Filling out an application for a Schengen visa (form and sample)

For a tourist who travels frequently in foreign countries, obtaining a visa does not present any particular difficulties. Persons planning to travel abroad collect the required documents and fill out a visa application form. Visa application forms and rules for filling out visa applications are different for each country. But when traveling to the Schengen states, applications for a visa are drawn up according to the same rules. Let's find out what the application for a Schengen visa is, how to fill out the application, and where it should be submitted.

How to fill out an application for a Schengen visa? The answer to this question worries many who want to visit the Schengen countries. Experienced travelers fill out visa application forms without any delay. But what if a person goes abroad for the first time and is afraid to make a mistake in the Schengen application form? Beginner tourists will be helped by our tips on filling out the application form for obtaining a Schengen visa.

In 2019, the Schengen visa for Russians opens according to the previous rules. To apply for an entry paper you need:

• Fill out the application form for a Schengen visa.
• Make an appointment at the visa application center or embassy/consulate. Or submit documents without an appointment, if possible. Since with a Schengen visa it is allowed to visit the entire Schengen area, it is important to observe the following rule. Visa application is submitted:
  • Either to the visa center or the diplomatic mission of the state of the main residence.
  • Or, if the point of the main stay is not determined, to the visa center or the diplomatic mission of the country of first entry into the Schengen.

• Gather the necessary documentation. The list of required papers depends on the purpose of entry. If a tourist trip is made, the document requirement is as follows:
  • Passport valid for at least 3 months from the end of the trip + photocopy.
  • A photocopy of the Russian passport. For minor children, the original and a copy of the birth certificate are submitted.
  • Color photos 35 by 45 mm (2 pieces).
  • Documents on material security (certificate from the employer, bank statement from the account, etc.).
  • Housing availability guarantees (hotel reservation, lease agreement, etc.).
  • Medical insurance.
  • Book air tickets in both directions.
  • Consent to the processing of personal data (for the visa center).
  • Consent from parents / parent to leave (served for children if they make a trip without parents or only with one of them).
• Submit the completed Schengen visa and other documentation to the visa application center or diplomatic mission.
• Pay a consular fee of 35 euros (in any case) and pay a service fee (if documents are submitted to the visa center). The service fee is 15–20 euros. Both fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee a positive decision on the request.

• Pass the biometrics procedure (take a digital photo and hand over fingerprints). Fingerprints are not required:
  • From children under 12 years of age.
  • From applicants who have submitted their fingerprints for a Schengen visa within the past 5 years.
  • From persons who are physically impossible to take fingerprints.
• After completing these steps, wait for a response on your application. Usually one dossier is reviewed for 5-10 days.

Important! If a citizen does not need to be fingerprinted, he has the right to submit application forms for a Schengen visa and related papers through an accredited travel agency.

Nuances of applications for Schengen

So, the first requirement for a Schengen applicant is to write an application for a Schengen visa. This task is easy to complete. A sample of filling out the application form for a Schengen visa is easily found on the Internet. But before filling out the questionnaire, you need to consider the following points:

• In the vast majority of cases, the application form for a Schengen visa is filled out in paper form. Information is entered on a computer or by hand.
• Only in some cases is it possible to fill out an electronic application for Schengen. Some, for example, Germany, require filling out an application exclusively online via the Internet. To do this, you need to go to the site. After entering the answers to the questions, you must print the questionnaire and sign it.

• Visa applicants receive the application form absolutely free of charge. Its allowed:
  • Download online. The application form is available, among other things, on the websites of diplomatic departments and visa centers.
  • Pick up at the diplomatic mission or visa center of the country of main residence or first entry.
• It is important not to confuse the form filled out for a short-stay Schengen C-visa with a similar one for a long-stay national D-visa. In the "header" of each form, the type of application is indicated - for a Schengen or national visa.

• Application forms for obtaining a Schengen visa are presented in several language versions. Including with questions translated into Russian. In addition, there are petitions with questions in English and in the official languages ​​of the European powers. Any of them can be filled in and submitted.
• Items 1–5 are always filled in in Latin (as in a passport). Each state has its own requirements for filling out the remaining items. For example, Poland and Estonia allow questionnaires to be answered in Russian (either English or Polish/Estonian). Italy and Finland allow Italian/Finnish or English or transliteration (Russian words in Latin letters). Other countries allow only English or their own official language.
• If the candidate wishes to complete the questionnaire by hand, they will need a pen with black or blue ink/ink. Pencil, felt-tip pen or pen with red ink are not suitable. Information must be entered in block letters, clearly and legibly.
• If a citizen plans to fill out an application on a computer, after entering the data, the document must be printed. It is not yet possible to transfer the application electronically to most consulates. Forms must be printed on A4 sheets. Double-sided printing is recommended. In some embassies/consulates, printing on 2 sides is a prerequisite.
• The printed visa application form must be signed. Details on where to put signatures are provided below.
• The completed application is supplemented by a photograph of the applicant. Nuances need to be clarified in advance. Depending on the country, the photo is glued to the form, attached with a paper clip, or submitted separately.

Before filling out the application, you should find out about all the requirements of a particular embassy / consulate / visa center. For example, there are subtleties when applying for the Polish Schengen. In visa centers that belong to the St. Petersburg consular district, questionnaires are accepted only in printed form.

What to do if an error has crept in

A number of diplomatic missions and visa centers allow you to correct errors in the application form for a Schengen visa. Incorrect information should be crossed out with a straight line. The correct data is written next to it. Corrections are certified by an additional signature of the applicant.

However, many diplomatic missions and visa centers do not allow any corrections. Strikethroughs or the use of a proofreader automatically exclude the examination of the questionnaire. Therefore, if any item was filled out incorrectly, it is advisable to rewrite the entire application.

Filling instructions

A sample of filling out a visa application form can be found on the websites of diplomatic missions and visa centers of the Schengen states. It is important to remember that a separate application is filled out for a child. Even if it is entered in the passport of mom / dad.

By signing, the applicant guarantees the accuracy and reliability of the information provided. Once again, we recall the number of signatures in the visa application form:

• 3 signatures put by all candidates.
• 4 signatures are put by applicants for a multiple-entry visa.

The main thing is honesty and attentiveness

Filling out an application for a Schengen visa is a fairly simple, but very responsible process. Questionnaires must be answered honestly. You can not skip the items, the completion of which is mandatory.

Correctly and truthfully completed questionnaire will serve as a positive characteristic of a potential Schengen guest. Having supported the application with the necessary documents, the candidate for entry will most likely receive a positive response to the visa request. And with a Schengen visa, almost all of Europe will open for him.