Essential common sense for applying for a visa in Europe

In recent years, studying in Europe has gradually entered everyone's field of vision, and the number of applications has been increasing. Whether you want to go to romantic Paris, the Netherlands, the country of tulips, or Switzerland, the "roof of Europe", Schengen visa is indispensable. So, what about the Schengen visa? How much do you know? The 24 questions I compiled below will explain it to you in detail.

1. Schengen countries

Schengen 26 countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Switzerland, Liechtenstein

2. Schengen visa

Above 26 According to the Schengen Convention, each Schengen country can issue a "Schengen unified visa" to foreigners for short-term round-trip visits. If you get a Schengen visa from one of the countries, you can visit other Schengen countries without the need for other visas.

3. What are the steps to apply for a Schengen personal tourist visa?

Step 1: Select the country to apply. Suppose you will travel in France for 5 days, Switzerland for 2 days, and Germany for 4 days. Then you must choose France to apply for a personal tourist visa (choose the country with the most days of stay), and Germany will not accept it. If the number of days of stay in each country is the same, choose the country where you entered first to apply. For example: 6 days in Italy and 6 days in Switzerland. If you enter from Rome, Italy, you must apply for an Italian individual tourist visa.

Step 2: Prepare information, make a visa itinerary, book hotels, air tickets and insurance.

Step 3: Go to the visa center to submit the documents and make an appointment for an interview or make an appointment at the embassy to submit the documents for an interview.

4. Which countries have a higher Schengen visa approval rate or which countries are easier to obtain a Schengen visa?

Answer: Theoretically, there is no question of which country has a higher or lower visa approval rate, nor does it say that a certain country is easier. The key depends on your own preparation. Many people like to apply for visas in France, Germany and Italy. In France, perhaps because there are too many applicants, strange visa rejections occasionally occur. As long as the materials are reasonable, you can pass.

5. How can I make my visa application more likely to pass?

Answer: The key to a successful visa is to convince the visa officer that you will not stay illegally and will definitely return to your country. In fact, all the information prepared is to prove this point. Therefore, you must be clear about the purpose you want to achieve and prepare all visa information around this purpose. For example, why it is said that there is never too much property certificate, because the more property you have, it is equivalent to hinting to the visa officer: I have a house and land in China, who wants to work illegally with you?

6. If you are single, have a passport that has never been abroad once (commonly known as a white passport), and have no house or car, will your visa definitely be rejected?

Answer: Singles, especially single women, may indeed need to be more prepared than others, but they will definitely not be rejected. Even if you are single, have a passport that has never been abroad once, or even have no job, you can still get a visa. The key is still to be fully prepared, especially in terms of assets! Let the visa officer believe that you will not stay illegally and will definitely return to the country!

7. If I am rejected, can I apply again? Is there a time limit for applying for a visa again?

Answer: You can reapply for a rejected visa, and theoretically there is no time limit. You can apply again immediately. However, our suggestion is to first analyze and find out the possible reasons for rejection, because if the information submitted when applying again is exactly the same as last time, the chance of success may be low, unless it is the other party's mistake.

Don’t be afraid if you are refused a visa, because if you immediately appeal or re-visa, the success rate will not be reduced. Sometimes, because you have no guilt at all and ask for an appeal or a second interview, it will actually improve your chances. Visa pass rate. If your first visa application is submitted (only submit materials), it is strongly recommended that you request an interview for the second time. This is a sign of your confidence in the authenticity of your materials and there are generally any special factors required for rejection. Explain, the interview can be explained.

The general reasons for visa rejection are as follows:

1) Incomplete document preparation or false information, including hotel and air ticket orders

2) Unreasonable itinerary design< /p>

　3) Work certificate is unreliable (low income or the company is not trustworthy)

　4) There are relatively few ties in China (it is easy to get hacked abroad directly)

　5 ) There is too little proof of assets (I suspect you have no money to travel at all)

6) Few travel records

7) Unreasonable funds (for example, your monthly salary is 3,000 and suddenly your family gives you 300,000. You have to explain if it is unreasonable)

8) Do all the materials submitted for visa application have to be translated? If you want to translate, do you need to find a translation company or can you translate it yourself?

Answer: All documents required to be translated by the embassy or consulate require foreign language translation (English or the language of the country applying for the visa). You can translate these documents yourself and then print them out.

9. Will the visa fee be refunded if the visa is refused?

Once the consulate accepts your visa application, the visa fee is non-refundable regardless of whether it is approved or not.

10. How much deposit is appropriate? Do you want to freeze? Bank card statement issues.

Answer: Currently, most embassies and consulates do not require freezing of funds or time deposits. Bank statements generally need to be provided for 3-6 months, mainly to show stable income. The embassy also pays more attention to whether the current balance is sufficient to support your travel. Generally speaking, the balance should be greater than (50-100 euros per day) * number of travel days * corresponding exchange rate. If the balance or income situation is not ideal, you can also provide credit card statements or real estate certificates, driving licenses, etc. that can show the limit as a supplement.

　

? 11. If you have an old passport, do you need to provide it?

Answer: Yes, including originals and copies of all visas and entry-exit record stamps (there is no need to copy the entry-exit records of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand).

12. If you have a white passport that has never been abroad once, do you need to go to Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to refresh it first?

Answer: It is not necessary and useless. Countries such as France only accept copies of passports and visas from developed countries... Those from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand are not required at all. Having never been abroad is not a negative factor, so please relax.

13. How to apply for students or children under 18 years old?

Answer: Students and children under 18 years old must submit the following information: (1) The original and certified birth certificate or notarized certificate of kinship: you must go to the notary office and clearly indicate the names of your parents, date of birth and place of birth, and attach a copy in English. Once the notarized certificate is ready, you must go to the Foreign Affairs Office again for certification (2 ) If you are traveling with only one parent or neither parent is traveling, you must also provide a notarized and authenticated authorization letter in Chinese and English signed by the parent who is not traveling;

In summary, minors cannot travel abroad alone. Yes, unless accompanied by one of the parents or a third person entrusted by the parents!

14. What should students do if they have no income?

Answer: Just provide proof of assets of your parents and write a note to prove that they are willing to sponsor you to travel abroad. Work certificates also need to be issued by parents.

15. How do freelancers apply for a work certificate?

Answer: Provide information about your relevant work, such as opening a store on Taobao, providing website information, online store information, etc.; for example, if you are a freelance writer, you can ask magazines, publishing houses, etc. to open a job for you. prove. In short, provide as much information as possible that can prove that you are engaged in work.

16. Is it completely impossible to have no car, no house and have never been abroad?

Answer: Of course not! As long as your income is relatively stable and your savings are sufficient, you can still get a visa.

17. What is required for unit certification?

Answer: Position, monthly income, leave permission date (should only be greater than the date of visa application), unit contact person, phone number, address, etc., employment, income, leave permission 3-in-1 certificate! This certificate It should be printed on company letterhead and stamped. (Foreign companies generally have their own templates, state-owned enterprises and government agencies. You can only prepare an English one yourself, and then ask the company to stamp it.) If you encounter a stuck company that only stamps Chinese content, then translate it into English yourself. , just print it out on white paper.

　

? 18. What is the most important thing to prepare for a visa?

Answer:

1) Prepare materials carefully, strictly and meticulously.

2) Use as much material as possible to prove that you have sufficient financial resources and a stable job and salary in China (that is, prove that you have a family and business in the country and will not immigrate illegally...)

3) The travel itinerary, hotels, and air tickets must be accurate and connected, the itinerary must be reasonable, and you must be familiar with the itinerary.

19. Questions about Schengen visa insurance, air tickets, and hotel reservations

All visa materials required by the embassy and consulate must be authentic Oh, including insurance, air tickets, hotel reservations, etc.

20. What should I do if the company does not give me a business license or organization code or a legal person certificate for a public institution?

Answer: It is best to ask the unit to provide an explanation document, saying that the unit stipulates that this type of information is not provided to individuals, what do you hope the visa officer will understand, and other polite words.

　

21. Will I receive a call from the embassy or consulate after submitting the application?

Answer: It depends on the embassy or consulate, there is no routine. It is possible to call you directly and ask some simple questions (the purpose is to find out whether you know the situation of the trip, because some people want to immigrate illegally, and everything about the itinerary is written nonsense, and it will not be correct when asked) ), you may call your colleagues to confirm whether you are there, or you may directly ask 114 for your company phone number, and then try to call them.

22. Do I need to speak English during the interview or on the phone?

Answer: The embassy staff will ask you whether you can speak English. If you are not confident enough in English, just say it is average. Tell him that it is best to talk in Chinese. Or if you can’t speak English, just use Chinese. It doesn’t matter.

　

? 23. What questions will be asked during the interview or on the phone?

Answer: It varies from person to person. If the materials are good, they will usually ask you questions related to this trip, mainly why you came to the country where you issued the visa, where to go, how long to go, and how to arrange the itinerary. ?

If the materials are average, for example, you have never been abroad and your income is average, they will probably ask you what you do, how long you have been doing it, how much your monthly income is, what your company does, and whether you speak English (English proficiency) Tell the truth), what is the company address, and what is the phone number? In fact, it is to judge whether you are lying, so just tell the truth frankly. (Again, authentic materials are required, because the visa officer may carefully understand your occupation. For example, last time I saw a person who worked in finance, the visa officer suddenly asked her when she got her accounting certificate?)

If you are visiting relatives and friends, you will ask about the other person's information. For example, if you have a boyfriend, you will ask how old your boyfriend is and when his birthday is. If you have a photo, you will also take a photo. In fact, the most important thing is to tell the truth, everything has a reason, and your words are consistent. The visa officer is just asking a few questions. If there are logical errors, you should be careful. If it is true but it is easier for people to misunderstand, Otherwise, we won’t mention it. If we mention it, we will make it clear to others. We must work hard not to let others misunderstand us.

24. How long does it usually take to get a visa after application?

Answer: Depending on whether it is the peak season, the embassy or consulate also has manpower issues. It usually takes 5 working days, but it can be as short as 3 days or as long as 10 working days. Some individual countries even have 20-30 days.

So apply as early as possible (you can apply as early as 3 months in advance)