How to arrange a Schengen visa on their own on the new rules

Hello, dear friends! I present to your attention a super-an article in which you will find a very detailed instruction on how to arrange a Schengen visa independently without the help of intermediaries. In addition, I will definitely mention the changes that entered into force on September 14, 2015. Ready? Then I start!

In this article:

Why not contact the intermediaries?

1. Intermediary already exists

The decoration of the Schengen visa is not a simple. Most questions arise in the preparation of documents. Employees of the Consulates of Schengen Consulates are perfectly understood, but they cannot advise everyone individually, as it takes too much time.

Therefore, service and visa centers were created. They exist in order to provide all the necessary information and advise on individual issues. They completely take on all paper work.

Service and visa services are not free. When submitting documents, you pay the service collection (we paid 19 euros per person).

And here the main question arises: why look for another intermediary in the form of a travel agency or agent if you can get any information support for money that you still pay?

You may seek an intermediary, as you cannot independently come to the visa center. But if you don't need a visa urgently, you can get Schengen without visiting the visa center (read it below).

2. No one gives guarantees

If you decide to contact the agency, as you think it will help you guaranteed to get a Schengen visa, then you are mistaken. A decision on issuing a visa takes the Consulate General of the country into which you submit documents. Even a visa center, and even more so other intermediaries, cannot guarantee you a positive decision on the issuance of a Schengen visa.

3. Unreal requests

Perhaps you do not know, but the cost of execution of a Schengen visa is stable and does not depend on its time: two weeks, or five - it does not matter. She will cost you in the same amount. But not everyone knows about it, and many agencies are asking for more money for a greater visa duration. What, in essence, is the manifestation of their greed.

4. You will still spend time and strength

If you think that intermediaries will fulfill all paper work for you and thereby save you a bunch of time, then you are mistaken again. Yes, a questionnaire for a Schengen visa, they will help you to fill out (although this can be done in the visa center), and also prepare the necessary copies of documents for you.

But references from work, discharge from the bank, insurance, photos - all this you will have to do yourself. And if you appeal not to travel agencies, then hotel reservation and buying ticket Also fall on you.

I think these reasons are enough not to contact intermediaries and make a Schengen visa on their own. But, in any case, the decision remains yours. If you do not have time for self-reading with documents (and there really is a lot of it) instead of contacting dubious offices, just use specialized services for vacation. And I propose to proceed to the preparation of documents.

In addition, on September 14, 2015, the rules were entered into force, according to which it is necessary to provide fingerprints once to the Schengen visa. If you understand that in the last 5 years you did not handle fingerprints for these purposes, then you will have to do this. And this means that you will have to personally appear at the service and visa center. That is, the mediator will not help you here.

I want to warn that all information below refers to the design of a short-term Schengen visa for the purpose of tourism. Many items described below can approach both other situations, but sometimes the requirements for documents may differ slightly. More accurate information you can always get in the service visa center.

Preparing a set of documents

1. Questionnaire (blank + instruction)

First you need to download and print an application form. For different countries, Shengen's blanks are very similar, but they can have some differences. Therefore, find on the Internet and download the country you need.

I laid out forms for several countries:

application form for registration of a visa in the service and visa center of Germany,
application form for registration of a visa in the service and visa center of the Netherlands ,
application form for registration of a visa in the service and visa center of Poland ,
application form for registration of a visa in the Czech Service and Visa Center .

On the sites of visa centers, the questionnaires can be filled in electronic form. But when I tried to do it, she could drop off after a while, and had to be filled again. This is not very convenient. Therefore, personally for me to fill the paper blank from hand, much easier.

Now a very responsible moment: you need to fill out the questionnaire. Try to do it carefully, carefully, without errors, an ordinary ballpoint handle.

In this video, I tell in detail how to fill out the questionnaire. If your case is special, and you doubt how to fill out any item, skip it while asking a consultant's question when submitting documents. It will help you correctly fill out the questionnaire.

2. Passport + copy of the main page

The requirements for the passport are subject to:
- It must be valid more than 3 months after the expected date of departure from the Schengen zone;
- It must contain at least 2 clean pages.

Perform a copy of the page on which your basic information contains.

3. Two photos

For a Schengen visa, you must provide 2 photos performed according to certain rules. But we do not need to know them. Just come to any photo accessories and ask for two photos for a Schengen visa. Typically, the photographer is familiar with the requirements for such photos and will fulfill everything as needed.

4. Medical insurance

Medical insurance for a Schengen visa must meet several requirements, and this is very important, since because of incorrectly decorated insurance you may refuse a visa or send to reissue, and you lose time. Very detailed about all the requirements for insurance issued, I wrote in the article Preparing insurance for a Schengen visa correctly, You can familiarize yourself with it.

Well, the easiest way to design medical insurance: come to the office of any insurance company. When you get an insurance form, be sure to read everything that it is written and save on your mobile list of emergency phones that are specified in it.

5. Russian passport

When submitting documents, you need to present a Russian passport and copies of all its information pages: the main, with registration at the place of residence, with information on the marital status and the issued foreign passport. If any copies are not enough, the visa center will make additional.

6. For minor

— Original birth certificate. Moreover, if the name of the child or parents has been changed and does not coincide with those that are specified in the certificate, it is necessary to provide confirmation of documents.

— If a child goes on a trip along with both parents and a visa, they get everything together, then additional documents are not required. If parents already have Schengen visas, then you need to attach their copies.

A little more difficult if a minor goes on a trip with one parent, you need to proceed from the current situation.
but) If only one parent is specified in the child's birth certificate, with whom it goes, then no additional documents are needed.
b) If the child's father's information is made to the birth certificate from the words of a mother with which a minor goes on a trip, then you need to make a certificate No. 23 from the registry office.
in) If the second parent is deprived of parental rights, then you need to make a copy of the court decision.
d) If the location of the second parent is not established, it is necessary to make a certificate from the police that the parent is wanted at least 6 months, and the statute of reference should not exceed 2 weeks.
e) If one of the parents died, you need to make a copy of death certificate.

If a child is a trip without maintaining parents or legitimate guardian, then from each of the available parents (guardians) requires a notarized permission to temporarily departure a child abroad. If the parent (guardian) is one, then besides the permission, it is necessary to provide one of the documents listed in paragraphs with butby D..

— Confirmation of solvency for the child (see paragraph 9.2).

7. Confirmation of the place of residence

7.1. If you are planning to stop in hotels

In the event that you are going to travel and book hotels near the trip, attach your hotel reservation in the city to which you arrive. And make an approximate description of the route: a list of cities that you intend to visit.

Warning! Do not take the hotel booking and cancellation after receiving a visa, as there are cases when the hotel owners have notified about this consulate. It threatens visa cancellation and refusal to issue the next time.

7.2. If you are planning to stop at your friends or relatives

In this case, it is necessary to provide an invitation, namely the official commitment (in Germany this is a terrible word - VerpflichtungSerkLarung) from the host. It is issued by the host in the city of her stay. This requires a passport and confirmation of legal residence in the country, as well as copies of foreign passports of guests.

This document states whether the receiving party will provide financial support for the entire stay of the guest. For this receiving party, it is necessary to confirm its solvency. Otherwise, the confirmation of financial security lies on the shoulders of the Schengen arriving in the country (see P.9).

The visa center serves an official commitment, sent by the guest. As well as confirmation of the legitimate residence of host individuals in the territory of the Shengen Zone (copy of the document). Of course, you need to do these documents in advance. Therefore, I consider the hotel more convenient option.

8 Flights

For the design of the Schengen visa, you should have flights (or reservation) in both directions.

In this case, it is necessary to confirm the solvency of the sponsor itself: everything specified in paragraph 9.1. And also copies of his Russian passport.

For family (spouses and minors children), a trip making together, where total expenses take over one adult, the sponsorship letter in confirmation is not necessary. If, in this case, children are more than 18 years old, then confirmation of solvency (sponsorship) from parents is necessary.

For minor children going on a trip without parents, it is also necessary to confirm the solvency, namely a sponsoring letter from parents or other sponsors.

9.3. The solvency can be taken to the receiving party through the official obligation (VerpflichtungSerkLarung), which we spoke in paragraph 7.2 ...

10. Proof of return to the homeland

Proof of what you will return to your homeland, increase your chances of receiving a Schengen visa. That is, employees must evaluate: if you have something that can be returned to your homeland, and you will not stay on illegal foundations in the Schengen zone. The more confirmations you have - the better.

10.1. Help from work

If you work, be sure to make a certificate from the place of work - this is one of the confirmations of your intention to return home. It is drawn up on an official form with all details, contact details of the organization and indicating the number of the outgoing document.

It should contain full information about you, as an employee: FULL NAME, position, experience, average salary. Confirmation: The signatures of the general director and the chief accountant, the issuance date (period should be no more than 2 weeks with the submission of documents) and the original printing.

In general, in large companies, the accountant usually know how it is issued. Unfortunately, my certificate is not preserved, so I suggest examining the sample.

For individual entrepreneurs, instead of reference, it is necessary to provide a copy of the registration certificate and a copy of the certificate of IP formulation to the tax.

For owners of firms, a certificate from work should be signed by another authorized person, or it is necessary to provide copies of constituent documents proving that he is the owner of the company.

10.2. Help from the place of study or the original of the current student ticket

Help from the place of study is drawn up as a certificate from the place of work: on the official form with the indication of all contact data, your personal data, and certified by an authorized person with the original seal.

10.3. Marriage certificate or certificate of birth of minor children.

10.4 . Copies of documents confirming the ownership of housing.

Just make a copy of the certificate and attach to the set of documents. There will be no superfluous.

This is the most difficult stage - the preparation of a set of documents is over. Perhaps you scared a large number of text, but in fact everything is quite simple. The main thing is to start decorating a visa in advance before the trip.

Submission of documents

A complete set of documents must be submitted to the service and visa center. If you can not arrive yourself, you can send:

- a trustee (a power of attorney can download); With you a trustee to have your passport (+ 2 copies of the first page) and the power of attorney (+ 2 copies).

- close relatives (spouse, children, parents); With you, have: own passport, the original documents confirming related communication (birth certificate, marriage), when changing the surname, it is necessary to provide the relevant document.

The submission of documents, we took no more than half an hour from the moment we entered the German visa center and ending with how we left it. The center works very well-coordinated and clearly like a clock. Girls very quickly check all documents, help them correctly arrange, make missing copies.

We signed agreements on agreement on the processing of personal data. Then passed to the cashier and paid the visa collection of 35 euros from each, plus the service fee is about 19 euros per each. It remained to wait for the SMS warning about the readiness of our passports.

I remind you that in addition to all this since 2015, you will need to pass fingerprints. It is done every 5 years.

Obtaining a passport with a visa

SMS notice that passports are ready, and we can pick them up after about 16 days. We were in the visa center and we were given passports, in which the Schengen visa was pasted. The receipt time was no more than 10 minutes.

If you can't get a visa yourself, then this can make relatives or a trustee for you with a set of such confirmation documents as when submitting documents (read the previous paragraph).

How much time does the design

Many worries the question: how long is the visa and whether it will give me. I will give a quote from the official website of the German visa center:

"Since our work is mainly administrative in nature, the visa center does not have information about the likelihood of receiving a visa and does not give guarantees about the number of days that will be required to make a decision: and the time limit, and the decision on the issuance of a visa remains exclusively at the discretion of the Consulate General of Germany "

You can apply for a visa center for three months before the expected trip. And the minimum recommended period is 15 days. In addition, there is the "Express Consideration" service. In this case, the application will be considered within 3 - 4 days, and the visa collection will be 70 euros instead of 35. I recommend to make a visa to a minimum in a month.

Causes of refusal of visa

The following factors may be the reason for refusing to issue a Schengen visa.

1) Providing false data and fake documents.

2) The purpose of the trip and the conditions of stay are not confirmed.

3) No confirmation of financial security.

4) One of the states of the Schengen Agreement has already refused to issue a visa.

5) You have already been in this six-month period for three months in the Schengen Agreement.

6) According to one of the member states of the Schengen Agreement, you present a threat.

7) Lack of necessary insurance.

8) There is no confirmation of intent to return home.

Visa design without visiting a visa center

Germany's visa center in the summer of 2014 introduced a service, with which you can not appear at all in the visa center for its design. That is, it is possible to submit a set of documents using the courier service and the delivery of the finished passport will also carry out a courier.

It is possible to do it, naturally, if before that you handed out fingerprints and from that time there was a 5 year old.

And, in my opinion, this is another blow to intermediaries who are trying to accomplish the ignorance of people or that someone just get to the nearest visa center. I think that this service will be used by residents of neighboring areas and those who have already met a clearly-minded service of visa centers.

Is there such a service in your region - recognize on the website of the consulate or visa center. But in the Ural region, such a service has already appeared. Of course, not everything is so simple and for sure there are many nuances. For example, for payment it is necessary to print on your own blank form. Agreement on the processing of personal data that you sign in the visa center also need to be printed and sign in advance.

In addition, shipping will have to pay extra. And quickly make a visa will not work. And to the preparation of a set of documents will have to be approached with even greater responsibility in order not to send additional missing documents. But for some reason I am confident that the visa center and this service will set up the most well.

Essential!

I want to affect one important point. European countries, especially Germany, do not have a shortage of visitors. You yourself just made sure how many requirements need to be observed to get there. They tighten entry into their countries, establish the rules and try to track your activities within their borders. And all because those who want to remain in the territory of the Schengen Agreement are illegally a lot.

That is why: the more factors connecting you from the homeland (real estate, work, family), the higher the likelihood of receiving the visa. Therefore, try to provide the most complete set of documents, fill out the questionnaire carefully. And if your situation is too complicated, then do not be lazy and contact the visa center, you will surely help you, after all, this is their main task..

Be sure to look at this short video, from it you will learn what faces the wrong preparation of a set of documents and what to do if you refused to be visa:

In addition, there are many ways to overcome or deceive the system. I will not talk about them now, they are known to many. But remember, in this case, you risk the next time to get a refusal to issue a visa. The passport with a visa can check at the airport or at the hotel during check-in. Be prepared, it happens, though not often.

Dear friends, I tried very much to make the instruction as simple as possible and understandable. And I really hope that she helped you. If so, share it with friends, suddenly she will also be useful. And today everything is all, thanks for your attention and while!