Information and process for applying for Schengen visa in 2019

If you often travel abroad, the editor recommends that you apply for a Schengen visa. This visa can go to more countries, which can meet your needs to go abroad to a greater extent, and you can also apply for a Schengen visa on your own. You don’t need to apply for too many visas. What is a Schengen visa

On June 14, 1985, the five countries Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg signed an agreement in the Luxembourg border town Schengen (SCHENGEN), which stipulates that its member states will issue visas to short-term visitors. A unified format of visa, namely Schengen visa. Under the agreement, tourists can legally visit all other Schengen countries if they hold a valid visa from one of the countries.

As of the end of 2013, the number of Schengen member states has increased to 26: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and Malta.

Tips:

Schengen country ≠ EU country ≠ Euro country

How to determine which Schengen country to apply for a visa?

1. Choose the Schengen country with the longest stay time to apply for a visa

2. If the stay time in each Schengen country is the same, choose the country of first entry to apply for a visa

For example: France-Germany-Italy For a 9-day itinerary, if France is 2 days, Germany is 4 days, and Italy is 3 days, apply for Germany

For example: For a 9-day itinerary from France-Germany-Italy, France is 3 days, Germany is 3 days, and Italy is 3 days. , then apply for France and determine the visa application type

Choose the most appropriate visa application type based on your true travel purpose. There are usually three types of non-immigrant visas: tourism, business, and visiting relatives/friends.

If you are not sure, you can find an experienced travel agency, which will help you evaluate your visa rate, apply for a visa, organize information, etc., which will greatly increase your visa rate.

Prepare visa application materials

1. Necessary information for everyone

1.

Original passport Copy of the first 5 pages of the passport Copy of all visa pages and stamp pages , valid for at least 6 months after the end of the trip, no damage or stains, and at least two complete and continuous blank pages. If you have an old passport, you must provide a copy of the first 5 pages of the original and a copy of all visa pages and stamp pages

2. Schengen visa application form, fill it out truthfully online in English, print it and sign it

3.

Original photos, one taken within the past 6 months 3.5* 4.5cm color ID photo with white background, cannot be rephotographed, cannot have shadows, cannot show teeth, cannot wear glasses (it can also be taken in the visa center, the fee is 35 yuan/6 photos, only the denominations of 10 yuan, 20 yuan, and 5 yuan are charged banknotes)

4. A copy of the household register, the entire copy is required

5. A copy of the ID card, the front and back sides are copied on 1 piece of A4 paper

6. Full flight ticket reservation form, English version, must include round-trip air ticket reservation form departing from China and all Schengen countries to which you are going

7. Full flight hotel reservation form (optional), English version, must include Hotel name, phone number, fax and length of stay in each hotel

8. Itinerary, in English, must include the dates of stay, country, city, tourist attractions and means of transportation in France and other Schengen countries

9.

The insurance policy, in English, must cover the actual length of stay in the Schengen area, and must include the cost of repatriation to the country due to illness or death, first aid and emergency hospitalization. , and medical insurance with a minimum insured amount of 30,000 euros (300,000 yuan)

10.

Original bank savings card statement, print bank statements for the past 6 months, summary text description is as follows It is better to have salary or income in a fixed monthly period. It is recommended that the balance be more than 30,000, and it needs to be stamped with the official seal of the bank; if the applicant is under 18 years old or unemployed, he can also provide current bills from his parents or spouse

11. A copy of the real estate certificate is only applicable to the applicant and immediate family members. There is no need to produce the original copy.

Tips:

Immediate family members refer to parents, children, and husband and wife. Brothers and sisters are not counted. Immediate family members

English air ticket reservation form sample picture

English hotel reservation form sample picture

Insurance policy sample picture

2. In-service personnel

1.

Original proof of employment, English version, or Chinese version with English translation, indicating the company address, phone number, signature and seal of the leader, and the name of the leader must be stated , position, the applicant’s position, income, leave permission, and confirmation of working relationship after returning to the country

2. A copy of the business license, which must be stamped with the official seal, or the organization code certificate/public institution legal person certificate ( or similar functional materials)

Employment certificate (left) Copy of business license (right)

3. Unemployed or freelancers

1. Income description, middle English version, detailing personal circumstances, sources of income and commitment to travel expenses

2. If married, spouse’s employment certificate (English version) Spouse’s original bank statement for the past 6 months, notarized marriage certificate ( Chinese and English versions, must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Sample of notarial certificate

4. Retirees

A copy of the retirement certificate or the original of the retirement certificate is required

5. Students and preschool children

Those under 18 years old or funded by their parents:

1. Proof of employment of one parent, bank statement, medical certificate of birth Or notarized certificate of kinship (in Chinese and English, 1 copy of the original, must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

2. Copy of student ID card (no need to provide high school education or below) Original proof of school attendance (English version)

3. Minors who are not traveling with one or both parents must provide notarized travel consent issued by the parents who are not traveling (in Chinese and English, must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

4 .If one or both parents are traveling together and have a visa, a copy of the first page of the passport of the traveling companion and the visa page containing the names of the applicant and accompanying parents must be provided.

Ticket reservation

6. Travel for business purposes

1. Original or copy of French invitation letter, in English

-Current address, phone number, and email address of the inviting company and contact name

-Must include the name, position and signature of the person in charge of the inviting party

-Must state the purpose of travel, length of stay, location, event schedule, and cost of the trip The person in charge, indicate the date of issuance, and stamp the official seal of the inviting company

2. Original bank statements of the employer for the past three months

3. Family members traveling with you for business purposes should Apply for a tourist visa

7. Travel for the purpose of visiting relatives/friends

1.

Original invitation letter, in English, must indicate the inviting party’s residential address in France , contact information, state the purpose of travel, length of stay in France, relationship with the applicant and the person responsible for the travel expenses. It must be signed by the inviter (the content of the invitation letter should be as detailed as possible, which will help reduce investigations and shorten the processing time)

2. ID card of the inviter: If you are French, you need to provide a copy of the first page of your passport. If you are Chinese, you need to provide a copy of the French visa page of your passport.

3. Visitor visa: provide application The notarized certificate of kinship in English between the applicant and the inviting person must be certified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

4. Visiting friend visa: provide original documents and original photos that can prove the relationship between the applicant and the inviting person

5. Accommodation certificate:

①If the accommodation is provided by a French host, the host must apply to the local municipal government for an original certificate

②or the applicant’s French Copy of real estate certificate or rental contract

③In other cases, detailed documentation must be provided

Tips:

All copies must be A4 paper. Please do not use a stapler to staple the materials to the Visa Center

Select a Visa Center

The Visa Application Center (hereinafter referred to as the "Visa Center") is authorized by the French Embassy for you to submit application documents , the place where biometric data (fingerprints) are entered. The visa result is determined by the French Visa and Immigration Bureau officials. The visa center is not involved in the review and approval of the visa application result, nor will it have any influence on it.

The French Visa Center is located in 15 cities in China, namely: Shenyang, Beijing, Jinan, Nanjing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Xi'an, Wuhan, Chengdu, Chongqing, Changsha, Kunming, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen

For France’s no-collar zones, just choose the nearest visa center to submit your application

Tips:

Since October 12, 2015, Schengen applicants who are over 12 years old will All national visa applicants are required to go to the visa center to provide biometric data (fingerprints). Biometric data and data from the Schengen visa application form will be recorded in a database and retained for five years. Applicants who have successfully obtained a Schengen visa after having collected biometric data are exempted from having their fingerprints taken for five years.

There are two ways to submit a French visa:

① Go to the visa center to submit in person

② Submit it on behalf of someone else/travel agency, only applicable to exemptions Fingerprint people (children under 12 years old or applicants who have had their fingerprints collected and successfully obtained a Schengen visa)

France Visa Center website: /BJS/splash.php

The earliest French visa The application time is 3 months before travel, and you need to determine the visa processing time according to your own travel time

For those who plan to do the whole process by themselves, please read the content below carefully, I can only help you so far. La~

Visa Center Website "Operation Manual"

The first step is to select the nearest visa center that is convenient for you. Then you need to register an account, enter your email address, and create A login password, click "I agree" and register. You will then receive an email, open the email, click "I confirm account activation" and OK

The second step is to jump to the login page and enter the email address and password you just registered.

After logging in, click "New Application" and go to the next step. Fill in the personal information in English and save it.

The third step, if there are people who are applying together, continue to "Add a new application". If not, go to the next step. After confirming that everything is correct, click "Confirm All", then click "Download Schengen Application Form", print it and sign it

The fourth step is to make an appointment. Look at the picture below and choose one that is convenient for you. Just confirm the time in blue font and make an appointment~

Note: For groups of more than 5 people (including 5 people), after confirming the submission of the entire group application, contact the visa center customer service phone to make an appointment

Service hours: Monday to Friday 8:30-12:00 am, 13:15-16:30 pm (excluding holidays)

Reservations can be made in blue fonts, but reservations cannot be made in gray fonts

The fifth step is to print your appointment letter. The appointment letter will contain your appointment time, application number, visa fee, etc.

To change or cancel the appointment time, you need to call the visa center Customer service hotline: 86 (021) 60168668 or 86 (021) 22218401

French visa application fee

-12 years old and above: 60 euros (visa fee, equivalent to about 480 yuan in RMB) 236 Yuan (Visa Center Service Fee)

-6-12 years old: 35 Euro (Visa Fee, equivalent to approximately RMB 280) 236 Yuan (Visa Center Service Fee)

-6 years old The following: free

Visa center optional service fees

-Express fee-60 yuan/person (Beijing), 90 yuan/person (other areas in mainland China except Beijing)

-Photos-35 yuan/6 photos (only banknotes with denominations of 10 yuan, 20 yuan, and 5 yuan are charged)

-Copying fee-1 yuan/page

-VIP service - 250 yuan/person (no need to queue, if you don't want to queue or miss the appointment time, you can choose this service to enter the visa center directly)

-Saturday special time reservation - 250 yuan/person (opening hours are Saturday morning from 9:00 to 12:00, advance reservation is still required, only in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou)

Payment method

-Cash

-Debit card (only UnionPay cards only)

-Credit card (UnionPay cards only)

-Mobile payment, mobile payment can be used in all centers nationwide

Tips:

The specific amount of the visa fee will fluctuate according to the monthly exchange rate, and all fees need to be collected when submitting the application. Once the application is submitted at the visa center, all fees are non-refundable

After the application is submitted at the visa center, the application information will be forwarded to the French Embassy (Consulate) in China. The processing time of the embassy and consulate is generally 3-5 working days. If the embassy requires supplementary information during this period, the visa processing time will be extended

During the embassy acceptance process, there is the possibility of telephone investigation , don’t be nervous, just answer truthfully according to the submitted materials

Check the visa progress

Open the French Visa Center website and log in to the account registered when filling in the form, and you can check the visa processing progress

French Visa Center website: /BJS/splash.php to collect your passport

Visa Center EMS mailing: the cost is 60 yuan/person (Beijing), 90 yuan/person (except Beijing for other mainland China areas) ), pay when submitting the information, the fee is officially collected by the visa center

Visa center self-pickup: When you receive a text message notification or the query result shows "Your passport has been returned to the French Embassy or Consulate in China" "Visa Center", the representative can go to the visa center to collect it. You must bring the original visa application proof sheet and the original copy of the applicant's ID card to the visa center to collect it. The collection time is from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on working days

Pick-up on behalf of others/travel agencies: You must bring the original visa application proof sheet, a power of attorney copy of the applicant's passport or ID card, the trustee's passport or Go to the visa center to pick up a copy of the original ID card.

The collection time is from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm on working days

-If you want to collect the passport of a minor, you must provide the kinship relationship between the minor and the legal guardian who signed the authorization to collect the passport. Copies of supporting documents

Tips:

If the passport is returned from the French embassy or consulate to the French Visa Center and has not been collected for 3 months, the French Visa Center will transfer the passport to the relevant French Consular agency

If you apply by yourself, you need to prepare air tickets, hotels, notarization and certification, insurance, etc. Why waste time? Just let me do it for you. And you only need to do two things: 1. Prepare simple information 2. Go to the visa center to have your fingerprints taken

It will be easier for friends under 12 years old and those who have had their fingerprints taken and have a Schengen visa. You just need to prepare the information and mail it to me, and then wait at home~~