Schengen Visa Info
How Do I Apply for a Schengen Visa? Do I Apply with Any Particular Country?
All of the Schengen Area countries are able to issue a Schengen Visa, but you can’t just apply to any country you wish. You have to file your application with the country where you will be going. If you are only going to one country, it’s easy- you have to apply with that country to get your Schengen Visa.
What If I Am Going to Visit More than One Country In the Schengen Area?
If you are going to travel to more than just one country in the Schengen Area, you have to find out which country you are supposed to file your application with. Usually, you should file your application with the main country you are visiting on your trip. For example, if you are going to France for a week, but plan to visit Germany for a day before going back to your home country, France would be considered the main country you are traveling to. So in this case you would need to get your Schengen Visa from France.
Where To Apply
The two big considerations when deciding which country is your main destination are:
- How long will you stay in each country?
- Why are you traveling to each country?
The longer you plan to stay in a country, the more likely it is that that country is your main destination. However, if you have an important reason for traveling to a country in the Schengen Area, that country might be considered your main destination, even if you are spending just as much time visiting other Schengen countries.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell which country is your main destination. What if you are traveling to 3 different countries in the Schengen Area and will stay in each one for one day? Then your time is split equally, so the length of your stay is less likely to dictate which country you should apply for a Schengen Visa with. If you are not able to determine which country is your main destination, you should file your application with the first country you’re going to (in the Schengen Area, that is).
Where to apply for a Schengen visa?
Once you have decided which country to file your visa application with, you must contact that country’s consulate. For instance, if you determined that your main destination is Belgium, you should contact the Belgian consulate to apply for your Schengen Visa.
Sometimes, you might not be sure which consulate you should contact. There’s a consulate for each of the Schengen Area countries in almost every country in the world. How do you know which one is the right one to contact to file your application?
If you are living in your home country, where you are a citizen, the choice is obvious- you should contact a consulate in your own country.
If you are a permanent resident of one country, but a citizen of another, you should probably file your application for a Schengen Visa in the country where you are living. However, you should be prepared that you may be asked for your reason that you chose to file your application with a consulate not located in your own country.
Let’s say you are a citizen of India, but you have been a legal resident of the US for 10 years. You know you need a Schengen Visa to travel to Spain. But should you contact the Spanish consulate in India to apply for your visa, or the one in the US? In a case like this, you would probably need to file your application with the Spanish consulate in the US, because you have a good reason for choosing it over the one in India.
If you are in a country, but are not a citizen or permanent resident there, you might have to contact the consulate in your home country. For instance, if you are in Canada on a tourist visa and want to apply for a Schengen Visa to go to Germany, you might not be allowed to file your application at the German consulate in Canada. You may be required to file it with the German consulate in your home country instead. To find out for sure, you could contact either of the German consulates and ask them directly where you need to file.
Where Do I File an Application for a Transit Visa?
If you need a Transit Visa, you should file your application at the consulate of the Schengen country you are going to. If you are transiting through more than one Schengen country, you should file your application with the country in the Schengen Area that you will arrive at first.
Where Do I File an Application for an Airport Transit Visa?
If you are filing an application for an Airport Transit Visa, you should file it with the country of the airport where you’re stopping is located. If you are transiting through more than one airport, you should file your application with the country whose airport you will arrive in first.
What If there’s No Consulate for the Schengen Country I Need to File My Application With?
If you determine that you need to file your Schengen Visa application with a particular country’s consulate, but that country doesn’t have a consulate in your home country (or the country where you live), what do you do? Well, if there’s no consulate for the country you need, usually the consulate of another country has agreed to represent them. You have to find out which country’s consulate is representing the interests of the Schengen country you’re looking to file an application for a visa with. Then you should contact them to find out how to file your application.