Let me get the simplest procedure out there first. If you are an US citizen, you don’t need a visa to tour Europe/UK for up to 90 days. You can just get on a plane and figure life out later. For those of us not so privileged but privileged enough to be a permanent resident in the US, or a student or someone on a work visa, here’s how to apply for a schengen visa.
The link from the German mission in the US website below lists all the required documents https://www.germany.info/blob/944064/0800fd6536beb0f433b043f170f9dfdf/schengen-tourist-data.pdf
First time Schengen visa application
For the first-time schengen visa applicants in the US, you have to make an appointment at a consulate and appear in person. The German consulates that can grant you a tourist visa are located in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. These are the cities that also house the French, Dutch and Italian consulates as well. You can find out in which city you are required to apply using the consulates’ websites.
In which country’s consulate should I apply?
Short answer is it depends on the itinerary. Ideally, you must apply to the country where you will be staying the longest. For instance, if you plan to stay in Italy for 5 out of 10 days and split the remaining time between Germany, France and Switzerland apply for the visa at the Italian consulate. If you want to spend equal amount of time in all countries choose the consulate of the country which will be your point of entry into Europe. This is not strictly enforced, however. For instance, it’s absolutely fine to apply for the visa at a German consulate but end up spending the majority of your tour in Italy. My suggestion – plan this part of the trip and play it safe by following the guidelines.
Subsequent applications
VIS is a system used by countries in Europe to store applicants’ bio-metric information for up to 5 years. For subsequent visa applications, you don’t have to apply in-person but simply mail in the required documents. This, however, has some requirements – the previously issued visa must contain the letters “VIS” on it or the prior visa should have been granted after 2016. It’s better to confirm with the consulate whether you are eligible to apply via mail. Usually, when applying for a schengen visa within a year of the previously successful visa application, it’s safe to mail in your passport and required documents. Note that if you are a green card holder it’s necessary to get the photocopy attested by a notary official.
Breaking down the required documents list
This is the exciting part – putting the documents together for your application. Even though I wish I could just get on a plane and journey across continents, I still enjoy doing the paperwork for visa. So much so that the consular official appreciated my attention to detail when I applied for my first schengen visa. Enough about me, let’s dive into it.
Note that although the following is from the German consulate’s list, I’m pretty sure the process is the same for the French, Italian or other consulates.
Application form – Here you fill out personal details and details of the trip. Fill out the requisite information and keep your hotel reservation information, US visa information and itinerary on hand.
Declaration form – Sign and date to acknowledge the information you provide is true.
Passport size photo – In my experience, the US standard size passport photo is sufficient. Though the websites specify a different size, they usually accept the US size photo. Even otherwise, there is usually a photo service nearby and the consular officers are courteous enough to wait for you while you go get your photograph taken.
Flight reservations / Travel Itinerary – For this you need to show a round trip flight reservation or an onward trip outside the schengen zone. You don’t need actual flight tickets but only a reservation. Personally, I wouldn’t book my flight tickets unless I have the visa. In general, flight reservation is a fuzzy area and unless you know travel agents or have previously done it this could be difficult. I took the easy way out and paid $15 to get a flight itinerary at https://schengenvisaflightreservation.com/
For the travel itinerary, create a tentative travel plan with dates and cities using MS Word and make sure to at least partially match the itinerary to your flight reservations. This is not binding, it just shows the consular officer you have some sort of plan. Once you get the visa feel free to revise your trip details.
Health Insurance – The health insurance part of your application is crucial. It’s not an understatement to say that the health insurance could potentially make or break your visa application. Luckily, it’s not so hard to buy a health insurance that satisfies all the requirements. I got mine on https://www.insubuy.com with an Atlas International plan that satisfied all the clauses mentioned in the health insurance requirement. You can shop around on google for more insurers. Some of them are axa-schengen, Allianz etc. You’ll get a letter from the insurer mentioning everything the plan covers. Do verify that it matches all the health insurance requirements of the visa. Note- Choose home country as USA when filling out the details on the insurer website.
Screenshot from my insurance (for my first trip in 2016) below
Hotel Reservations – This is another tricky part of the application if you haven’t fully planned your trip right down to the details of city and dates. There’s usually a charge when you book hostels/hotels and later cancel or they charge you an upfront fee. In case of hostels it’s usually a 10% fee but since hostels only cost around €20 a night it’s not a lot. Search on Expedia, most hotels in popular cities like Paris have free cancellation policies. Book your hotels and remember to cancel them later if you decide not to visit that city. Again, it helps to plan out your trip before your visa application so you don’t have to spend a lot of time simply booking and cancelling rooms. This is also important because the application form requires you fill out the hotel information as a reference for your stay.
Proof of US residence / US Visa information – If you’re a student on F-1, make a photocopy of your I-20 or if you’re on an H-1B take all the related documentation. Rule of thumb is take the documents you would usually have when you enter the US. It’s also a good idea to carry your driving licence / state ID as proof of your US residence.
Evidence of employment / student status – For evidence of student status my student ID was enough. I didn’t request any letter from my university stating I was a student. Since I was graduating and on OPT, I also took my employment offer letter and EAD card copies. For evidence of employment, your pay stubs / offer letter should be enough but it’s safer to get a letter from your employer stating that you work for them. This isn’t really hard to get, every company usually has a template and would provide you the letter within a day.
Proof of finance – Copies of bank statements from the past three months. I was a student at that time and probably had about $3500 in my account. I also made copies of my credit card statement showing my spending limits.
Further comments / Pro-tips
The obvious one is to make sure your passport is valid at least three months after your last day of your trip.
If you’re applying through the German consulate (maybe in other consulates as well), verify that the bar codes on your application form is clear. Mine was a little blurred (as a result of me using a crappy printer in my university) and I didn’t notice it. When the consular officer tried to scan it, it wouldn’t work. She was kind enough to let me print another copy at a store in the vicinity and gave me an appointment 2 hours later.
Some websites ask you to make two-copies of the required documents. However, one copy is sufficient in my experience. Keep another copy of all documents with you just for reference.
If you’re going with a friend, do your interview together. If you are called up first you can ask the officer to allow your friend to join. This saves time for you and the person doing the interview.
Finally, there is usually a certain amount of anxiety associated when it comes to visa interviews. Rest assured, if you have your documents ready the interview is actually pleasant maybe even enjoyable. You can get travel tips from the visa officer, discuss your plans with fellow applicants and visit local sights near the consulate.
That is all from me. Hope you have a great experience with the visa process and on your European sojourn.
