Plan your trip 3-4 months before with your itinerary; it is always feasible to select the cities you want to explore, which are nearby to each other, so that you can deduct the travel expenses and travelling time. The perfect idea would be to go for Eastern Europe or Western Europe in one go.

- The idea behind spending less on-air tickets is to go through deep research before booking your flight tickets and browse through 4-5 booking sites to get the best price of the ticket, and booking for a week-day ticket might give you the best deal.

- Book your hotels in advance like your flights, and try to go for refundable options, in case your plans change to stay somewhere else, you can cancel the booking anytime and go for other options available at that moment. One can book 2-3 stars hotels if travelling with the family, and hostels if travelling with friends or in groups.

- Collect all your bank documents with the bank stamp on it, marriage certificate if you are married, 6 months bank statement, savings statement, and any other document through which you can showcase your net worth.

- Get your no objection certificate from your workplace, if you are working. That helps a lot, from not getting any rejections.

- Book your flight tickets or bus tickets in advance, as travelling by trains will be expensive. There are many low-cost buses and airlines operating between cities.

- Go to an insurance company and get the travel insurance, basic plan for the trip.

- Take the print out of all the bank documents, booking details of hotels, insurance and inter-city flights, or bus tickets you have booked for your trip.

- Self attest all the documents, and book an appointment for the VFS Centre of the country, where you want to land first.

- Carry all your documents and submit at the VFS Centre on your appointment day, and give your digital fingerprints at the Centre and hope for the best.

Rest assured, you are in for a crazy Euro trip if you can get your Schengen visa sorted, and the idea is to pay as little as possible.

The types of multiple-entry visas and how to get them

Other than the basic short-stay multiple-entry Schengen Visa, there are three main visa types covering longer periods.

- One-year multiple-entry Schengen Visa

You can apply for this Schengen Visa type provided that you have used three visas within the previous two years.

- Three-year multiple-entry Schengen Visa

The three-year multiple-entry visa is granted to applicants who have obtained and lawfully used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for one year within the past two years. The 90/180 days rule again applies.

- Five-year multiple-entry Schengen Visa

A five-year multiple-entry visa is granted to people that have used a previous multiple-entry visa valid for at least two years over the past three years.

- Multiple-entry national visas

A national D category is required by those who are studying, working or permanently residing in one of the Schengen Countries. These can be single-entry, but multiple-entry national visas are also granted to certain individuals, allowing them to travel in and out of a specific Schengen Country and travel throughout the whole Schengen Area without additional visa requirements.

To gain a national multiple-entry Visa, you must meet the certain criteria:

•           You must be on an international student program requiring a visa for less than one year. If you are an international student that is about to start a full course of studies in one of the Schengen States. This visa is issued for one year with the possibility of extending it.

•           A national multiple-entry Schengen Visa may also be granted to those working at a higher institution or research center, who needs to travel in and out of the Schengen Area due to their work. They can also be granted to anyone in a profession requiring specialist expertise, including sportspeople, artists or any other specialized profession.

These types of national multiple-entry Schengen Visas have similar restrictions to the standard multiple-entry Schengen Visa - but can allow the holder to stay in a country beyond the 90 days specified by the normal visa.

What are the criteria of a multiple-entry Schengen visa?

Schengenvisas may allow for a single-entry or multiple entries. With a single-entry visa you can enter the Schengen area only once. ... With a visa allowing for two or multiple entries you may enter twice or several times during the validity of the visa.

A multiple-entry visa allows its holder to go in and out of the Schengen Area as many times as he or she wants, as soon as they do not violate the 90/180 rule. Based on how frequently you travel to Schengen zone, you may apply and obtain one of the following multiple-entry visa types: 1-year multiple-entry visa.

The one very common question people applying for Schengen visa often ask is the difference between single and multiple-entry visas. Single-entry allows only one-time entry for a certain time period, while multiple-entry Schengen visa gives the freedom to the holder to make as many entries and exits as he wants.

According to Times Live, there are 25 signatories to the Schengen agreement and it allows freedom to travel in Europe. There are different kinds of Schengen visa, which includes single-entry, double-entry as well as multiple-entry.

Witha single-entry visa, a person can enter a Schengen territory only one time fora specific period of time. If he or she is holding a double-entry visa, it will apply the same rules that of single-entry visa. However, the only difference, in this case, will be that the Schengen visa will expire only on the second visit.

In case a person holds a multiple-entry Schengen visa, he can enter as many Schengen countries he wishes many times until the validity expires. As per Immi Help, the multiple Schengen visa holders can stay at any Schengen nation for long.

A multiple-entry visa can be valid up to a year. If the visa entries show “02”, this means the holder has the liberty to visit only two countries. In case it shows “MULT”, it means the person can visit more than two nations in the Schengen area.

Over the last few years, there’s been a sharp increase in demand for Schengen visa. In 2017, Schengen countries witnessed the maximum visa applicants from Russia, China, Turkey and India. Europe is one of the most favorite destinations and it soon became a hot favorite for many Indians.

For more information, please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

What are the main guarantees of travel insurance and how do they work?

Traveling medical assistance

If you need health care in Italy or abroad, the first thing you need to do is to contact the company’s 24-hour Assistance Center. If the telephone company allows it, you can make a chargeable call to the recipient and facilitate the data that the company will need to facilitate health care: name of the insured, policy number, contact telephone, brief explanation of the facts and your location. For this reason, during the trip, it is essential to have this information with you at all times, you can find it in the certificate that you will receive by email once you have purchased the insurance policy.

Depending on the type of medical care you need, you will book a visit to the nearest Medical Center or hospital to treat your health problem. Travel medical insurance provides access to the best public and private hospitals in Italy and abroad. In this case, you will not need to advance money to receive health care, because the insurance company, in contact with the hospital staff, will ensure that the latter provides you with the health coverage appropriate to your specific case. In the case of minor health care expenses or small pharmaceutical expenses, they will be reimbursed upon presentation of invoices and receipts to the company.

Travel accidents

The insurance company will provide compensation in the event of accidents occurring during the trip caused by violent and unintentional action. Compensation is provided in the event of an accident, permanent disability or death.

Baggage insurance

Baggage insurance covers and protects against all baggage problems that may arise when you travel and that may be multiple: your luggage is not delivered to you, the airline delays the delivery of your luggage and you are forced to buy items of basic necessity to continue your journey, your luggage is lost by the airline or, during the outward journey, your luggage was stolen.  The travel insurance will help you not only to recover your luggage, but also to be reimbursed for the expenses you had to incur or to receive compensation for the value of your luggage in case it was impossible to find it.  

Liability

Also, for third party liability, commonly known as RCT, it is strongly recommended to take out travel insurance. When traveling, in addition to medical expenses and repatriation, it is very important that the policy includes Civil Liability coverage. If you involuntarily cause damage to a third party during your trip, you can recover your compensation and legal costs with Inter Mundial’s Civil Liability travel insurance. 

Air delay

Usually a delayed flight or cancellation of a flight are some of the major concerns for travelers. Travel insurance is very useful in such cases, helps to speed up the resolution of the problem and offers financial compensation.In addition, this type of policy protects you if, due to your delayed flight or flight cancellation, you lose some previously contracted bookings, such as hotel nights, excursion tickets, etc., and you are unable to pay for them.

For more information, please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

What are the Documents that need to be submitted for the Schengen Visa?

Schengen Visa: It is a common visa that allows visitors, entry to multiple countries in Europe which have signed Schengenagreement. You can find complete details here.  If you are planning to visit one or more countries out of these, then you need to apply for Schengen Visa.

Following is the list of documents that need to be submitted:

•           Passport valid at least three months beyond the stay in the Schengen area, with available pages for visa sticker and of “standard” quality (not damaged, torn, faded etc.). Your previous passport (mandatory). Passport issued for 20 years are not accepted.

•           Visa application forms duly filled & signed by Passenger.

•           Two Latest passport size Photographs, white back ground w/o Border, 45 X 35 mm, 80% face should be Cover on Photo.

•           A covering letter drafted on the passenger’s Letter Heads or normal paper (personal/official) to the respective consulate. (Mention purpose, duration of visit, who will bear the Expenses & complete itinerary). The letter should be signed by applicant.

•           Confirm Hotel Booking/Accommodation

•           Confirmed Return Air Ticket

•           Bookings for internal travel like bus or train booking between cities.

•           Travel insurance: Overseas medical insurance with minimum coverage of Euro 30,000 – for emergency hospital and repatriation expenses (Photocopy)

•           NOC from company stating that you will join office back on a particular date.

•           Address proof in case your passport is not issued from your current city.

•           Last six months’ salary slips If salaried

•           Last Three Years Income Tax Returns (Personal)

•           Last Six Months Original Bank Statement (Personal) with Name & Address to be mentioned on it.

•           If you have been refused a visa by an Embassy or High Commission in the last 3 years: Written explanation about the reason for trip and refusal and the copy of refusal from the concerned Embassy or High Commission.

•           Wedding cards from both the sides, engagement/Roka Photographs (at least 10) along with the NOC from the parents of groom & bride both (Applicable when applying as a couple together)

•           Credit card copy

•           Copy of Passport first & last page

Documents cannot be submitted by post. You will need to submit either in person or apply via a travel agent.

Some general tips about documents For Schengen Visa:

1. Make sure you maintain a good balance (1 Lac or above) consistently over a period of last few months in your bank account.  If you transfer a big amount just few days before application date then that may raise eyebrows. Also, a current balance of 2 lac would be a good number to show that you can bear the expenses in Europe yourself.

2. It would be better if you have visited some other countries earlier and thus do not have a blank passport. As per my understanding blank passports have higher chances of rejection.

3. You can submit your fixed deposit copies as an additional proof of funds.

4. Embassy wants to make sure you would return to your home country hence NOC letter becomes important indicating you have to return to your job.

5. Take every document very seriously as you never know one document may cause a problem.

6. Though application procedure is same for all countries in Schengen region, still it would be a good idea to visit embassy web site of specific country you want to visit. Some countries may require additional documents.

 If you are thinking that I am mentioning whole process with unnecessary seriousness, then it would be good to know that my tourist visa to Spain has been denied in past and I was not told the reason. Embassies do not require you to give a reason for rejection. My rejection letter only has a statement” Your application has been rejected”. Hence, I have reason to inform others so that probability of rejection is less.

When you are visiting multiple countries then embassy to which the application should be made is decided based on following rules:

(a) the Member State whose territory constitutes the sole destination of the visit(s).

(b) if the visit includes more than one destination, the Member State whose territory constitutes

the main destination of the visit(s) in terms of the length or purpose of stay.

(c) if no main destination can be determined, the Member State whose external border the

applicant intends to cross first in order to enter the territory of the Member States.

Time Taken: Min 15 working days or more depends upon Embassy discretion

Once the application is received at embassy following are the possible outcomes:

1. SchengenVisa is granted.

2. Embassy can ask for any additional documents.

3. Embassy can call for personal interview.

4. Application is rejected.

For More information, please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

What is Hotel Booking and What documents do I need for Schengen Visa proof of Accommodation?

Arisen by the Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 of The European Parliament and of The Council of 13 July 2009, establishing a Community Code on Visas known as “Visa Code”, Hotel Booking/Proof of Accommodation is a rule of the Schengen Visa application procedure that each Schengen country ought to apply to their foreign visa seekers.

HotelBooking for Schengen Visa application or Proof of Accommodation falls under the list of supporting documents for a Schengen Visa. This piece of document is demanded by the staffers of diplomatic offices to determine that the applicant has accommodation sorted in the destined Schengen country.

This document assures embassies or consulates that applicant is able to sustain himself during the course of his stay in the Schengen Area. Furthermore, Proof of Accommodation also enables diplomatic staffers to determine the applicant’s travel dates and duration of his stay. If the applicant is planning to spend 15 days in the Schengen Area, then he must be able to show that he has accommodation for the aforesaid duration.

The embassies or consulates of Schengen countries testify this through following pieces of documents:

Invitation letter: A formal letter issued by the relatives or friends of the applicant residing in the Schengen Area and attested by the local authorities.

Proof of accommodation: Proof regarding the place of stay. This includes Hotel Booking or Reservation.

In the case of a tourist visa, a visa applicant needs to provide the details of a pre-paid tour along with details of payments to the tour operator.

Documents for Schengen Visa proof of accommodation

Officials at embassies, consulates or visa application centers will require you to provide documentation that can include the following:

•           Evidence you have a place to stay, such as a hotel or hostel booking reservation.

•           Evidence of an invitation from your host (proof of sponsorship).

•           Evidence of a prepaid tour.

SchengenVisa proof of accommodation rules are applied by each country in the SchengenArea as one of the requirements of proving you can support yourself during your stay.

You will be required to submit these documents as part of your Schengen Visaapplication and have them with you for your visa application interview appointment.

Proving you have booked a hotel during your stay

One of the simplest ways to prove you have a place to stay in a Schengen Area country is to provide a booking reservation in the form of email confirmation from the hotel or hostel where you have reserved your bed or room.

You should be careful when checking if your confirmation number is valid, as the authorities will investigate this information and will refuse your application, possibly with a further penalty, if it does not check out. Therefore, you should contact the hotel via email or over the phone to ensure this is correct.

What Is A Dummy Hotel Booking for the Schengen Visa? Can I Make a Fake Hotel Reservation?

Hotel Booking for Visa Purpose Only like THIS DUMMY ONE might be the proper alternative when dealing with private events such as backpacking and van traveling, offering Hotel Booking Plan Only, as a Proof of Accommodation. Also, such Dummy Hotel Booking for Schengen Visa only, is a worthy alternative for Schengen Visa Applicants as you, because you DO NOT have to spend your money on paying the complete hotel stay before being sure you get a Schengen Visa in the first place. Otherwise, you would risk a lot losing your money spent in paying the hotel fee in case of visa denial.

Dummy Hotel Booking, Dummy Hotel Reservation or Dummy Hotel Confirmation are few of many alternative expressions that you can encounter on the internet while hunting for Hotel Reservations for Visa Application.

The convenient aspect of getting such a Dummy Schengen Visa Hotel Confirmation is that when submitting a Request Letter for Hotel Reservation to the hotel or the online hotel booking agency, you will not actually pay for your accommodation. In its place, you will only pay a symbolic fee to reserve a room in a hotel, as a Proof of Accommodation Letter for Visa application.

Can I Make a Fake Hotel Reservation?

If you have some basic research and photo shopping skills you can find online tons of hotel reservation templates and edit them to fit your dates of stay in the Schengen Area and details.

In addition, you may find online services or a fake hotel reservation generator that offers you free fake hotel reservation or very cheap ones so you do not risk losing money in case your visa application is rejected.

They look very genuine and real and save you a lot of money if you intend to i.e. sleep in your car, or camp outside.  However, you should ask yourself, is it worth it?

If the consular officers find out that you provided a fake document, you will face quite some consequences, including:

•           Your visa application will be automatically rejected.

•           You will lose all the money you spend in visa fees, obtaining other documents, and flight reservations (if they weren’t fake too).

•           You will risk your future applications to the Schengen area, as you will be registered in the Schengen databases as a person who provided false information to the Schengen authorities.

•           Even if you get a visa to the Schengen territory in the future, you have higher chances than other people to be rejected from entering at any of the Schengen ports of entry.

Therefore, carefully think about your situation and evaluate whether it is better to risk losing a bit of money by providing a real hotel reservation, or risk facing the consequences listed above by submitting a fake hotel reservation or one obtained from a fake hotel reservation generator.

For more information, Please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

How to Apply for A Schengen Visa From India

India is second in population and the seventh-largest country in the world. India’s economy is also one of the fastest-growing economies around the world. India has so many tourist places and Indians are also like to visit and explore many places. You can find Indians around the world. That is why many countries provide facilities and offer many offers to Indians to visit their country. Some of the countries offer ‘Visa on arrival’ to Indians. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, almost 50 million Indians traveled overseas in 2019, up from 23 million in 2017.  After the USA, Europe is one of the most attractive tourist destinations for Indians. Almost 10 million Indians traveling to Europe every year which is expected to reach around 15 million this year 2020.

Apply for a Schengen Visa from India:

In 2017, 920,699 applications for Schengen visas were submitted by Indians. Many of them are refused due to many reasons so before applying for Schengen Visa, you need to extra take care of everything. Before applying for Schengen Visa, you need to also figure out which type of Schengen Visa you required. 

Following are the Schengen visa types:

•           Transit visa

•           Tourism visa

•           Visa for Visiting Family or Friends

•           Business visa

•           Visa for Culture and Sport activities

•           Visa for Official Visits

•           Study visa

•           Visa for Medical Reasons

Here are the steps to apply for Schengen Visa from India:

•           Schengen Visa form available online. First, you download the visa application form, read all the instructions carefully and fill it completely correctly with sincerity. You can also fill the Schengen Visa application form electronically and then print a hard-copy.

•           Attach two recently taken whole face capture passport size photos with a light background.

•           A valid Indian Passport with a validity of at least 3 more months.

•           Attach legal residence proof.

•           Travel Insurance for Schengen visa in India. Travel Insurance must meet the following requirements: Medical coverage of at least Euro 30,000. Medical evacuation/ repatriation must be covered.

•           Need a covering letter stating the purpose of the visit and the itinerary.

•           Flight return tickets from India to Europe and back.

•           Attach proof of accommodation for the whole duration of the intended stay.

•           Attach proof of civil status. (Marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card if applicable)

•           Proof of sufficient financial sufficiency for the period of stay.

Generally, there are several recognized ways to prove your financial sufficiency:

•           A personal bank statement indicating your financial movements (for at least 3 last months)

•           Credit card

•           Cash

•           Traveler’s cheques

•           Pay slips

•           Proof of employment

•           Supporting document to attest sponsor’s readiness to cover your expenses during your stay

•           Proof of prepaid accommodation

•           Document about accommodation in private

•           Proof of prepaid transport

•           Other

What are the Requirements and What Is the Best Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa?

Requirements for Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa:

The first thing you have to do, is make sure you know what the requirements are for your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa, as it can be slightly different from other travel insurance requirements.

In general, a travel insurance will cover a lot more than the checklist below, however this checklist is what is mandatory for your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa and your Tourist Schengen Visa Application. If your travel insurance does not meet these criteria, your application will be rejected. The mandatory medical insurance requirements for any travel Insurance accompanying a Schengen Visa application are:

·         The insurance must cover urgent medical expenses as well as repatriation to your state of residence (in other words it must cover expenses in relation to your return to your home country)

·         The insurance must be valid for the entire duration of your stay in the Schengen Member States

·         The insurance must have a minimum coverage of €30,000

These are the mandatory requirements for any Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa, but make sure you read through the terms and conditions of your insurance thoroughly. For example, many insurance companies will not cover accidents caused by participating in “extreme sports”, but what many people don’t know is that even something as common as horse riding is in some cases considered extreme sport. Contact your insurance company if you are in doubt about your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa.

What Is the Best Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa?

The best Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa depends on each individual traveler, and what type of traveling they intend to do. Are you backpacking, flash packing, or going on a Bear Grylls Adventure?

Like we mentioned before, many insurance companies will have a fine print that stretches over numerous pages explaining the terms of the insurance. Even if it is a boring task, we strongly recommend that you read through all of these terms so you know exactly what your insurance covers and what it doesn’t. No insurance companies will cover any sickness that was present before the trip commenced, for example chronic asthma, joint pain or any other disease that did not occur on the trip itself.

Remember to also check if your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa covers damage or loss of personal belongings, and if it covers the other party should you have an accident involving other people as well.

Of course, none of us want to end up in a situation where we have to use our travel insurance. However, one of our staff here at Schengen visa flight reservation actually had to use her travel insurance twice already! None of the incidents were severe, but hospital visits were required both times, and would have ended up costing thousands of dollars had she not had the insurance. So not only is it mandatory for your Tourist Schengen Visa Application, it’s also very risky not to have travel insurance, both for the sake of your health and your wallet!

If you have any questions or doubts about what to do about your Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa, just drop us a line on WhatsApp or send us an e-mail, and we will get right back to you with all the information you need about flight reservations for visa applications, visa consultation or advice and info on our Travel Insurance for Schengen Visa.

Are Dummy Flight tickets accepted in Schengen Visa Applications and What to look for while buying dummy tickets?

Yes, Dummy flight tickets are officially accepted for Schengen visa application, however, some countries within Schengen zone where you are applying your Schengenvisa, may require you to furnish actual flight confirmed reservation, so it is very important to select the right itinerary and right embassy at the same time.

Some examples of countries among Schengen area accepting dummy or temporary hold flight booking.

1.         Finland: officially ask for Travel plan/Itinerary, so a dummy ticket would suffice that.

2.         France: officially ask for Reservation of a return ticket or travel itinerary, dummy tickets work here.

3.         Estonia: officially mentions that tickets should be bought only after visa has been issued.

4.         Luxembourg: officially mentions either reservation or tickets. (so, hold ticket reservation works)

5.         Netherlands: specifically mentions they don’t need a ticket (dummy flight ticket works)

These are just few examples of embassies which already accepts dummy flight ticket options, however, depending on your itinerary, you may have to find if the respective embassy you are putting your application, ask for only reservation or an actual flight booking! (as it may differ from country to country within Schengen states).

Now, we know that dummy flight tickets are widely accepted for visa applications, let’s find out how to find and look for while buying these dummy tickets.

What to look for while buying dummy tickets?

Before I explain you soon from where you get these dummy tickets, you have to first know how these tickets hold period works. These dummy tickets are basically reserved and hold by the authorized travel agents. The official processing time for a Schengen visa is usually 14-15 business days, so ideally the hold time for these tickets should minimum of 2 weeks from the date they are processed in the system.

However, there could be many agents who can hold it for a small period only such as 1 -2 days or sometimes 3 and they automatically get cancel within the system. (You must have seen this while booking air tickets online either by airlines or sometimes by third-party portals). Most of such customer buying these tickets have little or no idea about the impact it may cause on their visa application and by the time a visa officer checks their applications and wishes to check the validity of the reservation, the PNR or the Reservation Code may not work by that time and can cause suspicion especially for first time travelers.

Most people do such mistakes that in order to spend less money on visa assistance services provide by travel agents providing super cheap mouth-watering prices, they go for buying such tickets and end up getting visa rejections. What they don’t understand is they end up wasting more money on the embassy and VFS fees all total.

You may by this time also probably think, that you may have come across other people who too have bought and used such cheap services and even got breakthrough for visa approvals. Well in simple terms some people get lucky, because mostly visa officer is already convinced by either their strong travel history, or strong financials or simply official strong reasons to return to home country. In such cases, they sometimes don’t care to check the authenticity of such tickets. But, first time travelers can’t simply afford to take such risk!