Schengen Tourist Visa – Requirements, Applications , FAQs & More

The Tourist Schengen Visa is an EU travel visa that permits you to visit the Schengen Area’s 27 countries for tourist purposes and remain for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Schengen Tourist visas are in the C category and are valid for a limited time.

Do I Need to Apply for a Schengen Visa for Tourism?

If you are a citizen of a country that does not have a visa liberalization agreement with the EU, you just need to apply for a Schengen visa as a tourist. The Schengen states have agreed on standard rules for awarding Schengen visas for short stays that are valid throughout the Schengen area.

Schengen Tourist Visa Requirements

Here are the documents that you are required to submit when applying for a Schengen Tourist Visa for Europe:

• Schengen Tourist Visa Application Form: The form must be completely filled online, downloaded in two copies and signed at the end.
• Two photographs in line with the Schengen requirements: They should be no more than 6-months old, 35-40mm wide, and a close-up of your head and top of your shoulders, with your face occupying 70-80% of the shot. It should be taken in sharp focus and clarity, with no writing traces or creases, and in accordance with all of the ISCO criteria.
• Your valid passport:  It should have at least two empty pages in order to affix the visa and be issued within the last ten years. The passport must be valid for another three months beyond the intended stay in the Schengen Area.
  Clear photocopies of the 1st and last page of the passport (biodata).
• Previous passports (if applicable): if you have more than one old passport, do not staple them, but tie them together with a rubber band instead and hand them along with the other documents.
• Personal covering letter (original): where you will tell more about the purpose of visiting the EU, the countries you plan to travel to, the dates, where you plan to stay and other details of your trip.
• No Objection Letter: This is a letter from your employer or your school/university which states that you have contractual obligations in your home country and assures the embassy that you will return back to your homeland.
• Travel Health Insurance covering emergency medical, hospitalization and in case of death, repatriation: The Schengen Zone member states have agreed that the minimum cover should be 30.000 EUR, and it must be valid for your entire duration of stay in the whole territory of the Schengen Area.
• Flight reservation:  there is no need to buy actual plane tickets. However, the embassy wants you to purchase a flight reservation in order to prove your intended entry and exit dates. One way tickets are not accepted.
• Proof of accommodation for the entire period of stay in the Schengen Area: If you are staying in a hotel, you must show hotel booking. If you are staying at relatives or friends, they must submit proof that they have enough room for you.
• Proof of financial status: You must provide proof that you have sufficient cash for the visit and that you will be able to support yourself financially during your stay in Schengen zone. You should be able to demonstrate this using a bank statement from the last three months that is no more than three days old. Because the minimum amount required varies by country, you must confer with the relevant consular body in your country. You must also provide documents that proves your employment status.

The documents necessary for a Schengen Tourist visa vary depending on your destination country. During the course of completing your application, the consulate may request further information or papers from you, or you may be contacted for another interview. Make careful to submit them as well, because submitting the basic essential documents does not guarantee you a Tourist visa for Europe.

How to Apply for a Schengen Tourist Visa?

The application for a Tourist Schengen visa will go through these simple steps:

• Fill the Application Form for a Tourist visa to Europe.
• Compile the documents that are required for tourists.
• Schedule an interview.
• Show up at the appointment.
• Provide Biometric Data.
• Pay the fees.

Fill-in the application form

Complete the online Schengen Tourist visa application form carefully, print twice, and sign at the conclusion. When asked about your trip’s purpose, check “tourism”. The Schengen visa application form asks for your name, date of birth, country of birth, passport number, and nationality.

You must also answer questions about your vacation, such as how long you’ll spend in each place, where you’re staying, etc. Assure that the information you have given in the application form corresponds with that in the other documents.

Collect the documents for a Tourist visa

Make sure to complete the file of documents that the Schengen authorities demand from tourists.

Appoint an interview

You have to make an appointment at least 15 days before the intended journey, and the earliest six months before. Appoint an interview through the website of the consulate or embassy of the country you are planning to visit, in your country of residence.

Show up at the appointment

Arrive on time at the appointment location (embassy or consulate). Remember that if you are even a few minutes late, they will most likely cancel your appointment. The submission procedure takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Please ensure that: All of your documents will be checked and verified by an official at the application facility.

Provide Biometric Data

If you have never filed for a Schengen Visa before, you will additionally need to have your fingerprints scanned at the consulate’s office. They will be kept in the new Visa Information System (VIS). Once kept in VIS, finger scans can be reused for future visa applications for up to 5 years, allowing frequent visitors to the Schengen Area to avoid having to provide new finger scans each time they apply for a new visa.

Pay the fees

Adult travelers must pay a cost of EUR 80 when submitting their visa application. Whereas the visa charge for children under the age of 12 is EUR 40, children over the age of six are exempt.

After paying the visa cost, you will be given a receipt that you must preserve in order to pick up your processed application. The cost will not be refunded if your visa application is denied. If you apply for a visa again, you must pay the visa cost again.

Where Should I Submit my Schengen Tourist Visa Application?

If you’re just visiting one country, apply to its embassy in your own country.

If you plan to visit two or more countries in one trip, you must apply at the embassy of the longer-staying country. You must apply at the embassy of the country where you expect to land first if you plan to spend five days in France and five days in Switzerland.

How Long Does it Take To Get a Tourist Visa for Europe?

Within 15 days, you should be notified whether you have been granted a Tourist visa for Europe. However, in rare extreme circumstances, this process may take up to 30 days, or even 60 days, if the applicant must submit extra documents. It is recommended that you apply for a Schengen Tourist Visa six weeks before your scheduled trip.

Tourist Schengen Visa Validity

Entering several times Tourist visas allow holders to enter and leave Schengen at will for 90 days within 180 days. To avoid overstaying in Schengen, use the 90/180 rule. See the implications of overstaying in Schengen.

Single-entry and double-entry visa holders must wait for the embassy or consulate to decide their validity after processing all papers. Sometimes they provide a Tourist Schengen visa for the duration you requested, sometimes longer or shorter.

The embassy sets the number of days you can stay in Schengen, as well as the entry and exit dates. The visa sticker in your passport states this.