Schengen visa questions, plainly answered.

The Schengen visa is a short-stay visa that allows you to travel within the 27 Schengen Area countries for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. It is used for tourism, business trips, visiting family or friends, attending conferences, short studies and medical treatment. It does not allow you to work or live permanently in the Schengen Area.

As of 2025: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Cyprus and Ireland are EU members but not part of Schengen.

It depends on your nationality. Citizens of around 60 countries (including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, Brazil) can enter Schengen visa-free for short trips. Citizens of most other countries (including India, China, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, Philippines, Pakistan and many more) need a Schengen visa before travelling. The official EU list is the authoritative source for your country.

Apply to the embassy or consulate of the country that is your main destination — the place where you'll spend the most days. If your stay is split equally between two countries, apply to the country you'll enter first. Applying to the wrong country is a common reason for rejection.

Standard single-entry visas are valid for the dates of your trip plus a small buffer. Multiple-entry visas can be issued for 1, 3 or 5 years for frequent travellers with a clean history. Regardless of the validity period, you may stay a maximum of 90 days within any rolling 180-day window.

You can submit your application at the earliest 6 months (180 days) before your departure date. Seafarers on duty may apply 9 months in advance. Applying earlier than 6 months is not allowed and the embassy will reject the file as premature.

By rule you should apply no later than 15 calendar days before departure. In practice, you should apply much earlier — at least 4 to 8 weeks — because appointment slots, especially in peak season (May–September and around Christmas), fill up months in advance.

Standard processing is 15 calendar days from the date your application is officially received. It can be extended to 45 days in complex cases (additional documents needed, identity checks, applicants from certain countries). Always plan with a comfortable buffer.

Some consulates and external service providers (VFS, TLS, BLS) offer expedited or premium services for an extra fee. Availability depends on the country and the embassy. Plan to apply early — 'urgent' is not a guaranteed option.

About 8 to 12 weeks before your trip. Early enough to absorb any delays, late enough to have firm travel plans, flight reservations and accommodation bookings in place.

The standard core file includes: (1) a fully completed visa application form, (2) a passport valid for at least 3 months beyond your return date with two blank pages, (3) two recent biometric photos, (4) a cover letter explaining the purpose of your trip, (5) flight reservations (round-trip), (6) accommodation proof (hotel bookings, AirBnB or a host's invitation), (7) a day-by-day travel itinerary, (8) travel medical insurance covering the entire Schengen Area for a minimum of €30,000, (9) bank statements for the last 3 months, (10) proof of employment, studies or business, and (11) proof of ties to your home country (property, family, job). Specific embassies may add their own requirements.

It is mandatory health insurance that covers medical emergencies, hospitalisation and repatriation throughout the Schengen Area. Minimum cover is €30,000. Without a valid insurance certificate, the embassy will not even accept your application. Common providers include AXA Schengen, Allianz Travel, Europ Assistance and DR-WALTER.

There is no universal figure. As a rule of thumb, plan around €50–€100 per day in your destination country for the duration of your stay. The embassy looks for a stable balance over the last 3 months rather than a sudden deposit. Sudden large deposits can raise suspicion.

You need a confirmed flight reservation, not necessarily a paid ticket. Many applicants book a refundable flight reservation or use a flight-itinerary service so they don't lose money if the visa is delayed. Once your visa is approved, you finalise the ticket.

Provide your business registration, the last 6–12 months of business bank statements, recent tax returns and an explanation letter describing your activity and income. Strong ties — clients, contracts, property — are even more important for self-employed applicants because there is no employer letter.

Provide proof of a sponsor (parent, spouse) who funds the trip, including the sponsor's bank statements, employment letter and a signed sponsorship declaration. Students additionally provide a no-objection certificate from their school or university.

As of 2025, the standard Schengen visa fee is €90 for adults and €45 for children aged 6 to 12. Children under 6, certain diplomatic categories and family members of EU citizens are exempt. Some external service providers (VFS, TLS) charge an additional service fee on top of the visa fee.

No. The visa fee is non-refundable, regardless of the outcome. You pay for the assessment of your application, not for the visa itself.

We have three packages: Cover Letter only (€19), Application Kit with 4 documents (€39) or Approval Pack with all 6 documents (€79). The price covers AI generation, PDF and DOCX formatting, and email delivery. We don't charge the visa fee itself — that goes directly to the embassy.

(1) Insufficient evidence of ties to your home country (the embassy fears you will overstay), (2) inconsistent or unclear purpose of travel, (3) insufficient or suspicious funds, (4) incomplete documents, (5) prior immigration violations, (6) doubts about your accommodation or itinerary. A weak cover letter is the silent killer in many refusals.

Yes, you can re-apply immediately after a refusal — there is no waiting period. However, applying again with the same file usually leads to the same result. You should address each refusal ground point by point and provide concrete new evidence. Our Approval Pack includes a rebuttal letter for this purpose.

Most Schengen consulates allow a formal appeal within 30 days of the refusal. The appeal is usually heard by the consulate itself, which makes success rates low. In practice, a stronger re-application is often more effective than an appeal.

Refusals are recorded in the EU's visa information system (VIS) and visible to all Schengen consulates. They do not automatically disqualify you, but you must disclose them honestly and explain what has changed since. Lying about a refusal is grounds for a much longer ban.

Depending on the package you choose, you receive a professional cover letter, a day-by-day travel itinerary, a financial explanation letter, a personalised document checklist, a sponsor or employer letter template and/or a refusal rebuttal letter. Every document is delivered as a polished PDF and an editable DOCX so you can adjust details before printing.

The Essential package (cover letter) is typically delivered within 1–2 minutes of payment. The Standard package takes about 3–5 minutes. The Premium package, with 6 documents, can take up to 10 minutes. Everything arrives by email to the address you provided.

No, and anyone who promises that is misleading you. Visa approval is at the sole discretion of the embassy or consulate. What we do guarantee is professional, embassy-ready documents that are written the way visa officers expect — strong cover letters address the most common refusal grounds before the officer can raise them.

The first draft is generated by AI (a tuned GPT-4 class model) trained on visa-application best practice. The wording, structure and tone follow templates we maintain manually based on what consulates actually accept. We are transparent about this — the result is dramatically better than a generic free template, but it is still produced by a machine.

Yes. Every document is delivered as a Word DOCX file in addition to a PDF. You can change names, dates, add details or rewrite paragraphs. We encourage you to read everything carefully and personalise where needed.

All documents are written in clear, native-level British English. English is accepted by every Schengen consulate. If your destination requires a translation into the local language, you'd need a translator on top — but in practice English is fine for the cover letter and supporting documents.

Because the service is digital and delivered immediately on demand, the right of withdrawal lapses as soon as your documents are generated and sent — you confirm this when you place the order. If something goes wrong technically (documents never arrive, files are unreadable), contact us at hello@getmyvisa.pro and we'll fix it or refund you.

Yes. Payment is processed by Stripe — we never see your card details. Your application data is encrypted in transit, used only to generate your documents, and never sold or shared. AI processing is covered by a data-processing agreement with our provider. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

No. We provide the written documents; you book the appointment yourself with the relevant embassy or external service provider (VFS, TLS, BLS). We deliberately stay out of the booking process because impersonating an applicant is not allowed.

Yes — each applicant needs their own file, but families can submit at the same appointment. You'd order one GetMyVisa package per applicant so each person gets their own cover letter and supporting documents.

No. The Schengen visa is for short stays only — tourism, business meetings, visiting family. To work, study long-term or live in a Schengen country, you need a different national visa or residence permit.

Extensions are only granted in exceptional cases — force majeure, humanitarian reasons, serious personal reasons such as illness. They are not given for tourism convenience. Overstaying without a valid reason leads to fines, deportation and future visa bans.

Overstaying is treated seriously. Consequences include fines, a Schengen-wide entry ban (typically 1–3 years), and a permanent record that affects future applications worldwide. Always leave on or before your authorised stay ends.

Yes. Fingerprints and a digital photo are taken at the embassy or service centre during your appointment. Biometrics are valid for 59 months — if you applied within that period, you may sometimes skip them. Children under 12 do not give fingerprints.