Schengen Visa Application Thread 3 **Check page 1 for reference links**

[glacy_rein]

hi ladies, kakatawag ko lang for appointment sa French Embassy earliest available date is July 28 pero July 31 na kinuha ko, intented travel date is Sept 19-24 sa France pero first destination namin is UK on Sept 8. Hindi ba gahol sa time? lalabas kaya ang visa before that??

Tapos clarify ko lang, isa sa requirement yung "Cover letter explaining the purpose of the trip and proposed day-to-day itinerary" since 3 kaming applicant, isang cover letter nalang ba for all? possible ba to add Italy or Rome for an 8days itinerary?

then sa marriage and birth certificates, photocopy lang nakasulat, so dalawang photocopy or 1 original and 1 photocopy - need din ba na up-to-date to? or need kumuha ng bago sa NSO?

first time to apply for Schengen Visa kasi.

[gj1206]

glacy_rein
My memory isn't exact, but I can vaguely remember na if Philippine passport they say it takes 14 working days. I made that application here in the UK though, so I don't know if iba ang efficiency ng VFS sa Philippines? (Alam mo na...)

If you're applying as a group, I think they consider na isang cover letter lang. But just to be sure, print one copy each. Tatanggalin namin nila yung mga hindi nila kailangan. As for your marriage and birth certificates, okay na yang original na meron ka. Again, just to be sure, have a photocopy for each application, pero just bring one original copy. Understood naman na siguro na ang marriage certificate isa lang para sa mga mag asawa. And yun nga, tinatanggal naman nila yung mga hindi nila kailangan, so better na sobra ang photocopy!

Good luck!

[glacy_rein]

^thank you sis! How about kung kailangan ba eh bagong release sa NSO? Maarte kaya sila dito?? Sa Japan embassy kasi kailangan bago..

Then sa photo one lang no? Naka-paste sa application form? Im going to use yung ginamit namin sa UK visa since pareho lang sila sa photo requirement.

[gj1206]

glacy_rein I didn't know that about Japan (ang arte ha). I didn't have to submit a birth certificate when I made my application here, so I don't know to be honest. I'm sure basta hindi yung moth-eaten paper and malinaw and with English translation, okay na sila dun!

I think one lang nga. I always bring two kase so I don't remember! Haha. I attach using a paperclip tapos I ask on the counter if gusto nila glued or stapled, and I bring my glue or staple. Para sure talaga!

[glacy_rein]

^oh okay sige sis, thank you! antayin ko lang UK visa namen.

[shygirlme]

hello! mag travel kami ng husband ko next year. europe honeymoon. question lang. nag pa assist ba kayo sa travel agency pagkuha ng visa or kayo lang? then sa blue-cross insurance pano kayo kumuha? may schengen visa na ko before pero company nag ayos. how much visa fee + insurance? thanks!

[glacy_rein]

^2,970/each ngayon from the french embassy sis nagpa sched ako for July 31. Ako lang din magaayos ng visa namen - never kame gumamit ng agency.

[shygirlme]

^thanks sis. saan insurance kinuha ko? planning to get din kasi UK visa since 1st destination namin is London.

[glacy_rein]

^unahin mo UK sis, ako inaantay ko UK visa ko ngayon pero nagpasched nako for Schengen tapos may allowance nalang.

Yung insurance depende sa tagal.. Samin sa Assist Card Sept 8 - Oct 1 USD 125

[shygirlme]

^thanks sis. one insurance lang ba yun if get ako UK and schengen?

[shygirlme]

 kumuha na ba muna kayo ng ticket bago nagapply ng visa? or dummy ticket lang?

[gj1206]

shygirlme Get an insurance that states it covers Europe trips (with inclusive dates of course).

As for tickets/dummy tickets -- I suppose it's your preference. Depends what you're comfortable with! If you have all the papers required and you meet the financial requirements, I'm sure there should be no reason for the application to be denied. Nakakakaba lang to wait! What they are looking for is that you are able to pay for yourself during the trip, you have concrete proof that you are flying out of the country, and that there is a strong reason for you to go back to your resident country.

[glacy_rein]

^^yes sis isang insurance lang yun

i second the motion with sis gj1206's response on tickets.

[shegie_285]

shygirlme its not required naman to submit a confirmed ticket.  I also agree with gj1206's response.

[shygirlme]

thanks mga sis. waiting kasi kami ng murang ticket grab na namin if makakita kami sayang kasi hehe. currently housewife ako pero kaya naman ako isupport ni husband. madami na din kami trip abroad and meron na ko 2 schengen visa because of my previous work. prepare ko na requirements. balak namin may to june kami magtour.

[rowan]

hi girls just want to share with you my schengen visa interview experience in the embassy of netherlands. i was scheduled last thursday and was the second one called. their office is a bit small albeit clean. at that time there were only four of us waiting.  for some reason the atmosphere there made me at ease. the interview started on time and took about 10 mins i think. thank god the pinay visa officer was nice so hindi na ako kinabahan. the first thing she did was check my itinerary to make sure that i am applying at the right embassy. i made sure that my itinerary will clearly show that ill be staying at amsterdam the longest to avoid confusion. she really did count how many nights ill be staying per country. she also asked me what i wanted to see in amsterdam, what my job is, if its going to be my first time in europe, if i have relatives or know anyone there and how much ill be paying for the trip. i noticed that when she asked me how much ill be paying for the trip, she flipped over my proof of income documents. siguro to check if i can really afford it. 1 month kasi yung trip. when she saw my US and canadian visas, she asked me if ive been to the 2 countries as well. she gave me back a lot of documents too like my itr, photocopies of old visas and the articles of incorporation and by laws of our company, and my old green passports. right now im just waiting and keeping my fingers crossed, wishing ill get back my passport with a schengen visa attached

[summer888]

Question yun dun sa sponsor and cost of travelling and living during the applicant's stay. We are going on a cruise and kasama ko is my Mom and Sister who are both US Citizens so they need not apply a Schengen Visa. So ako lang ang mag-apply. Di bale my Mom will pay for the Airfare and my sister will pay for the Cruise. Yun "sponsor" dun sa application form refers to EU residents. How can I indicate dun that My Mom & Sister will shoulder all the expenses eh hindi naman sila EU but are American Citizen.

Are there any travel insurance provider here that offers refund in case of visa refusal? Thanks.

[gj1206]

summer888 I can't exactly recall the sponsor bit in the application, sorry. What I do (because my husband is Australian so kind of like your situation) is that I pay for everything with my credit card and he just transfers money to my account so I can pay the card immediately. So everything -- tickets, accommodation is in my name. I don't know if that's possible for you, so maybe you can get your mother and sister to write a letter stating na they paid for the airfare/cruise and that they will be shouldering the expenses you incur during the trip. I haven't done that route so I don't know if that means you'll have to provide their financial capabilities ie. their bank statements. Include their contact details on the letter to 'please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you have further inquiries'. Maybe include a birth certificate to prove your relation? I'm not too sure ha, I can just foresee medyo matatagalan yung processing and possibly more paperwork.

[summer888]

thanks @gj1206. Anyone here na nag apply sa Spain Embassy recently. I need to get an appointment sana the earliest possible slot. I compared if I apply thru VFS eh earlier yung available slot as compared to direct sa Spain Embassy. Yun appointment ba sa VFS start na ng visa processing? Baka kase mukhang maaga nga lang yun sched niya pero pipila rin pala niya sa Spain Embassy pag receive niya ng application ko. Advisable bang dumaan pa ako sa VFS? If I apply directly to Spain Embassy will they interview me na ba kagad or tatawagan na lang ako ulit?

Pasensya na po marami akong tanong....biglaan kase itong trip na ito kaya very little time to prepare ako. Also, mag cruise kami so hindi flexible ang aming departure date.

Lastly, I read somewhere that they want direct with Airline Reservations not thru Travel Agencies. Anyone here can recommend airline who accepts temporary reservations.

Thank you.

[gj1206]

summer888 Not too sure how they actually make the visa application decisions, all I can guess is that EU member countries appear to have outsourced all the visa application related processing to VFS Global, so that is where people go. Here in the UK at least, even official consulate/embassy websites of the EU countries link tourist visa applications to the VFS website (I think diplomatic visas are the exception). You can always ring the Spanish Consulate to be sure, of course. Haven't heard of anyone having to undergo a face-to-face interview either.