How to apply for a Schengen visa while studying in the UK

1. Determine travel plans

For all international students who want to travel to Europe, it is very important to determine the time and place of travel, because this will directly affect which program you apply for. Schengen visa for the country.

If you are going to several countries at one time, the country where you submit your visa application will be your main place of visit, that is, the country where you stay the longest. If you stay in these countries for the same length of time, , then apply for the first country of entry.

The three countries I went to in Europe this time were France, Italy and Greece. I stayed in Italy the longest, four days, and France and Greece three days each. This decided that I could only Apply for Italian visa.

2. Book transportation and accommodation

After determining the travel time, you should start buying air tickets and booking hotels. Air tickets are usually paid in advance and cannot be canceled once booked, so be sure to confirm your travel plans before this step.

3. Make a visa appointment

Italy has four visa centers in the UK, namely in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Edinburgh. It is worth noting that friends who live in the north, east, central and south of England and North Wales can go to any visa center in London, Manchester or Cardiff to submit visa materials, while students from Scotland and Northern Ireland have to go to Edinburgh to apply.

Generally, if you go to London to apply for a visa, you need to apply one month in advance, especially during the peak season, when there are usually many people. Since I applied for the visa in Cardiff, it was fine a week in advance. If you are in a hurry and cannot make an appointment in London, you may consider submitting your application in Manchester City or Cardiff.

4. Fill in the form online

When making a visa appointment, you must first register an account, then choose a visa center to apply for, and then choose a time that is convenient for you. The last step is to fill in the An online form. It should be noted that this form is one of the important application materials. Therefore, when filling it out, it must be consistent with the facts, such as travel dates and hotel information. Also note that passport information and previous Schengen visa information cannot be Wrong.

5. Materials required for visa

Passport: The passport must have more than two blank pages, and no foreign visa is allowed within 3 months before the British visa expires;

Passport photo: The passport photo must be an ID photo taken within 6 months;

Application form: The application form is filled out when making an appointment online, just print it out. , it should be noted that some visa centers do not accept handwritten forms, so it is better for students who apply to be on the safe side to print them directly from the Internet;

Certificate of Enrollment: When you go to school to get a certificate of enrollment. It should be noted that when applying for an Italian visa, you must write "The Consulate General of Italy,

London" at the beginning of the certification letter. When applying for a visa in Manchester City or Cardiff, you must also write "London". If you are going to Edinburgh to apply for the visa, write "Consulate General of Italy, Edinburgh";

Bank statement: The statement must show the account status for three months, and it must be within one month from the time of application. issued. For insurance purposes, be sure to issue a Current

Account instead of a Savings Account.

And the balance must be able to cover expenses in Europe, which is calculated at thirty pounds per day in Italy. For those students who have just arrived in the UK, if the account has been opened for less than three months, you can go to the bank to explain the situation and ask them to issue a bank certification letter;

Travel insurance: The most convenient way is to go to the post office If you buy it, it must cover the time you plan to travel. If you plan to go to Europe multiple times, students can directly buy insurance with a validity period of one year, which is about 50 pounds;

Transportation information: All transportation needed for the trip must be provided Booking information, including air tickets, train or boat tickets. One thing that the Italian Visa Center needs to pay attention to when submitting a visa is that all printed transportation information must have the URL link of the reservation website, and it cannot be the URL of the email but must be the URL of the original reservation website;

Accommodation information: Just print out the confirmation page you booked online. Pay attention to covering it every day, and when printing it out, there must be a URL link. Usually, the confirmation page printed out on booking.com or Hotels will be automatically Print out the URL;

Cost: Schengen visa flat fee is 50 pounds, service fee is 26.8 pounds, postage fee is 7.4 pounds, totaling 85.4 pounds. Note: Cardiff Visa Center does not accept cash;

It will be more convenient for students to print out the appointment letter.

6. After submitting the visa

After the students submit the visa, the visa center will send you a text message in time to tell you: the materials have been accepted. After signing, you will receive an email and text message to remind you that your passport has been sent. Normally, you can get your passport within a week.