Schengen Italy Tourist Visa for Indians Requirements

Once the Visa appointment is in place, start putting together the necessary documents in one place.

All the Requisite documents needed for Schengen Tourist Visa Italy are listed here.

Carefully sift through the document checklist, sort existing documents, and make a list of documents that need to be procured. Keep in mind that your entire trip is at stake here. It saves you time and money to be meticulous at this point.

Most of the documents mentioned in the list are to basically ensure that you have sufficient funds to travel. And that you will return to India within the stipulated dates.

So, any documents which will add more weight to these points will further tip the scale in your direction in scoring the Schengen visa.

Here are some of the essential documents required for Schengen Tourist Visa:

1. Schengen Visa Cover Letter

This is an important document where you mention everything from your Europe itinerary, professional and personal details, details of travel companions, the purpose of visit, the source of finance, any requests, and so on.

Here is a sample Schengen Visa cover letter with a travel itinerary attached for your reference which could be applicable for other Schengen regions as well.

Given the embassy’s experience in going through visa application documents for decades, more often than not, they might notice any loopholes, even when you think otherwise. So, it’s better to be upfront about any concerns that might arise from your application, and address it head-on. Say you are traveling solo, or transportation not booked, and so on.

2. Financial Status and means of Sustenance

If employed, provide the last three months’ salary slips, ITR-A forms of the last three years of Form-16A.

Else, if Self-employed, provide a company registration certificate and original bank statement for the last 3 months.

In either case – provide the last three months bank statements in original with bank stamp and signature.

Note – While applying through the Italian embassy, make sure you show on an average € 70 or more per day for your duration of travel to Europe in the bank statements.

3. Leave letter

If employed, hand over a leave letter from your boss stating your leave dates, and that you’ll be resuming work on return.

If freelancing, then furnish a letter from your client(s) stating the above. Also, mention how long have you been working with each of them.

What matters to them that you have the intention of coming back to India, so handing over a property document or something similar could further tip the scale in your favor. Mention any fixed assets that you or your parents have, and that would be an added bonus.

4. Schengen Travel Insurance for Indians

As per the visa application, Schengen travel insurance needs to have a coverage of at least €30,000 for a minimum 10-day duration. The travel insurance should cover the entire duration of your travel. If you are an individual, buying travel insurance for a single trip, then go for single trip insurance.

If you are a frequent traveler, then opt for multi-trip travel insurance. It saves you the hassle of buying travel insurance every time you travel and provides extended coverage, usually for a year.

There are many things to consider while Applying for Schengen travelinsurance. The premium varies from the insurer’s age, type of insurance, the number of days, company, and the availing benefits. Here is a detailed guide on what to look for in travel insurance.

Listed below are some of the travel insurance that I found were offering a good deal for Indians traveling to Schengen countries. But it could be applicable for any other international travel as well.