Planning an overseas trip is always fun and exciting... up until the point when you actually have to apply for a Visa!
At these times it may be tempting to just let go of the dream and opt for one of the delightfully easy 'no visa required' destinations instead. Understandable, but unwise! Imagine all the regrets you'd be faced with a few years down the line.
So, in an effort to make things easier for you, we've put together a quick guide to applying for entry to Schengen territory, one of the most admin-heavy visa applications around.
What is the Schengen Visa?
Although you may find that the name has a deceptively oriental ring to it, it is in fact the document that will get you into most European countries.
To be more specific Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lituania, Luxembourg, Maltea, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland all require the Schengen visa.
Where does the name come from?
It comes from a treaty that was signed by member states of the European Economic Community in Schengen, Luxembourg in 1985.
The Schengen Area comprises the territories of twenty-five European countries that have implemented this agreement.
Where to apply?
It depends entirely on the structure of your trip.
- If you are only visiting one country, you apply at that country's Embassy or Consulate.
- If you are visiting a few, but staying longer in one country, you apply at the Embassy or Consulate of the country you will be visiting for the longest period of time, i.e. your main destination.
- If you plan on visiting a number of countries, but don't have a main destination, you apply at the Embassy or Consulate of your first point of entry.
Types of Visas:
There are four different types of Schengen visa, but only three are applicable to South African citizens.
- Short stay visa: this spans a period of 1-90 days and includes single, double or multiple entry.
- Long stay visa: Visas for visits exceeding 90 days are national visas, and are issued by member states in accordance with national legislation.
- Transit visa: this spans a period of 1 - 5 days and is required for those who are travelling from one non-Schengen state to another, but crossing Schengen territory. If the main destination happens to be in Schengen territory, a short stay visa will be issued instead.
Airport transit visas are required for certain nationals, but not for South African citizens.
Documentation to be submitted:
Now this is the real tough part: collecting all of your important documents, making sure everything is up to date and having a fully-planned itinerary! But if you make a check list of the following items at the very beginning of planning your trip things might go surprisingly smoothly.
1. A Common Schengen Application Form - available from Consular websites or offices.
d. A personal interview with the applicant may be requested at any time.
2. Your SA passport. Ensure that it is valid for a period of at least 3 months after your last day of stay in Schengen territory. NB: Temporary passports are not accepted.
3. Passport photo - a recent one in colour.
4. The visa of the final country of destination (if needed) must be obtained before applying for a
Schengen visa eg. United Kingdom.
5. Round trip air-ticket and itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from
Schengen state.
6. Proof of sufficient funds for duration of stay. The minimum requirement differs from place to place, so check with the consulate of each country. Tax receipts of foreign exchange purchased, traveller's cheques and credit card statements/an original letter from the bank manager stating credit amount available serve as proof.
7. Travel/health/accident insurance with minimum medical coverage of the Rand equivalent of Euro 30.000,00. The policy number and dates of cover must appear on the document. No quotations will be accepted.
8. Proof of Accommodation. Either confirmed hotel/backpacker/B&B reservations, or a letter from the family member or friend who will be hosting you along with a copy of their ID or passport.
9. For business: an official business letter from a company in a Schengen state and from the
employer in South Africa, stating purpose of visit must be presented. For conferences: proof of
registration and payment is required.
10. Certified parental consent -
- by both parents for children under 18 travelling alone or with school group.
- If the child travels with only one parent, the other parent must produce the notarized/certified consent.
- If only one parent has guardianship of minor, the court documents stating so must be presented. Certain consular authorities require that both parents sign before a consular official.
Take note: The Schengen State's Consular offices reserves the right to request further documentation should it be deemed necessary, such as:
a. Proof of Employment: eg letter from company stating continuing employment after
period of leave and duration of vacation, etc.
period of leave and duration of vacation, etc.
b. If applicant is a student: letter from school/college/university confirming
attendance/registration.
attendance/registration.
c. Bank and credit card statements for last 3 months.
d. A personal interview with the applicant may be requested at any time.
PLEASE NOTE: Certain countries have specific requirements that other countries don't have. Best to check with the Embassy or consulate BEFORE going through the whole schlep only to find you missed out on one crucial point!
Fees and exemption
You can expect to pay about 60 Euros for the transit and short stay visas. For long stay visa fees, you will have to contact the Embassy or consulate.
If you fall into one of the following categories you are lucky enough to be exempt from visa fees:
- Children under 6 years of age
- School pupils, students, post grad students or teachers who undertake trips for the purpose of study or educational training.
- Researchers carrying out scientific studies.
- Spouses of EU/EEA citizens and their children under the age of 21 years, who are accompanying the EU/EEA citizens. You will need to submit copies of EU/EEA passport, full marriage certificate as well as full birth certificates.
For more information of the Schengen visa or any other, visit Visalogix. They have an office in Cape Town and Gauteng, or just browse through their website.
User Comments
Schengen visa guideSubmitted by Gary on Sun, 09/02/2012 - 23:30. |
Try the free Schengen visa application guide at www.schengenvisas.org |
Does an infant require Schengen visa?Submitted by Mohammad Atiqur Rahaman on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 11:33. |
I would like to visit France and Germany with my family. Regards, Mohammad Atiqur Rahaman 34 A Montague Road, |
When we....Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 23:01. |
Remember when South Africa was the pariah apartheid state? The SA passport was accepted without visas in so many countries. What changed? |
Get rid of the green mamba...Submitted by Anonymous on Sun, 06/05/2011 - 05:26. |
.... And get yourself a proper passport. After having had dual citizenship for two years (the patriotic thing to do) I realized there is no need for an SA passport anymore. It served its final purpose (probably the most useful) when I ran out of firelighters for my weber one Saturday afternoon. Stuff patriotism. I have to say I feel sorry for south Africans. Thanks to their rogue regime, the country is slowly becoming yet another banana republic, rapidly joining the ranks of other failed African states. As can be evidenced by the continuous increased scrutiny you poor buggers with that green mamba has to endure when you are visiting the first world.... |
The European countries are scared racistsSubmitted by Isaac on Sat, 06/04/2011 - 04:12. |
With my SA passport I have to go through all the trouble that you have to go through. They think SAcans are all black, crooks and would like to jump the line to stay there. With my recent NZ passport I don't have to apply for the S Visa at all. I can stay there for up to 90 days and I just have to flash the NZ p under their nose as if the Kiwis are holier than ..... It is like going from the O-Freestate to Transvaal. They know I would always go back to the O-Freestate :) |
Hi AH Thanks for yourSubmitted by gt24.editor.nadia on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 09:37. |
Hi AH Thanks for your comment! Great to hear about the positive experience you had with the Moroccan consulate! Hats off to them indeed! Regards, |
SchleppSubmitted by AH on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 09:33. |
I have to agree, it is a "schlepp" to get a Schengen visa. Visiting another country should be encouraged & the people they employ at the consulates/embassies should go on people skills training courses. Not only are they unfriendly, they are abrupt & not very accomodating. In fact they should be standing on the pavement and encouraging people to visit their country. After all we are going to spend money in their country - we pay for accomodation, food, touring inland & shop, shop, shop!!! But if we are faced with a bunch of "sour" pussies at the consulates, imagine what's waiting for us in their country! |
TipSubmitted by Anonymous on Fri, 06/03/2011 - 08:41. |
I was lucky enough to be given a five-year Schengen visa by the French consulate last year because my husband has a UK passport. So it is definitely worthwhile taking a certified copy of your spouse's passport along with your visa application. And I didn't have to pay a cent. |
Visa application for GreeceSubmitted by Anonymous on Thu, 06/02/2011 - 08:15. |
Very important - if you are applying for a visa for children under 18 years the Greek Embassy requires an Unabridged birth certificate which takes 3 to 6 months for issuing by the Department of Home Affairs. |
Schengen What? *lol*Submitted by Tiocfaidh ár Lá on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 23:48. |
*ROFLMFHO* "Iarrann Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha na hÉireann ar gach n-aon lena mbaineann ligean dá shealbhóir seo, saoránach d'Éirinn, gabháil ar aghaidh gan bhac gan chosc agus gach cúnamh agus caomhnú is gá a thabhairt don sealbhóir." Or: Why on earth would I need a silly schengen visa??? *suckers* |
Hi Emohex Well, as far as weSubmitted by gt24.editor.nadia on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 14:32. |
Hi Emohex Well, as far as we understand the short stay Schengen visa is valid for 90 days, so that's basically 2 months. As far as the long stay goes, the rules and regulations seem to vary from country to country, so the best would be to find out more from the Embassy or consulate of the country you will be visiting. Regards, |
Hate a shengen visaSubmitted by Emohex on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 14:18. |
Last year, I travelled through Europe and the UK - I visited Stockholm, Amsterdam, Berlin and then London. My problem with the schengen visa, is that there is so much admin, but the period of stay is so short. if memory serves me well, the schenge visa was only valid for a month, whereas the UK visa is valid for 6 months.... can someone explain this to me? is there recourse for applying for a more extended visa if not for business or work? |
Swiss visa for South AfricansSubmitted by Larch on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 13:56. |
Switzerland recently joined the Schengen countries, you now need a Schengen to visit Switzerland on a South African passport - sucks big time... |
schengen visa 101Submitted by Donald on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 13:16. |
I have travelled to Switzerland numerous times on a South African passport but have never had to apply for a schengen visa - your article says Switzerland requires one. Have things changed? |
SCHENGEN VISASubmitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 10:22. |
Please note that an Unabridged Birth Certificate for children under 16 travelling with a school group is required. |
ID PhotosSubmitted by Shez on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:27. |
We had issues with our photos, they got rejected because our teeth were showing. Very annoying and time consuming. Quite the most unfriendliest assistant here at the CT one. |
Backpackers bookingsSubmitted by Anonymous on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:08. |
Having done some recent travel around Europe, most countries will only accept a letter confirming the bookings from the Backpacker's themselves. A web-booking / auto generated confirmation is not acceptable |
Further information on Schengen VisasSubmitted by JuniperPearl on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 09:02. |
This is certainly a great guideline. Just a few extra points to avoid unnecessary inconvenience. The photo that you provide to the Consulate must be "Biometric". Most of the photo shops know the requirement by now so make sure to ask specifically for Biometric photos. Then, please note that some of the Consulates operate by appointment only e.g. German and some of the Consulates have opted to work through a third party e.g. French, so in other words you don't report to the Consulate but to a "processing company" handling the visa applications on their behalf. Also, be sure to try and secure your appointment nicely ahead of travel dates - sometimes appointments are only available a week later especially during peak travel periods. Happy travelling! |
Hi Johann Thanks for yourSubmitted by gt24.editor.nadia on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 08:54. |
Hi Johann Thanks for your comment and the additional info... If there's anything else we could ad, please let us know! Yes, wouldn't it be wonderful not to have to go through all the schlep?! Regards, |
Not completely accurateSubmitted by Johann on Wed, 06/01/2011 - 08:51. |
Most info is pretty much correct, but certain embassies require specific docs. Germany for example will only accept Biometric photos. THe majority of the Schengen States no require you to apply in person, thus an interview is more than likely required. If only we did not need visas. Being in the Travel Trade, I can tell you that without visas our lives would be so much easier. |
