What
is a Schengen visa?
The Schengen visa is a visa issued to certain non-EU
nationals outside the Schengen area. The Schengen area is an arrangement
between 25 member countries (22 EU states and 3 non-EU members) to make
traveling in their territory much easier and less bureaucratic. The Schengen
visa enables many non-EU nationals, business people and tourists to freely
circulate within the Schengen territory without being subjected to border
checks. With the Schengen visa you can travel to any (or all) the 25 countries
using one single visa, thus avoiding the hassle and expense of obtaining
individual visas for each country. The Schengen visa is a visitor’s visa, so
the purpose of your visit must be leisure, tourism or business.
When
to submit an application for a Schengen visa:
The general principle is that you must lodge your
application at least 15 days before your intended visit. You cannot lodge your
application more than 3 months before the start of your intended visit.
Processing times vary at different consulates in different parts of the world.
We recommend that you apply for a Schengen visa approximately 3 months before
your intended travel.
The general processing time for deciding on a visa
application is 15 days after the submission of the application; nowadays, a decision
may be taken earlier than the 15 days stated in the Visa Code. In individual
cases where further scrutiny of the application is needed by consulate, the
time may be extended to 30 days. In exceptional cases, an application may take
up to 60 days.
How
to submit your application:
Some consulates allow for walk-inns while others
allow submission of application by appointment only. Many consulates now allow
for the submission of your application by appointment only. However in
justified cases of urgency, your appointment may be given immediately or direct
access for submitting your application may be allowed. A situation may be
considered as one of urgency where you could not have been applied for your
visa earlier for reasons that could not have been foreseen by you.
Personal
appearance of applicant:
As a general rule you must submit your application in
person. The objective is to allow the consular officer to gain an impression of
the substance of your application and ask questions about the purpose of your
travel. Your biometrics and photo will also be collected as part of your
application. However persons who are known to the consulate for their integrity
and reliability may be exempted from appearing in person. Such persons may
submit their application through a third party or by post. This exemption
cannot be granted to first time travellers.
Although the Visa Code states that your personal
appearance for making your application is different from your personal
appearance for an interview, you may do yourself a lot of good if you prepared
yourself well to respond to the officer’s questions at the time of making of
your application. A decision on your application will likely be made from your
documents and statements made by you at the time of making your application;
seldom will you be called for a personal interview.
Submitting
your application:
For the consulate to accept your application for
processing you must satisfy the following: You must submit a completed and
signed application form, a photograph that meets standard requirements, a
passport or travel document with at least two blank pages and a validity period
of not less than 3 months after the intended date of departure from the
territory, payment of visa fee, and the collection of biometric data.
Where the consulate accepts your application, they
will stamp your Schengen
Visa
passport to indicate that your application is admissible. Unfortunately, many
applicants interpret the affixing of the stamp as an indication of a refusal of
their application. The stamp merely indicates that your application has been
accepted for processing; and this is usually done before a final decision on
your application is made.
For more information
visit here: http://visafromhome.com/schengen-visa/
No comments:
Post a Comment