Schengen Visa Info
The basic documents required for a Schengen Visa are:
• A passport that must be valid for at least 3 months after the last day you plan to have a Schengen Visa. It also must have at least 2 blank pages (so the visa stickers can be put in it) and it must be less than 10 years old.
• Your complete visa application form.
• Proof of valid travel insurance. It has to cover you for your entire trip to the Schengen Area and has to cover at least 30,000 euros worth of costs for emergency medical care, hospitalization or repatriation for medical reasons.
Documents Needed
Documentation to Show the Purpose of Your Trip
Business Trip
If you are requesting a Schengen Visa for a business trip, you must show documents that prove this. Here are some examples:
• An invitation from a company or government to attend a meeting or conference related to your work.
• Documents that show that you have a business/trade reason for needing the visa.
• Tickets good for admittance to a fair or congress.
• Documents showing the business activities of the company you are working for or meeting.
• Proof that you are employed by the company that wants to send you to a Schengen Area country for business reasons.
Tourist
If you want a Schengen Visa and your reason for your trip is for tourism or personal visits, here are some examples of documents you can show to prove the purpose of your trip:
• Booking confirmation of an organized tourist trip.
• An invitation from the person you will be visiting.
Education or Training Purposes
If your trip is for study or training, here are examplesof documents you could show to prove the purpose of your trip:
• Proof of enrollment at an educational institution for a course.
• Student ID cards.
Medical Purposes
If you are traveling to receive medical care, you should submit documentation that proves you need medical care in a particular institution and proof that you have money or insurance to cover the cost of the medical treatment.
Official Delegations
If you are traveling to the Schengen Area as part of an official delegation to be part of a meeting, consultation, negotiations, etc, you should show an official invitation and a letter from the country you’re representing that confirms all of this.
Family Information
Certain situations require documentation of your family status. For instance, if you are traveling with your child, but the child’s other parent is not also traveling with you, you will need to show proof that you are legally allowed to take the child out of his/her country of residence.
Another possibility is if your trip is so you can visit family members in a Schengen country. In that case, you would need to prove they are related to you.
Proof of Sufficient Funds
You have to prove that you have enough money for your trip. Click here to read more details on proving you have sufficient funds.
Conditions of Your Trip
You have to show documentation for certain conditions of your trip, such as proof you have enough money to pay for accommodations/hotel or proof you have a ticket to get back home once your visa is over.
Documents Showing You Intend to Leave the Schengen Area
You must provide documents showing you are going to leave the Schengen Area before your visa expires. Examples might include your airline or train ticket out of the Schengen Area, bank statements that show you have a job back home, proof you own property back home (and therefore are likely to return), proof that you have strong ties to your home country. All of this is designed to prove that you will return home after your trip to the Schengen Area.