Did you know that more than 10 million Indian nationals travel to Europe every year? That number is expected to grow to around 15 million by 2020.  With the high number of Indians spending their vacations in Europe, is it any wonder why getting a Schengen visa is a hot topic right now?

What is Schengen?

More than two dozen countries agreed to open their internal borders and let both people and goods pass through without the need for passports, visas, and other controls.  Most of these countries are part of the European Union, but there are also non-EU member countries on the Schengen list.

In the Schengen area, you will no longer have to worry about passport checks and border control.  The Schengen zone includes these member countries:

• Austria
• Belgium
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland

Things You Should Know About the Schengen Visa

Getting a Schengen visa allows you to hop from one member country to another without showing your passport and other travel documents to anybody.  What are the things that you should know about the Schengen visa?

1. Why get a Schengen visa?

Indian passport holders would need to secure a Schengen visa to travel to the countries listed above.  Business travelers and people who frequently tour Europe will benefit most from having a Schengen visa.

2. How long does it take to process a Schengen visa?

Schengen visa applications usually take 15 days to process, but it can take up to 30 days if any issue arises. There are priority processes that expedite Schengen visa applications.  To give you an idea, Indian passport holders currently have the option to get priority visas to the United Kingdom by paying an extra INR20,000 ($275.82, directly converted) to expedite the processing to less than a week.

Those in a hurry can pay an additional INR90,000 (around $1,241, directly converted) to get “super priority” visas, which they can get in less than a day.  You can expect Schengen priority visas to be more expensive than a UK priority visa.

3. When should you apply for a Schengen visa?

You would need around 15 to 30 days to process a Schengen visa.  You can apply for one at least 15 days before your trip, but that is cutting it too close.  By law, you can start applying only within three months of your scheduled departure and not before.

Top Demand from India

Did you know that in 2017, India placed fourth in the list of countries with the most number of applications for a Schengen visa? That is how high the demand for such visa is in the country.

For those who are applying for one, you might want to know that France granted the most number of Schengen visas to Indian passport holders.  In 2017, France approved 179,749 Schengen uniform visas out of more than 201,000 applications from India.  What’s more, France received around 3.7 million Schengen visa applications from around the world, rejecting only 13.6%.

When it comes to approval rates, however, Germany approved the highest percentage of Schengen visa applications that its consulates received from Indian passport holders, followed by the Netherlands.

To give you an idea of how many people from India have applied for a Schengen visa and which consulates have higher approval rates, here is a comparison table showing the number of Schengen visa applications received and approved by selected countries:

On the other end of the spectrum, these countries had the highest visa refusal rates (not just Schengen visas) for Indian citizens:

• Estonia: 31.8%
• Lithuania: 27.1%
• Latvia: 27.0%
• Poland: 20.2%
• Malta: 16.90%

How Can You Get a Schengen Visa with an Indian Passport?

It is no secret that applying for a Schengen visa on your own and without the help of travel agencies can be quite a headache.  However, if you want to try, you should plan your trip three to four months ahead, selecting your itinerary of European cities and countries you want to visit.  Book your air tickets, hotels, bus tickets, and other stuff that you can book.  It would be better if you also got travel insurance.

Then comes the hard part: getting all the required documents together.  What are the documents and other requirements that you need to prepare?  You would need a valid passport that has been issued within the last 10 years and would be valid for three months after your expected return date.  It should also have two empty pages for the visa sticker and immigration stamps you would have for your trip.  You should also include two passport photos that are not older than six months.

Part of the documentation that you would need to present would be a copy of your bookings and travel insurance.  If you are staying with friends or relatives, you would need to show your invitation letter as well as a copy of their passport and their valid residence permit.  These are very vital if you do not want your application rejected.

Other documents you should prepare include:

• Leave letter from your company or a no-objection certificate from your university or school
• Proof of financial status, such as payslips, employment contract, certificate of proprietorship, or proofs of ownership
• Income tax return form or a certificate of income tax deducted at the source of salary
• Personal bank statement
• Proof of civil status, such as marriage certificate, your children’s birth certificate, and others
• A copy of your passport’s data page
• Proof of residency, if you live outside the jurisdiction region of the consulate you are applying with.
• A completed application form and a cover letter that explains the purpose of your visit, itinerary, and other information.