See Also
- How to Get UK Business Visa from India
- Student Visa for Spain
- Schengen Visa Guide
- US Tourist Visa from India- No agents
Before getting married, my husband and I had been planning on visiting Europe for our honeymoon. But as you know, Indians need a visa for Europe or the countries in the Schengen zone.
And getting a Schengen visa from India involves a hell lot of documents. We applied for a Schengen visa from India as a couple, and we had to show extra documents as well.
But if your dream is to visit Europe, documents can’t possibly hold you back. There is so much to see and do in Europe, starting from monuments to wonderful museums, national parks, and beaches.
And the fairytale castles of Europe are definitely worth visiting.
Now if you are not sure about how to choose, here is a post that covers the best cities in Europe.
In this article, I will talk about my experience getting it and the requirements. I will cover the common questions about the Schengen visa as well. So all the tips and process written here applies to anyone.
Table of Contents
Do Indians Need a visa to Enter Europe?
Yes, Indian citizens need to get a Schengen visa in order to enter any European country in the Schengen Zone.
Depending on the purpose of the visit, you could choose the visa you want to apply for. For example, say you want to study in Europe for a short term( less than 90 days), then you could go for a Schengen student visa.
At the same time, if you want to study in a Schengen country for a longer time, you could apply for a national visa. Naresh wrote about how he got a Spain Study Visa to do a TEFL course in Spain.
What are the Schengen Countries?
The Schengen zone consists of 26 countries in total. All these countries are in Europe, and have a common visa policy. You can apply for a Schengen visa for any country and visit all other countries with that visa.
Schengen Visa- Which Country to Apply to?
One of the common questions that people applying for a Schengen visa have is how to choose the country to apply to if they are gonna visit more than one.
To choose the country or a country’s embassy for a Schengen visa, you must take these three rules into consideration.
In my case, my husband and I applied Schengen visa for Austria, since Austria was the first country on our travel itinerary and we were planning to spend more time in Austria than in the other three countries.
Now let me tell you about the Schengen visa application process for Indians and how we got it, and any other questions you might have.
When to Apply for Schengen Visa in India?
The rules for Schengen visa application are the same for any country.
1. The earliest you can submit a visa application: Six months before your planned trip.
2. The latest you can apply for the visa: 15 days before your trip.
We recommend you to apply for the Schengen visa at least a month or more before your trip dates since the time to process your application might vary and they might ask for extra documents.
Step 1: Apply for Schengen Visa at VFS
Here is the thing about applying for a Schengen visa from India. Most of the Schengen countries accept Schengen tourist visa applications through a third-party service provider called VFS Global in India.
This means that, unlike other visa applications, you can’t directly apply for a Schengen visa for various countries directly at the consulate of that particular country. You need to use VFS Global for the Schengen visa application.
But you can check if a country accepts Schengen visa applications directly and make an appointment and submit all the documents by yourself as well.It’s important to know that VFS only accepts your documents on your behalf and sends them to the embassy and receives it back from the embassy once the visa processing is done.
They don’t process any Schengen visa applications. In India, to get a Schengen visa, VFS India acts as the service provider for the majority of Schengen countries.
So to apply for the Schengen visa from India, the first thing I did was to register myself VFS Global as a new user.
Step 2: Schengen Visa Application Requirements for Indians
If you are applying for a Schengen visa from India, one thing you need to know is that you will have to submit a number of required documents.
It’s essential that the documents comply with the requirements set by the embassy that’s processing your Schengen visa.
Here is the document checklist for Schengen visa for Austria on VFS Global. It’s the same no matter what the first country to enter the Schengen area is.
In order to apply for a Schengen visa in India, you need to submit the following mandatory documents.
This is the same no matter which country you choose for the visa. And then depending on your situation, you might need to submit extra documents as well.
Schengen Visa Application Form
You can download the application form for the Schengen visa from VFS global and fill it up. You can also fill out the Schengen Visa application form electronically and then print a hard copy.
My husband and I filled up two different forms.
Tips for Filling up Schengen Visa Application form
- The Schengen Member state of the first entry would be the Schengen embassy for your visa application. In our case, it was Austria.
- Mention all the countries you want to visit in the “Member States of Destination” section. If you don’t want to visit any other country, leave this section empty. In this section, we mentioned the Czech Republic and Hungary as I wanted to visit them.
- If you have booked multiple hotels, you can mention the address and emails of the ones in the Entry state in the name of the hotels. If someone has invited you, you can mention the details there. We only mentioned the details of the hotel in Austria.
- As per the cost of traveling, you can choose as the one who will bear the cost. If your parents are sponsoring it or someone else, you can mention that as well. In our case, we were the ones bearing the cost of the trip.
After filling out the forms for the Schengen visa, we signed our individual forms.
Valid Indian Passport
A Valid Indian passport with at least 2 blank pages. To be on the safer side, it’s much better to have one with at least 6 months of validity.
Schengen Visa Photo Requirements
2 recent passport-size pictures with a whole-face capture with a light background, adhering to the specifications mentioned on VFS global.
Schengen Visa Travel Insurance from India
You would need to buy travel medical insurance that would cover the entire period of your stay in the Schengen area. You can choose any of the list of approved travel insurance companies for a Schengen visa in India.
Safety Wing is one of the best travel insurance providers and it covers all kinds of hospitalizations including COVID-related ones, trip interruption, stolen/lost luggage, and in case you lose Indian passport.
It is pretty cheap and can be extended when you are outside of India.
The insurance should have medical coverage of at least Euro 30,000, and it must cover medical evacuation/ repatriation.
Travel Itinerary for Visa
Roundtrip flight reservations from India to Europe. If you are visiting multiple Schengen countries, and you are flying inside the Schengen zone, you would need to show flight reservations for that as well.
But if you will be taking the train or have any other mediums of transport, you can show that.
Learn more about getting a flight reservation from India for Schengen visa.
We booked refundable round-trip flights on makemytrip.com. The onward flight from Delhi to Vienna and the return one from Budapest to Delhi.
Schengen Visa Cover Letter
The cover letter for the Schengen visa is one of the most important documents you need to submit when applying for a visa to Europe. In this cover letter, you will mention the purpose of your visit and a detailed itinerary.
Be as detailed as you can and mention every little detail. Mention the trains you would catch, the hotels you would stay in, the hop-on-hop-off buses that you would catch, and the opera house you would go to.
Proof of Accommodation
You need to provide proof of accommodation for the whole duration of your stay inside the Schengen zone. We made refundable reservations for hotels for our whole itinerary.
Proof of Funds
When applying for a Schengen visa from India, you will need to show proof of sufficient funds to sustain yourself for the whole time in Europe.
The amount of money you need to show is different for every Schengen country depending on the cost of living and it can also vary as per your Europe itinerary.
You could provide the original bank account statements for the last 3 months. Do provide the photocopies of the credit card statements if you can. In our case, we showed 200000 INR ($3000 USD approximately) per person.
And you need to get this statement from the bank and it has to be signed and stamped. You will have to provide the originals for this. So don’t show up with the printout of your bank statements from the online portal.
Employment proof
Schengen visa requirements based on your employment status in India will vary a lot.
If you are employed:
- No objection letter from your employer
- Salary slips for the last 3 months
- An employment contract or offer letter
- Leave permission from your employer
- ITR (Income Tax Return) for the last two years
If you are self-employed:
- A copy of your business license in India- CIN certificate/ LLP certificate/GST certificate/Udhyog Aadhar memorandum/Import Export certificate, depending on your company
- Company bank statements for the last six months
- ITR for the last two years
If applicable:
- Regular income generated by property such as from renting it, for the last 6 months
If retired:
- Pension statements for the last 6 months
If you are a student:
- A No objection certificate from your school/university
- Proof of enrollment such as an ID card
As my husband and I are both employed, we provided the salary slips, offer letter, and NOC for the Schengen visa.
Proof of Civil Status
If applicable, you need to provide a marriage certificate, birth certificate for children, divorce certificate if divorced, death certificate of spouse, etc.
In our case, since we are married, we provided a photocopy of the marriage certificate.
Valid Permit to Return
Citizens of Bangladesh / Bhutan / India / Maldives / Nepal / Sri Lanka applying for a Schengen visa from India, need to provide this.
Previous Schengen Visa
If you were granted a Schengen visa before, you need to provide photocopies of the previous visa. This applies even if you didn’t travel to Europe on that visa.
VFS Appointment Letter
If you are applying for a Schengen visa in India through VFS, then you need to have the appointment letter for the same.
You don’t need Police verification for short-term Schengen study visas. However, if it is a long-term study visa, you surely will need a police clearance certificate from India.
Step 3: Getting an Appointment at VFS
Before you make an appointment in VFS for a Schengen visa, read the instructions for appointments on VFS portal.
To book an appointment, log in to the VFS portal and go to the tab “Schedule an appointment”. Once you choose the VFS center and the purpose of travel, you would need to add the details of the applicants.
You can add up to 5 applicants here if you are applying as a group or family. I added my husband and myself as the applicants here.
After this, you would need to choose a date and time and confirm your appointment.
Once it’s confirmed, you will receive an email from VFS with an appointment letter. If you don’t receive an email, you can email it to yourself using the “Email your appointment” option.
Make sure to print the appointment letter and carry it with you when you go to the VFS center.
Step 4: Submit the Documents for Schengen Visa at VFS
Before visiting VFS, make sure that you have arranged the documents in the prescribed order. You wouldn’t have a lot of time sorting everything there, so everything must be in order.
At the VFS center, there are different counters for different countries. You will need to go to the counter for the country that will be processing your Schengen visa application.
You will be issued a token there and wait for your turn and then submit the documents. You will also be needed to provide Biometric fingerprint data. And they will click a picture of you there. And they will go through all your documents.
You will need to pay the visa fees and they will give you an acknowledgment.
As my husband and I were traveling together and applying for the visa together, we submitted all the documents at the same time.
The whole thing took us more or less one hour. Depending on the VFS center and country that’s your entry point, it might take longer.
We applied in VFS Delhi.
How to Pay Schengen Visa Fees at VFS India?
You need to pay a service charge of INR 1261/ per person, to VFS India apart from the standard Schengen visa fees. They also have a plethora of services like courier facility, form-filling service, etc for which they charge extra.
Mode of payment in India:
- Cash
- Demand Draft in favor of VFS GLOBAL SERVICES PVT. LTD.
- Visa, Master Card, and Rupay
Schengen Visa Fees for Indian Citizens
| Visa Type | Schengen Visa Cost in INR (Subject to varying a little. Check out beforehand) | Visa Fees in Euros |
| Adult | 6322 | €80 |
| Children from 6-12 years old | 3161 | €40 |
| Children below 6 years | Free | Free |
Schengen Visa Fees are waived for:
- Representatives of non-profit organizations traveling to take part in seminars, sports, cultural or educational events, etc. They must be under 25 years old.
- Researchers travelling to carry out scientific research or participate in a seminar or conference.
- Students of a school or postgraduate students and teachers accompanying them get a visa for study or educational training.
Step 5: Attend Schengen Visa Interview
Once you submit the application, you can track your application on VFS.
You might need to go for an interview at the embassy of the country that’s your entry point in the Schengen area.
But in our case, we didn’t have to go through an interview at the Austrian embassy.
The processing for our Schengen tourist visas was completed after a week. We went to the VFS center with the acknowledgment slip and received our passports with the visa stickers.
How Long Does It Take to Get a Schengen Visa in India?
The standard processing time for a Schengen visa is 15 calendar days, from the date your application was submitted to the consulate of the country for your visa.
If they ask for any extra documents, this process might further be extended to 30 calendar days, or even to 60 days in some rare cases.
Schengen Visa duration: I got it for 21 days. You can get it for 90 days at max.
Schengen Visa validity: It will be valid from the date of your arrival, not from the date it’s issued.
Schengen Visa Tips:
- Carry one extra photocopy of every document just in case.
- It’s much better to choose Single entry if it’s your first time applying for a Schengen tourist visa.
- You can use the services of VFS to apply for a Schengen visa from Nepal or Bhutan as well.
- Although you can pay the fees at VFS using a credit or debit card, it’s way better to carry cash.
- Please, make sure that you receive an entry stamp on your passport when you enter the Schengen area. Without a stamp, you could be in a world of trouble. Read detained or fined or deported.
- When filling out the application if there are columns that do not correspond to your case, fill them with NA (No Answer), rather than leaving them blank.
What Documents Should I Bring When Traveling to Europe on Schengen Visa?
While entering the Schengen zone, you might be asked to furnish proof of accommodation and/or proof of funds by the border. So it’s a good idea to have the hotel reservations and bank statements handy.
Also, make sure that you have the return flight tickets to come back to India or onward travel proof if you are going to a country outside the Schengen zone.
Schengen Visa Denial: What to Do?
If your Schengen visa was denied, you will be provided a rejection letter for Schengen visa stating the reason your visa was rejected. If you believe the reason is not justified, you have the right to appeal the Schengen visa rejection.
You can only appeal to the required Schengen member country as per their guidelines. The rejection letter would contain the information about that.
You can also file a fresh Schengen visa application through another member state.
Schengen visa is one of the most elusive visas. There are many reasons a Schengen visa might be rejected. Before you apply for a Schengen visa, go through 20 reasons your Schengen visa might get rejected, so that you don’t make the same mistakes.
Read Also
- UK Business Visitor Visa from India
- Spain National Visa
- Schengen Visa Application Process
- US B1B2 Visa from India
Disclaimer: This article may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclaimer policy here. The Visa Project would by no means be liable for any purchase of tours, tickets, and any other online reservations that are made with any third-party provider.
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Great Article. Thank you so much for the information.
Thanks alot for informations wanted to apply once pandemics over….
Thank you a great informative article.
Are we allowed to travel other schengen countries by train like say Germany, Italy France etc.
Should we have to show proof of all such bookings while applying for visa?
Hi Nayana,
Yes, you are allowed to travel to any Schengen country. But you would need to show proof of all such bookings only if you have included them in your application.
Very useful information, really thank you so much for providing such information. I am really glad to see this information.
Hi! Not sure if this blog is still active. But I wanted to ask, did you and your husband have one application and one copy of documents or two sets of applications and documents?
Thank you
Hi Kristine,
Yes, you can apply with just one application.
Hi Deb,
Wanted to check. How can I and my wife can apply under one VFS application? I thought a single user account can apply for only one person right ?
Hi Kaustav,
You can add her before submitting the application. You would see the “Add New Applicant” option.
Hi, thank you for information. I and my wife want to apply togather and I have few questions.
1. Does Husband and wife need separate VFS appointments or a single appointment? because I can see ‘add member’ section on VFS website while booking appointment.
2. Do Husband and wife need to create separate documents files or a single file?
3. How do they process the file/s of a couple at VFS? Do they call both the persons individually or togather as a couple?
4. Separate visa fee needed for both person in couple?
5. What documents needed for a person in couple who is not employed and her spouse is paying her expenses for trip?
Basically I wanted to know what is the process at VFS office if a couple want to apply together, right from applying for appointment to visiting VFS Office
Hi Om,
1.Yes you would need to choose the add member option and apply together.
2. You can carry the documents together
3. They will call you together, although they might want to verify the documents for each person individually. Depends on the VFS center.
4. Yes
5. The spouse needs to provide the bank statements duly signed and needs to mention the same in detail on the cover letter. They can ask for more documents depending on different factors.
Hi Deb Pati,
I have a question in the similar lines.
Me and my wife are working. We are planning to apply for tourist visa. While filling the visa application form, what should we add in the field “Travel and Living Expenses During Your Stay Are Covered by”?
Should we both tick mark the suitable values or should one of us bear the amount (tick the values) and other person is shown as dependent (mark others option).
Thanks in advance
If you both are working and both will pay for it, and have the bank account statements, you can tick both.
Hey Deb,
My case is similar to that of Om’s. My wife is a home-maker and we applied for Schengen Visa as joint applicants and got the appointment slot for next month.
My query is – In the covering letter, should I mention the details as an individual applicant or should I mention it as “Me & my wife are planning to visit Italy……..”. Shall I mention “Me & my wife” everywhere on the covering letter…..
And she too should do the same in her covering letter ??
Hi Prithvi,
Yes, you can write the cover letter for both of you. For example, you can start with talking about the trip as an individual and then towards the end mention that your wife would be accompanying you on this trip. And some of her details.
Same goes for her.
Thank you so much for detailed information.
Quick question: My fiance and me are planning to visit Austria for our honeymoon and hence applying for visa prior to our wedding. Do we need to show same accomodations / hotel bookings if we are are traveling together or do we need to make separate bookings?
Hi Aditya,
You can do the booking and add your fiancee to the booking. But if the platform doesn’t allow it or the booking doesn’t show it, no worries. You can still show the booking under your name.
Hi,
Me and my fiance are planning to go France for honeymoon. hence we want to apply for visa prior to our marriage. He we cannot show our marriage certificate. Could you pls guide me how to go for it.
We both are employed if required we both can show separate bank gurantee too.
Try through an agency or tour group. It would be easier if you want to get the visa before getting married. Or wait until you get married and get the certificate.
Hi, thanks for this informative post.
Have a few follow-up queries regarding applying as a couple for Schengen visa.
We have taken a one appointment slot at VFS for both of us.
I wish to know :
1. Did you write the cover letter as one common letter coming from both of you jointly with all individual details mentioned in it or you wrote two separate letters as from two individuals ?
2. Same as above, Did you provide one set of the supporting documents with the application or two sets?
Any other suggestions regarding applying as a couple would be appreciated.
Thanks n Regards
Hi,
Yes, you can write one cover letter for both of you.
You need to provide two sets of supporting documents when it comes to bank accounts, salary slips, leave letters etc.
Hi,
Thank you, this post is really informative.
I have one query. Regarding the NOC which my company will provide, is it okay to submit the printout of it or do we need to submit it on a company’s letterhead with stamp?
Hi Soumya,
Letterhead with stamp is always better. If you can not get it, then a printout will do the job.
Hi,
Thanks for this few follow up queries-
1. My fiancé and I are planning a trip immediately after marriage next year(Feb) ..we both are working can we show individual bank statements of €3000 each? Or it has to be in 1 account?
2. Also is it mandatory to pre book flights/hotels/ inter country train?
since it’s risky ..do dummy reservations work? If yes any suggestions ?
3.does the €3000/person has to be excluding the flight and hotel booking?
4. This is the first time we are planning to visit outside india hence should we self apply for this visa or through an agent?
5. For the VFS Delhi we have to visit how many times for visa? Is there an interview too?
6. Can we apply for visa 6months before as many travel agents are saying can be done only 3months prior?
7. Do u easily get appointments? Or is there a huge waiting for Netherlands?
Hi Namrata,
Individual bank statements are fine wince you are both working.
You can make refundable reservations on booking. As per flights, you don’t have to book them beforehand and many embassies actually ask you not to. You can make a reservation just in case.
I always encourage people to apply by themselves. However, you can buy a trip through a good and well-known travel agent ( preferably approved by the embassy) who can also help with the visa application. That would be helpful since this is your first time outside India.
Usually, one visit to VFS should do the job if you carry all the documents in one go.
You can apply the visa 3 months before the planned trip.
The waiting list depends on the country and a lot other factors. Right now, there is a waiting list because of Covid.
Thanks
Also is it necessary to take NOC from private companies too?
The leave letter should do the trick.
Hi,
Thank you, this post is really informative.
few follow-ups
1. if we are travelling to several Schengen countries like you guys did, do we have to include flix bus/train tickets in the documents ?, most of the times we don’t book these tickets prior right they are booked there and then. (how to book these tickets prior travel ?)
2. regarding cover letter and NOC – what details we need to mention in the cover letter ? when we ask for NOC from the company should it direct to someone (visa officer) what would be the format of it ?
Thanks
Hi Tushar,
You should not book the tickets beforehand. Simply mention in your cover letter that you are planning to book them along with the dates and locations.
The NOC differs depending on your employer. Even for private companies, the wording is different and based on some kind of template. Sometimes, a leave letter will work as well. It should be on the employer’s letter head and have a signature and say something like they have no objection to your travel and your leaves are granted.
Hi there,
Article is very informative.
I’m planning for Europe trip in next three months and I’m really confused regarding the cover letter (I’m also applying for Austria visa only) and itinery documents.
Can you please share the example cover letter and itinery documents?
Also can you please write an article or post some information here about VISA form filling?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hi Rama,
The cover letter is very detailed where you mention your plans, flight details and day-to-day itinerary. As part of itinerary, you need the flight reservations(not tickets) and hotel reservations.
The form is pretty easy to fill.
Hi,
Thanks for the detailed information. In my case I am planning to travel with my wife to France, Belgium and Netherlands but primary country to visit is France. When we apply for visa on france-visas website, it doesn’t ask for adding a member. Can I create another application for my wife where I can be her guarantor (as that’s an option to choose).
May be In that case, she would not have to submit her documents about finances. Would that work?
Hi,
It will ask you to add the member when you reach the last step, before you tick the declaration checkbox and continue. You should see the option to “Add an application”.
In that application, you can be your wife’s gurantor.
And finally, you can submit to the visa centre.
Hi
lam indian working in saudi arabia my plan next year visit in France with family.i think visit visa applying in India.what type of document need .my company noc need or not? Which bank statement show? Saudi or indian bank
Hi Baiju,
It would be easier and simpler in my opinion to apply for a visit visa in Saudi Arabia for you. And your family members can apply in India.
However, if you need to apply for it in India as a group, you would surely need the salary slips, NOC, leave approval letters etc and if they are in Arabic, you might need to translate them into English/French. You could show the bank account statements from India as well as from Saudi Arabia.
Thank you for such an informative piece and a big thank you to the creators of the Visa Project for developing this platform. May you continue to touch the lives of others through your website.
I have a couple of queries regarding the Schengen visa and would be extremely grateful if you could alleviate them.
1. Say you are travelling from city A to city B within a Schengen country (Madrid to Barcelona by bus), did you attach the tickets too?
2. In the checklist, there’s a section: “If the applicant is travelling to several Schengen States, proof of intra-Schengen flight reservation, train itinerary or car rental”
How do you get this proof of intra-Schengen reservation?
Is there any website where I can book and cancel later or simply reserve for the time being?
Since I’m visiting 5 countries I’ll have to show tickets every time I’m new a new Schengen country, isn’t it? How did you go about this intra-Schengen reservation?
3. If I am travelling to 5 countries, should I mention all the 5 countries in the cover letter or should I create the letter in such a way to show I’m visiting only 2 countries. Once I have the visa I can book the tickets for those 5 Schengen countries. Otherwise, I will have to attach tickets for all 5 countries and if the visa is rejected, there will be a significant loss.
Thank you.
May you travel the world and inspire people like us. Your articles instill confidence and self belief.
Hi Vikramaditya,
Thank you for your kind words.
1. You don’t have to buy or book tickets for travel inside a Schengen country. You simply have to explain in the cover letter how you are planning to do that, and that you will buy the tickets once you are there.
2. If you are planning to travel from one country to another, then you can buy cheap flight tickets or train tickets or rent a ticket as well, and mention the same in your cover letter. https://thevisaproject.com/recommends/visa-reservation/
3. It is easier to mention just 2 countries, and then travel to 5.
Ideally, you should not have to buy any tickets beforehand. Always rent or show reservations that are fully refundable: https://thevisaproject.com/blog/tips/10-ways-for-onward-travel-proof/
Would be great if you could update us once the visa is approved. Always helps the others a lot.
All the best,
Deb
Thank you Deb for the speedy response. Your suggestions are really helpful. I’ll be applying for the visa next month and will surely update.
Thank you Vikramaditya. Will wait for it.
As proof of finance, instead of ITR of last 3 years can we show form-16 of last 3 years?
As proof of finance, can we submit form16 instead of ITR along with payslips and bank statement?
If you have a valid reason for not submitting the ITR, you can mention this in the cover letter and provide Form 16 with payslips and bank statements.
Hi,
Thanks for the detailed information.
I am also planning to apply for a Schengen visa with my fiance and would like to know whether we have to write separate cover letters since we do not have any marriage proof as of now or if one letter would be enough. If one letter would suffice, do I have to mention the details of my fiance in it?
If possible, can you please share a sample format of the cover letter you guys used for your application?
Thanks
Hi Sagar,
You can write one cover letter. That will work.
Do note that they can ask for a marriage certificate depending on the consulate.
Hi I have some queries regarding schengen tourist visa. Please help.
We are a family of 4 travelling.. me, husband, son and my mom. Have submitted all necessary docs.. the thing is I am in between jobs. Have submitted noc from current org n my new org offer letter too. In between I have one month break when I am travelling. Will that be ab issue in getting my visa?
Hi Pratyusha,
It should not be an issue really as you have already provided the NOC from your current organization.
Hi team,
Q1) For Schengen Visa applicatioon: If my wife (who is dependent on me for sponsoring her trip) is traveling with me, then is marriage certificate the only additional document I have to carry to show that she is related to me?
I understand I have to maintain sufficient bank balance and show it in my statements. but I am asking is there anything else I or she needs need to do?
Q2) There is not enough space in the visa application for of Switzerland to fill addresses and names of the accommodations we are staying in. But I believe we need to fill the exact downloaded form – Is that correct? Is there an alternate to write those details?
Hi Tushar,
Yes, you need to provide an apostiled marriage certificate for the visa application. They might ask for other documents as they see fit.
You can fill in the names and addresses of places where you would be staying in the download form and try to fit them in as much as you can.
How can honey moon couples provide proof of marriage as they may be applying for visas before marriage?
You should apply for the visa after getting married.
Thanks for the article. I have a few questions if you can please help answer:
1. Do I need to mark all the fields that are empty as N/A (being suggested by many)? If yes, the issue is the latest Schengen Visa form can be filled on computer (pdf) and there are date fields which are not applicable for instance, date of birth of sponsor. But the field do not accept N/A as it is a date field. What do I do: a. Fill the remaining fields as N/A and leave such fields empty. b. Leave all fields empty in such questions. c. Fill N/A with pen after taking print out.
2. Is National ID Number my passport number or aadhaar number?
3. My wife and I will be co-applicants can we have different permanent address in our forms (respectively) as we are from two different cities and never updated our passport?
4. After I choose Tourism as my purpose, there is a follow-up question: Additional information on your purpose of visit? Should I mention Tourism again or leave it empty or N/A?
5. A question asks me to mention the hotel details. It has space in which I cannot mention more than one. Should I provide the details of hotel where I will be staying for maximum number of nights, irrespective of my port of entry?
6. Regarding the last question that talks about cost of travelling and living. I have two situations: Let’s say my wife and I both are working and we are going to provide details for both. In each of our form should we tick by the applicant himself/herself? Second situation: Both are working, and we will provide details for both however the expense will be either handled by my wife or me, in this case what should we chose for the other applicant: By a sponsor (me)/Other/or something else?
Hello Amitesh,
Option a or c can work.
Aadhar is the national ID number.
Yes the address on the passport does not have to be the same as your actual address. This is very normal. But you should have some kind of proof for your current address.
Yes purpose of visit can be tourism/ sight-seeing.
You can sponsor yourself and your wife can sponsor herself as long as you have the bank statements and all that.
Hello,
Thanks for the great article!
I have a query for the Schengen visa. My spouse and I are applying for Schengen visa via the French embassy. We have the following conditions –
1. My spouse has my name as spouse updated in his passport, while mine doesn’t.
2. We have a marriage certificate, but its not apostilled
Would we need to show an apostilled marriage certificate, or apply separately without bothering about the marriage certificate.
1. This is not a big deal.
2. It is always better to apsotile the marriage certificate. Does not take more than 3 or 4 days depending on where you live. In case they ask for it, you would have it.
Hi Deb,
The article was very detailed plus going though the comment threads have been equally informative. I have a few queries though:
I have booked an appointment for Switzerland at vfs delhi. I have added my wife as a co-applicant. Following are my questions:
1. Both our passports are not updated, hence it still mentions us single. (And obviously addresses are different) Is that ok?
2. We have a marriage certificate, but the address on marriage certificate doesn’t match the address on passport. What should be done in such a case? We both have aadhar card available with same address as that on marriage certificate, but that’s not written as a valid document
3. In the application form, do i have to mention the address present on the passport, or the current address where both of us our staying (our marriage certificate address).
The above confusions are giving me a lot of stress.
Hoping for a revert 🙂
Hello Manik,
1. Yes, it is fine.
2. That is fine as well.
3. You can write the address where you live right now.
All the best,
Deb
Hi! In the VFS appointment page, if I add my husband as an applicant before scheduling the date, does that mean both of us will have a confirmed appointment when I choose a date&time? Or will we have to create our own account and schedule an appointment separately? Thank you!
Hi Mara,
Yes, you should get one appointment together.
i have been to schenzen twice as alone and this time taking wife with me. we both are working but my wife does not have much balance in her account as low pay job i can maintain 3000 euro in both also i wanna ask if i show my bank balance and for my wife ill just show the salary slips and noc and tax docs and bank balance with very less amount will that work
Yes you can show it for both you and your wife.
Hi Deb,
Me and my wife are planning For europe trip. We are married recently , its been just 8 months. I wanted to ask whether this will be an issue with this? Also will there be any rejections on bank statments? we getaround 1-1.5lakh monthly salary.
I don’t think so Sushil. You should be fine.
Hi, that’s for such a wonderful write up. It is absolutely helpful and trust me, this is the most clear and detailed information I got on Schengen short stay visa application as a couple I have seen.
I some few questions though.
My wife got rejected before with reasons as not reliable information concerning her trip and thought on whether she will return before her visa expires.
I own a company and employ her. She got a good salary and all required paperwork including social security and ITR.
1. I was wondering if this is not going to seriously affect our application.
2.I had work in China for long before establishing my business, should I include my past visas from China and Thailand when applying?
Should we mention her pas rejection?
Thanks very much for your kindness.
Hi Armstrong,
Your wife being employed in your company is not a big issue. But they usually ask if you have been rejected in the past. I believe Shengen countries share that info and they would know already. When you apply together, you can show that you will be the one spending all the money and sponsering her etc. Or if she already has a good amount of money in her account, she can show this also. And you can write a convincing cover letter and provide a clear itinerary and your plans to come back.
Hi Deb, I had a few doubts. Me and my wife are travelling to Prague, Vienna, Hungary and Croatia for 9 days.
1. We have purchased a joint travel Insurance with individual coverage of $1,00,000. Will this be fine?
2. In the application form, where its asking for applicant’s home address and e-mail address, can we mention the present rental address or does it have to be the address mentioned in the passport?
Hi Sayak,
1. Yes it will be fine.
2. You can provide the rental address.
All the best,
Deb
Hi Deb, I am currently working as a YouTuber, although not being paid yet. Can my wife, who is working in an Organisation, sponsors my Europe trip who is also travelling with me. If yes what documents should we carry along for the Schengen visa? Please advice
Hi Armaan,
In this case, she needs to furnish the bank statements, salary slips, ITR and mention in the cover letter that you are travelling with her.
https://thevisaproject.com/experience/schengen/schengen-visa-from-india-tourist/#comment-4850
Cheers,
Deb