Applying for a Schengen visa to visit any of the 26 countries in the Schengen Zone can be a hit and miss affair. It should be quite a straight forward process - you apply for an appointment at the embassy or visa application centre a few weeks before your travel date and once at the embassy or visa application centre you hand in your documents. After a few days you go back to retrieve your passport with the Schengen visa enclosed in your passport. Now you can visit Europe and spend your hard-earned cash and do your bit for the Euro.
In our experience it is far from straight forward. Here's why:
Finding out what documents are required is like trying to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Most of the embassy websites don't have a full list of Schengen visa requirements and if they do there will be some ambiguity in what documents are needed. A common concern amongst applicants is whether the documents should be the original or copies of the original.
The majority of the embassies don't have a contact number for Schengen visa applicants to dial should they want any clarity on anything in relation to obtaining the European visa. Some embassies have a premium rate number while others outsource the visa application process to a third-party which are usually quite poor in offering advice on the visa application process.
There are also various questions like how much money is required in bank accounts, are internet bank statements adequate for proof of funds, is a Schengen visa required by spouses of EU nationals or is it a problem that my UK visa or work permit is in an old passport?
In our experience it is far from straight forward. Here's why:
Finding out what documents are required is like trying to find a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Most of the embassy websites don't have a full list of Schengen visa requirements and if they do there will be some ambiguity in what documents are needed. A common concern amongst applicants is whether the documents should be the original or copies of the original.
The majority of the embassies don't have a contact number for Schengen visa applicants to dial should they want any clarity on anything in relation to obtaining the European visa. Some embassies have a premium rate number while others outsource the visa application process to a third-party which are usually quite poor in offering advice on the visa application process.
There are also various questions like how much money is required in bank accounts, are internet bank statements adequate for proof of funds, is a Schengen visa required by spouses of EU nationals or is it a problem that my UK visa or work permit is in an old passport?
