Everything You Need to Know About Types of Schengen Visas

There are 3 major types of visas available:

1. Universal Schengen Visa (USV)

This is the most common type of visa, categorized into:

I) Type “A” (Airport Transit Visa)

This visa allows a traveler to travel through the international Schengen country of Airports without entering into the Schengen Area. It is mandatory for travelers who are travelling from one non-Schengen area to another with the change of flights inside any Schengen Airport.

II) Type “C” (Short Term Visa)

This is a short-term visa which allows a traveler to travel to any Schengen Areas for a maximum of 90 days throughout any 180 days. For more information refer to the 90/180 Schengen Visa Rule. There are multiple variants of this visa:

           

·         Single Entry Visa: Single entry visa allows you to enter Schengen region one time. Once you leave from the Schengen zone, you will not be allowed to enter again even if you have days left for your stay of 90 days.

·         Note: Single Entry Visa doesn't mean that you can enter only one country among the 26. It allows you to enter every country as long as you don’t leave the “Schengen Zone”, but you cannot exceed a total of 90 continuous days.

·         Double Entry Visa: This is just like Single entry visa but you will be able to leave Schengen area once and come back. If you leave the second time, you cannot enter the Schengen zone again on the same visa.

·         Multiple Entry Visa: Multiple entry visa allows a traveler to travel in and out of Schengen as many times as needed as long as the 90/180 rule is followed. This can be applied for 1-Year, 3-Years, & 5 Year visa.

2. Limited Territorial Validity (LTV)

This visa allows you to travel to the only state which has issued this visa, or in certain cases few other states can also be visited if they are specifically mentioned on the Visa in the form of codes. To learn more about these state codes, see Schengen Country Codes. The holder of this visa cannot go to any other country other than the ones mentioned on the visa sticker.

3. National Visa or Type “D”

If you need to stay in any Schengen area for more than 90 days, you can apply for National Visa. This visa is granted to the individuals who are either studying, working, or permanently residing in one of the Schengen countries. The individual can stay for up to a maximum of 1 year. There are two variants; single and multiple entries. This can be applied for:

•           International student, for maximum up to 1 year (extension possibility is also available)

•           Medical Emergencies for short term

•           Experts travelling for sharing their expertise in any fields like Art, Sports, or any other    professional skill

•           Others updated on relevant Schengen country’s website

How to Get Travel Itinerary for Visa Application

If this is the first time you are collecting documents for a visa, it is understandable if you are confused and do not know where to obtain several documents.  When it comes to flight itinerary and hotel booking, you can always use visa consultation services of a travel agent or find one online.

However, you should be very careful since there are many fraudulent companies fooling people around, taking their money and personal details without providing the services they claim they do.

That is why you are strongly suggested to carefully search for the right website that is highly rated by its users, that directs you to the right visa consultation services. We recommend you SchengenVisa Itinerary where you can get support for most of your visa requirements such as flight itineraries, hotel reservations along with free consultation over email. Its services are cheap and genuine, and many people claim it has helped them a lot.

SchengenVisa Itinerary provides three types of services: flight reservation, hotel booking and insurance. You can use one of the services, a combination of two of them or all three, if you need so. In addition, you have the opportunity to choose between getting the service delivered within 6 hours or 24 hours.

The process of getting a travel itinerary for visa application is simple and quick, just follow these steps:

·         Go to this website.

·         Choose the service you need. You can pick one, two or three of them together (Flight, Hotel and Insurance).

·         Give basic information about you in a short form as: your name & surname as given in your passport, your email address, phone number, as well as travelers flight details as the date of arrival and departure.

·         After you click apply, you will have to proceed with the online payment.

·         Upon the confirmation of your payment, you will receive an email in the address you have submitted, with the details of the service you have purchase.

·         Print the email and present it to the diplomatic office in your reserved visa interview session.

Schengen Italy Tourist Visa for Indians Requirements

Once the Visa appointment is in place, start putting together the necessary documents in one place.

All the Requisite documents needed for Schengen Tourist Visa Italy are listed here.

Carefully sift through the document checklist, sort existing documents, and make a list of documents that need to be procured. Keep in mind that your entire trip is at stake here. It saves you time and money to be meticulous at this point.

Most of the documents mentioned in the list are to basically ensure that you have sufficient funds to travel. And that you will return to India within the stipulated dates.

So, any documents which will add more weight to these points will further tip the scale in your direction in scoring the Schengen visa.

Here are some of the essential documents required for Schengen Tourist Visa:

1. Schengen Visa Cover Letter

This is an important document where you mention everything from your Europe itinerary, professional and personal details, details of travel companions, the purpose of visit, the source of finance, any requests, and so on.

Here is a sample Schengen Visa cover letter with a travel itinerary attached for your reference which could be applicable for other Schengen regions as well.

Given the embassy’s experience in going through visa application documents for decades, more often than not, they might notice any loopholes, even when you think otherwise. So, it’s better to be upfront about any concerns that might arise from your application, and address it head-on. Say you are traveling solo, or transportation not booked, and so on.

2. Financial Status and means of Sustenance

If employed, provide the last three months’ salary slips, ITR-A forms of the last three years of Form-16A.

Else, if Self-employed, provide a company registration certificate and original bank statement for the last 3 months.

In either case – provide the last three months bank statements in original with bank stamp and signature.

Note – While applying through the Italian embassy, make sure you show on an average € 70 or more per day for your duration of travel to Europe in the bank statements.

3. Leave letter

If employed, hand over a leave letter from your boss stating your leave dates, and that you’ll be resuming work on return.

If freelancing, then furnish a letter from your client(s) stating the above. Also, mention how long have you been working with each of them.

What matters to them that you have the intention of coming back to India, so handing over a property document or something similar could further tip the scale in your favor. Mention any fixed assets that you or your parents have, and that would be an added bonus.

4. Schengen Travel Insurance for Indians

As per the visa application, Schengen travel insurance needs to have a coverage of at least €30,000 for a minimum 10-day duration. The travel insurance should cover the entire duration of your travel. If you are an individual, buying travel insurance for a single trip, then go for single trip insurance.

If you are a frequent traveler, then opt for multi-trip travel insurance. It saves you the hassle of buying travel insurance every time you travel and provides extended coverage, usually for a year.

There are many things to consider while Applying for Schengen travel insurance. The premium varies from the insurer’s age, type of insurance, the number of days, company, and the availing benefits. Here is a detailed guide on what to look for in travel insurance.

Listed below are some of the travel insurance that I found were offering a good deal for Indians traveling to Schengen countries. But it could be applicable for any other international travel as well.

Things to Applying for a Schengen Visa

If you are one of the lucky ones heading away on an amazing adventure to Europe, you are not the only one. An increasing number of Indians are travelling to beautiful Europe, thanks to the new guidelines of Schengen visa.

A Schengen visa is undeniably one of the most imperative entry keys to Europe. Obtaining a Schengen visa by any of the 26 Schengen area member countries consents a visa holder to enter, travel within, and egress the Schengen territory from any of the member countries. Number of Schengen visa applications from India is among the highest in the world and Spain is one of the preferred Schengen destinations which witness a huge number of influxes from India. One of the probable reasons behind this immense footfall is India not being among st the visa-exempt nations for the Schengen.

Shikhar Aggarwal, JMD, BLS International writes some common things to consider while applying for a Schengen visa from India:

1. As per the recent changes in the Schengen visa rules, applicants can now apply for the visa in 6 months advance, this allows you to plan your trip in advance.

2. Know your port of entry and the visiting nation in the Schengen territory. Accordingly, you have to apply for a visa to the embassy of the respective country.

3. Knowing your purpose of visit is another point of consideration for Schengen visa applicants. This helps you know which visa category you are entitled for. Once your purpose of visiting tallies your support, you are permitted to apply for Schengen or National visa.

4. Next comes in; the number of entries. Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of European Schengen visa is the number of entries you are granted. Usually, there is single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa categories that one can apply as per the eligibility.

5. Attend the appointment as per scheduled slot carrying all the documents and required fees.

6. All applicants for the visa must submit their bio-metrics, which is obligatory if not given in last 59 months.

 7. The processing time of Schengenvisa is usually within 15 working days. However, under certain scenarios, it may take 30-60 days. The final decision to approve/delay/reject an application is at the discretion of the embassy.

For more information, Please visit: https://www.schengenvisaitinerary.com/

How to Get a Dummy Ticket for a Schengen Visa Application?

You can obtain a Dummy ticket for a Schengen visa application directly with any of the airlines that offer this service. However, not many airlines offer this service which means you will have to pay for a return flight up front. If you find an airline which is happy to issue a dummy ticket, most specify that the document is only valid for 24-48 hours. Schengen visa applications take anything from 7 – 14 days to be processed, so this small time period in which the dummy ticket is valid is just not practical.

A better alternative is to use a verified travel agent like Schengen Visa Flight Itinerary who provide this service, specifically for Schengen visa applicants. Schengen Visa Flight Itinerary can help you book a dummy ticket for a Schengen visa which can later be converted into a confirmed ticket or cancelled if your visa application gets rejected. This will potentially save you thousands of dollars on your air ticket, since dummy tickets booked through our website are valid for at least 2-3 weeks.

To assist you through this process smoothly, our team at Visa Reservation has created several packages to suit the needs of different kinds of travelers. These packages not only include flight reservation for visa, but other required documents too, such as Hotel Booking for Visa Application, Travel Insurance for SchengenVisa Application. These packages are suitable for travelers looking for any of the above-mentioned flight itinerary types. So, whether you are planning to visit a single country or multiple countries in the Schengen area, we can take care of all your flight reservation needs. In addition, if you are planning on visiting more than one country, there is no need to create separate flight itineraries, for a nominal fee we can put together a suitable package which covers every little detail of your trip.

With regard to flight itinerary for visa, Schengen visa Itinerary, offers three kinds of flight itinerary reservation options for you to choose from:

1.         Normal delivery – receive a customized flight itinerary within 24 hours

2.         Priority delivery – receive a customized flight itinerary within 6 hours

3.         Rush delivery – receive a customized flight itinerary within 1 hour. You can speak with the support representatives on how to get this done

Simply pick a delivery option and we will get the job done for you quickly and efficiently. Let us do all the hard work, so you can enjoy the countdown to your trip!

If you’re planning to obtain your flight reservation for your visa without paying for the ticket, all you have to do is follow the 3 simple steps below:

1.         Visit the Schengenvisaitinerary.com website to choose the right package

2.         Submit the travel details and make the payment online

3.         Receive flight itinerary by email

Why do Embassies Ask for Flight Itinerary & Hotel Booking Schengen Visa?

The visa embassies acknowledge the fact that it is not wise to purchase a flight ticket or pay a hotel stay before you get your visa. Even if you are suggested to get one, which you can avail “free cancellation”, don’t do so since flight tickets which you can cancel are at least 25% more expensive than non-cancellation flights. The case is same with hotel rooms, as explained above.

Even the European Union’s visa consulate advises those applying for a Schengen visa not to purchase real tickets but only travel itinerary and hotel booking instead. Despite of that, some others oblige the applicants to purchase and present their original air ticket when going to collect their visa, as the last condition.

You may ask yourself why embassies around the world are asking for such document, when it can be cancelled very easily. Well, the reasons are as following:

To prove you will not be overstaying

The main reason why these two requirements are so important for embassies around the world, is because this is just another way to make sure you will be going back to your home country upon the end of your visa validity. Because the flight-itinerary for Schengen Visa shows the dates of your arrival and departure, and the hotel booking reconfirms them, this assures the embassy that you have no intention to remain in their country after the expiration of your visa. It also supports the reason of traveling that you have presented to the consular officers.

Deciding the length of the visa

The second reason is that it helps the consular officers decide on the length of you visa validity. Upon having the itinerary in their hand, they have it clear exactly how many days you need to remain in their country, thus they avoid limiting you to stay for less than you need or giving you a visa that exceeds your needs.

Deciding at what embassy you should apply

This is valid only for those applying for a Schengen Visa. A common Schengen visa rule says that the visitors that plan to go through two or more countries of the Schengen Zone must apply at the embassy of the country where they will be staying longer. Therefore, when you present the itinerary and the hotel booking, you actually prove that you are applying at the right embassy.

Travel insurance and coronavirus: Are you covered?

If you have – or had – plans to travel over the coming weeks, or if you still have travel plans for later on in the year, this could be a worrying time. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is advising against all non-essential travel for 30 days from 17 March 2020 as a result of coronavirus. When you add in the range of travel bans across the globe, a lot of travel plans are likely to be cancelled or rescheduled.

When it comes to protecting your trip, travel insurance is an important tool. But, how does it apply to this unique situation? Here are some key things you need to know about the impact of coronavirus on travel insurance.

Am I covered when it comes to coronavirus?

The aim of travel insurance is to protect you from any losses that result from the cancellation of your travel plans, or anything that might happen to you while abroad. When it comes to coronavirus, it is important to find out whether or not your policy will still cover you.

Advice from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) and the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) is to check the guidance issued by the FCO before travelling. Anyone travelling to a country or region against government advice risks invalidating their travel insurance policy.

However, if you wish to cancel your trip but the FCO has not issued advice to avoid travel to that destination, you may find that you are not covered to do so.

It is best to check the FCO advice for the most up-to-date information for travel to your destination shortly before your intended departure date.

If you already have a travel insurance policy

According to BIBA, if you purchased travel insurance before the FCO published advice against travelling to your intended destination, you should be covered if you are forced to cancel your trip. You should also be covered against any necessary extra travel costs if you have to cut your trip short or rearrange your journey. This is assuming that cancellation or travel disruption cover is included in the policy.

If there is no advice against travelling to your intended destination, it’s still a good idea to check with your individual provider about whether you would be covered against any coronavirus related incidents if you do decide to travel.

It is important to note that many insurers are limiting or changing cover on existing single and multi-trip policies for claims relating to coronavirus. Whether you plan to travel or not, it would be wise to contact your insurer to find out how any changes will affect your policy.

If you are planning to get a travel insurance policy

Travel insurance is an important financial product – even when there isn’t a global pandemic going on. While you may find it hard to get a policy that will cover you against coronavirus-related claims at the moment, travel insurance remains important. It protects you against other risks such as losing your possessions while abroad, or needing medical attention.

Individual providers currently have different approaches to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. If you find a policy that suits you, it may be worth talking to the insurer directly to find out their stance on coronavirus-related claims.

One thing to bear in mind, though, is that it’s a good idea to look at the level of cancellation cover or travel disruption cover your chosen policy offers. It is also more important than ever to be truthful when providing personal information to your insurer. If you do not declare any existing medical conditions – including coronavirus – you could risk invalidating your insurance policy.

How can I make a claim if I have to cancel my plans?

The ABI has stated that as the FCO has advised against all but essential travel for 30 days from 17 March 2020, policyholders with cancellation or travel disruption cover in place should be able to claim for cancelled trips that were already booked and cannot now go ahead.

To make a travel insurance claim, you will need to contact your provider. You’ll need to provide your policy number (found on your policy documents) and explain the reasons for your claim. You will be sent a claims form to fill out, or be directed to download one from the provider’s website.

You will need supporting evidence for your claim, such as receipts, booking confirmations or flight reservations. It is also wise to keep a record of any correspondence you have with the insurance provider. Such evidence could help in case there is any dispute with your claim.