A Mini Guide For The Schengen Visa

Tips on how to have a 100% visa acceptance rate

7 min readMar 22, 2023

If you’re planning a trip to Europe, you may need a Schengen visa to travel to and within the Schengen Area. The Schengen Area comprises 26 European countries, including popular tourist destinations such as France, Spain, Italy, and Germany. A Schengen visa allows you to travel freely within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Here are the steps you need to follow to obtain a Schengen visa.

Step 1: Determine if you need a Schengen visa

The first step in the Schengen visa process is to determine if you need a visa. Not all travelers need a Schengen visa; citizens of certain countries, such as the United States and Canada, do not need a visa for short-term stays in the Schengen Area. However, citizens of many other countries do need a visa. You can check the Schengen visa requirements to determine if you need a visa.

Step 2: Gather the required documents

If you determine that you need a Schengen visa, the next step is to gather the required documents. The list of required documents can vary depending on the consulate or embassy where you will be applying for the visa, but generally, you will need the following:

Valid passport: Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned date of departure from the Schengen Area.
Completed visa application: You will need to complete a visa application form, which you can usually download from the website of the consulate or embassy where you will be applying for the visa.
Two passport-size photos: You will need to provide two recent passport-size photos that meet the specifications of the consulate or embassy where you will be applying for the visa.
Visa appointment letter
Travel medical insurance: You will need to provide proof of travel medical insurance that covers medical expenses and repatriation for the entire duration of your stay in the Schengen Area, with a minimum coverage of €30,000. The first application, I bought Tata AIG which was valid for a year for 3.8k. The other time I have bought digit insurance for 1.9k for a period of 1 month and a cover of 500,000 euros. I would also check out insurance provided by ACKO since they cover flight cancellation and rescheduling for any reason. If you have some issues around pesky transit visas, you might want to consider such a travel insurance.
Proof of accommodation: You will need to provide proof of accommodation for your entire stay in the Schengen Area. This can include hotel reservations, rental agreements, or a letter of invitation from a host. One can book refundable/cancellable bookings from booking.com / airbnb.co.in
Proof of financial means: You will need to provide proof that you have sufficient financial means to cover your expenses during your stay in the Schengen Area. This can include bank statements( signed and stamped ), proof of employment, or a letter of sponsorship. If you have switched jobs, and have salary slips from different employers, you can also attach your relieving letter from your previous employer. One can also attach their fixed deposit documents if you believe the balance in your savings account might be low. Please do not transfer funds to your account a few days prior to the visa appointment date as it is seen as a red flag.
No objection certificate from your employer, detailing the date of travel and approval of leave for the said dates
Proof of transportation: You will need to provide proof of your transportation arrangements for your trip to the Schengen Area and within the Schengen Area. This can include flight reservations, train tickets, or car rental agreements. I usually only attach flights to and from India. Please be mindful that some consulates might require internal transfer tickets as well(saw this with a couple of folks applying for Schengen visa from Spain). For flight tickets, you can opt for one of the following methods:

Book fully refundable Vistara tickets to and from Paris, they cost about 60–70k and once you get your visa, you can cancel them. The only caveat is you might end up paying the 60–70k if booked via debit card/ or end up paying in the current statement cycle if booked via credit card. But this shall be refunded to you, so just ensure you have some balance in the current month for the same.
Book tickets valid for up to 14 days from https://onewayfly.com/. It is a legit website( according to TrustPilot) and they charge around 42 USD for a round trip with 14 days validity and 30 USD for a ticket with 48 hours validity. Ensure you choose the round trip option, else you might end up paying 30*2 USD if you make separate bookings. Some people also use https://bookforvisa.com/, but I have no experience with the same.
**Update 23/04/’24: The above method doesn’t work well anymore**
One can also avail of pay-later options provided by makemytrip.com or Emirates/ Etihad/ Qatar airways. But these tickets have a validity of 2–7 days. This can be a hit/miss, given the consulate might end up validating your tickets post the 2–7 days option and it can land you in trouble.
Travel agents use the 3rd option mentioned in this thread and provide you with a ticket valid for 48 hours at around 500–1000 INR. But these tickets have the same caveat as discussed above. I personally know of people who never had an issue with this method, but I would personally go with option 1 or 2.

Cover letter with a detailed itinerary: I usually mention the intention of travel, date of travel, countries I intend to visit, stamps I already have on my passport along with the dates for the same. For the itinerary, I submit a separate attachment, mentioning the day-wise breakdown, in a city and I ensure the country in which I have my visa appointment is the country with maximum days on my itinerary, just to keep things simple for someone validating my documents. You can also keep the country at the point of entry/exit, but I prefer doing it this way to avoid any hassle. For instance, if I applied via France, for a 20 days visa, I would show around 5 days in France( 2 days in Paris, 1 day would be a day trip from Paris- such as Versailles, and another 2 days in a city like Nice/Lille), I would break the other 15 days into smaller trips across neighboring countries, for instance, I can show 1 day in Monaco, 3 days in Brussels and Brugge, 3 days in Amsterdam, 4 days in Germany and another 4 days in Austria. Within each day, I would mention a rough plan of what I would be doing that day. For instance, Paris day 1 would be visiting the Eiffel tower, Louvre, and the Opera. It is best to keep the itinerary as realistic as possible. This is where most visas get rejected.
Additional documents suggesting your roots in the home country, for instance, you can provide the first four pages of your sale deed if you own a property(do not submit loan documents as it is seen as a liability) or the employment letter or CTC letter from your employer. One can also submit the printout/scan of all the previous approved/used/non-used visas/immigration stamps on your passport.
Extra tip: You can request for an extended visa on your cover letter, but it is up to the discretion of the consulate to accept/reject the request. In some cases, they can grant a longer visa without your request as well, but no issues in simply trying.

Step 3: Schedule an appointment

Once you have gathered all the required documents, you will need to schedule an appointment with the consulate or embassy of the Schengen country that you will be visiting. You may need to schedule the appointment several weeks in advance, so plan accordingly. Some consulates or embassies allow you to schedule an appointment online, while others require you to schedule an appointment by phone or email. This is the most important step in the process as appointments get booked out months in advance. It is advisable to check across multiple countries to see whichever has the first slot available. You can also make an appointment in a city different than your city of residence and opt for a courier service. VFS for most countries does not charge upfront visa appointment fees, barring some cases( for instance, Switzerland), so you can safely book an appointment and reschedule up to 3 times/cancel entirely without any side-effect. You can also check Spain/Greece as they have different agencies for visa appointments and it might be easier to get appointments in these countries. You might have to book an appointment via e-mail for these countries.

Step 4: Attend the appointment

At the appointment, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents. You may also be required to provide biometric data, such as fingerprints. The consular officer will review your application and may ask you additional questions about your trip or your personal circumstances.

Step 5: Wait for the processing

The processing time for a Schengen visa can vary depending on the consulate or embassy. It is recommended that you apply for the visa well in advance of your planned trip. The processing time can take up to 15 days, but in some cases, it may take longer. During the processing time, the consular officer will review your application, verify your documents, and conduct any necessary background checks.

Step 6: Receive your visa

If your visa is approved, you will receive your passport with the visa attached. If it is rejected, you will receive an accompanying letter highlighting the reason for rejection. The rejection isn’t reflected on your passport, so you can wait for a month to a month and a half to reapply, in case you can ensure that you can rectify your reason for rejection. Also, mention the same as a single liner on your next cover letter( citing lack of documentation). Make sure to check the visa for accuracy and validity dates. The Schengen visa allows you to travel freely within the Schengen Area during the validity of the visa. However, make sure to adhere to the visa rules and regulations to avoid any issues during your travels.

In conclusion, obtaining a Schengen visa can be a complex process, but with proper preparation and attention to detail, you can increase your chances of a successful application. Plan ahead, gather all the required documents and follow the instructions of the consulate or embassy where you will be applying for the visa. With a Schengen visa, you can enjoy the sights, sounds, and flavors of Europe to the fullest.