Schengen visa- The Do's and Dont's!

My husband and I are travelling around Europe nowadays. France is our main point of interest but will make it to Switzerland as well. We have been meticulously planning this trip to make it the best of our memories together. Also because it is our first trip together,everything is more exciting! 

The visa process is crucial and  missing out on even the smallest of documents (which you might think is not as important) can easily reject visa. So to avoid any disappointment, one should know all.

As soon as we decided to plan our visit, we made sure that our research regarding the whole process is strong enough so that we don’t skip any material information. But unfortunately, we couldn’t find a good article or report or anything that would have helped us prepare our case.

To our good luck, a few family members had recently traveled those areas and they knew pretty well what was required. This made our process pretty smooth but I know it is apparently very tiring and confusing for many (It was pretty visible while I was waiting for my visa interview and I could see how people were sent back because their application was incomplete). So here is a little guidance for all those people who might want to apply for Schengen in the coming months or in the future years.

First Step:

I had an experience of travelling to Europe once before but it was from London. But the things and the steps required were amazingly similar so fortunately that experience did add up to this one.

Firstly, you need to have a proper documentation. With proper documentation I mean, forms ( taken from internet), three passport size photos with a clear white backdrop, your airline booking, accommodation ( where you will stay during the visit),bank statement ( last six month balance), pay slips ( last three months), previous passport copies, insurance and family tree certificate.

Note:

Required documents will add up if you are travelling to meet your family or friends in Europe . Sponsor letter is a MUST,if there is one in your case.

If you don’t have a family tree certificate, you can easily get it through NADRA’s website.

So once your documentation is complete, you submit these documents to American Express. The fee was approximately Rs. 1500. They scan all your documents and keep a copy with themselves. They then give you a receipt with your interview date mentioned. The interview takes place in Islamabad (French embassy in my case since it was my destination).

Second Step:

Interviews are held at the Diplomat Enclave in Islamabad. They don’t let your cars in ( until and unless you have a letter from some ambassador or diplomat) so you choose either to travel from a shuttle (Rs. 500 each) or Executive option is also available where you get to choose your own car to take you in the embassy (Rs. 1000 per person).

Once you are in your chosen embassy, you are given a token for your interview and then the list of all documentation so that you can recheck everything again.

Note: Your documents should be in the same order as mentioned in the list or otherwise the guys their will send you back. This was announced several times while we  were waiting for our turn and I could see many people returning back because of this error.

Bio metric details are taken first, followed by the fee.

Tip: Take with you the exact amount of Rs. 7,018 per person in our case. They don’t have change (nor will they offer you even if they do) and they will not accept your money if the amount isn’t exact.. We took the exact amount and the guy there was literally surprised as he mentioned very few people do that.

 So once you are done with all these formalities, you are called in for interview. They ask you basic questions as long as your documents are complete. I was asked about my travel history for which I had my previous passports as a proof. Then about the accommodation, leave letter from job (my husband’s was required), bank statement balances etc. But if your documents are not complete, you will probably be faced with pretty harsh questions. You will hand over all the copies of your documents and you are free to leave.

Schengen visa application takes about two to three weeks after the interview ( ours came in 10 days).

Some more free tips:

•        Always keep your original ID card with you throughout the process. You will require it on several occasions.
•        Your bank statement must have enough balance that can  cover your daily expenses abroad plus you should be able to show enough money for your accommodation.
•        Choose English language for your interview (provided that you are fluent). This puts up a strong impression over the interviewee.
•        The date of travel that you mention on your form will be the date they will grant you visa from. Select wisely and make sure the date mentioned is correct.

In case you want an overview of the visa and the procedure, click here!