At the moment, most European countries are included in the Schengen zone, therefore, to enter these countries, it is necessary to obtain a Schengen visa, which gives the right to move freely on their territory without passing border control. But do not confuse the concepts such as the "Schengen Agreement" and "Schengen zone". Not all countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement decided to cancel passport control when passing their borders, therefore, the effect of a Schengen visa does not apply. About this further in the article.

Schengen Visa, Schengen Countries

So, in 2017, the Schengen visa applies to 26 European countries, namely: Spain, Denmark, Iceland, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Greece, Austria, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Poland, Malta, Netherlands, Estonia, Slovenia , Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Slovakia, Portugal, Finland, Norway, Luxembourg.

Upon receipt of a visa to one of the listed countries, the tourist has the right to go and in all the remaining, while there are also terrestrial variations of movements, and air flights. It is very important that the traveler can leave Shengen's countries before his visa time expires. Europeans are very scrupulous to the account of the residence rules in their states. If the tourist violates this rule, another time he may refuse to receive a visa.

Citizens of which countries need a Schengen visa

To enter European countries, the Schengen Visa needs citizens of the following states who are not members of the Schengen Agreement: Kosovo, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Yemen, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uganda, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Tonga, , East Timor, Thailand, Tanzania, Tajikistan, Syria, Swaziland, Suriname, Sudan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Somalia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Saudi Arabia, Principe and Sao Tome, Samoa, Rwanda, Russia, Qatar, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Pakistan, Oman, Northern Mariana Islands, North Korea, Nigeria, Niger, Nepal, Nauru, Namibia, Mozambique, Morocco, Mongolia, Micronesia, Mauritania, Marshall Islands, Mali, Maldives, Malawi, Madagascar, Libya, Liberia, Liberty, Lebanon, Laos, Kyrgyzstan, Kuwait, Kenya, Kazakhstan, Jordan, Jamaica, Iraq, Iran, Indonesia, India, Haiti, Guyana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Ghana, Gambia, Gabon, Fiji, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Ecuador , Dominican Republic, Djibouti, Extras. Rep. Congo, Cuba, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Comoros, China, Chad, Central African Republic, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Cambodia, Burundi, Myanmar, Burkina Faso, Botswana, Bolivia, Bhutan, Benin, Belize, Belarus, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Angola, Algeria, Afghanistan.

There are also countries that did not sign the Schengen Agreement, but the visa for entry into the Schengen zone is not required: Australia, Argentina, Andorra, Albania, Bulgaria, Brunei, Brazil, Bermuda, Salvador, Cyprus, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Canada, Monaco, Moldova (visa-free regime acts only for owners of biometric passports), Mexico, Malaysia, Macedonia, Macao, Japan, Israel, Ireland, Iceland, Honduras, Guatemala, Greece, Venezuela, Vatican, Uruguay, USA (including Puerto Rico , GUAM, American Samoa, Virgin Islands), United Kingdom of Northern Ireland and Great Britain, South Korea, Singapore, Serbia, San Marino, Romania, Paraguay, Panama, Nicaragua, New Zealand (including tokelau Islands, Niue, Cook), Montenegro.

For how long the Schengen visa is issued

The validity period of the visa depends on its type: C1 - for 30 days, C2 - for half a year, C3 - for a year, C4 - up to five years. Most just get a visa for 30 days. Some states issue multivibuses per year and six months, if a person often travels to Schengen countries. It is worth saying that all data types of visas are regardless of their validity period allow to stay in the Schengen zone at no longer than 90 days throughout the term.

Where you can get Schengen

You can get a visa at the consulate of the State Embassy, \u200b\u200bthrough which you want to enter the Schengen zone. The appeal to the embassy is the most troublesome and complex option that requires a lot of time, but is the least costly. In fact, all embassies require personal presence during the filing of documentation and receiving a passport. In addition, the risk of failure is high enough as a result of ignorance by the applicant of all requirements and subtleties, as well as as a result of elementary errors that are not rarely allowed during the filing of the questionnaire in English. It is also worth noting that the application of the documentation is performed by appointment, and the peak seasons are sometimes delayed for a month and more.

Obtaining a visa through a visa center is a safer option, since here you can get the required consultation and order additional services, in particular: checking the package of documents, manufacture of photos, courier passport delivery, feeding documentation without personal presence and so on. But not always in the visa center will be able to prompt the right decision in a difficult situation, especially if there were already a refusal to obtain such a visa before. In addition, in addition to the consular fee, it will also have to pay for the service collection, as well as all additional services.

In the manufacture of a Schengen visa through a travel agency, it should be aware that the availability of hotel armor and pre-paid tickets are not at all a guarantee of obtaining a visa. Most of the states of the Shengen zone at all recommend paying for some turpotevka or tickets to receiving a visa, since no travelative firm is able to guarantee you to get it, and if you refuse to issue, cash will not be returned to you in full.

The most reliable option is to appeal to a specialized company providing professional support in obtaining a visa. Such firms have tremendous experience in the manufacture of a Schengen visa in all states of the Schengen zone. When contacting specialized companies, you can avoid mistakes in filling and design documentation, as well as save multiple nerves and time. This option is also relevant with the need for an urgent visa. The cost of services of such organizations is fully comparable to the price of the manufacture of a Schengen visa through a visa center.

If you plan to visit several countries where to get a visa

The visa is obtained in that country, which is the main goal of the trip, and in which you will spend the greatest number of days in total. In other words, if you are driving Poland (1 day) - Germany (13 days) - Czech Republic (3 days) - Slovakia (2 days), see the visa is necessary to the German Embassy.

In the absence of ability to determine the country in the manner described above (for example, the number of days spent in each state is equal to), it is necessary to contact the consulate of the state through which you initially enter the Schengen zone. In the above case, this state will be Poland. If you were given a long-lasting multivitz, then the first entrance should be carried out in exactly the country that issued it. In all subsequent trips on this visa, this rule is not necessary.

List of documents for a Schengen visa

Requirements for obtaining a visa and a list of documentation differ depending on what state you want to get a Schengen visa, but there is a general one, standard for all package that is able to differ only by nuances. This includes: documentation confirming the purpose of the trip (business or guest invitation, tickets, as well as book reservation if there is), confirmation of financial consistency (Help 2-NDFL, extract from the bank account), completed questionnaire, insurance policy, certificate of study / Works with wages and positions, two photos, a copy of the passport, a copy of past passports and a valid passport. Minors required consent to leave parents. The unemployed and pensioners need to provide a sponsorship letter, as well as documentation confirming the financial state of the sponsor. It should also be remembered that each country has its own requirements on the presence of finances during the border crossing. If you have an insufficient amount in your hands, there is a risk that you will not be missed at customs even in the conditions of having a visa.

Schengen for children

Schengen countries are extremely closely close to the entry of children to their territory. Children not reached 14 years old have the right to travel only by adults (parents, guardians, heads of children's organized groups). The child must have a children's travel document or information about the child must be entered into the passport of parents. The procedure for issuing a children's Schengen visa is not different from adult. The Schengen visa is provided in the presence of such documents:

1. An application for receipt that is filled in two copies and is signed by one of the parents.
2. Photos of the installed sample.
3. The child's travel document is either a copy and original of the passport of the parent, where information about the child is made.
4. Copies of internal passports of guardians / parents.
5. Help from school.
6. Copy and original birth certificate or identification code and internal passport.
7. Help from the place where parents work.
8. Medical insurance policy.
9. Confirmation of financial consistency when traveling a child without supporting guardians / parents.

What is better to get a Schengen visa yourself or through travel agency

Of course, in the design of a visa through the travel agency there are advantages:

• The first is part of the concerns about the documentation, she takes over. You do not need to contact the hotel, you can also book your room and search flight tickets. Mass travelers This greatly simplifies life and saves a lot of time.
• The second is not everyone likes to stand in line at the embassy or a visa center, and the travel agency will kindly make it for you.
• Third - some novice tourists do not have experience, therefore collecting all the documentation and its filling causes many concerns and fear. In this case, it is wiser to allow a travel agency to help you. Another substantial plus is the rate of visa - this will be engaged in experts with experience that do not rarely have their own running tracks, as well as separate windows for submitting documents.

Fingerprints where they scan and where they are stored

When placing a biometric Schengen visa, you must hand over fingerprints. After that, they will be valid for five years. The removal procedure is performed for five minutes. To do this, come to the consulate at the appointed time. Fingerprints are stored in the consulate database for ten years, and then destroyed. Biometric information is stored secretly, no one can use them for their own purposes.

Price of Schengen Visa 2017

To get a visa, you will need to pay the consular fee. Its size is identical to all countries that are included in Schengen - 35 euros. As for urgent design, the cost increases twice.

Sample Schengen visa with detailed decoding

So, we will analyze the sample of filling the questionnaire on points:

• Paragraph 1:
  SURNAME (Family Name) -here you must specify the name. Please note that it must be written in the same way as in the passport.
• Point 2:
  Surname At Birth (Former Family Name) -we indicate the name at birth. This item is filled only in case of changing the surname (after marriage, for example).
• Point 3:
  First Name (Given Name) -specify your name. Write it as it is indicated in the passport.
• Paragraph 4:
  Date of Birth -here you should specify the date of birth. It is worth noting that the format for filling out such an item is always specified in the questionnaire itself. Usually it is a day-year-year (day-year) in a digital format. Example: 08.29.1992.
• Item 5:
  PLACE OF BIRTH -specify the place of birth, namely the city, for example, DONETSK.
• Item 6:
  Country of Birth -we specify the country of birth. It is worth noting that if you were born in Russia or Ukraine, before the collapse of the USSR, you can specify either USSR or Ukraine / Russia - how exactly specify the consulate. For example, the German consulate requires ussr.
• Paragraph 7:
  CURRENT NATIONALITY -here we specify nationality, your exact citizenship is currently. Just put the name of the country. If at birth, you have a different citizenship, also specify it with a note of Nationality at Birth.
• Item 8:
  Sex -indicate the floor. Put a cross or a tick. Female - woman, male - man.
• Item 9:
  Marital Status -specify marital status. It is necessary to put a tick or a cross opposite the required item: married - married / married, Widow (ER) - widow / widow, Divorced - divorced, Single is alone.
  
• Item 10:
  In The Case of Minors -this item fill only minors. Write the name, surname and citizenship of the person who is an official guardian or having parental rights. If the address of this person differs from the address of the submitter, it should also be specified.
• Item 11:
  National Identify Number - At this point, specify your identification code.
• Item 12:
  Type of Travel Document -here, select the document with which you will travel. As a rule, it is a passport - ORDINARY PASSPORT. Juvenile at this point should mark Other with a note of Child's Travel Document, children also need to mark Other and add Father's / Mother's Passport.
• Item 13:
  Number of Travel Document -specify the number and series of the passport.
• Item 14:
  Date of Issue -indicate the date of issuing a passport.
• Point 15:
  Valid Until -indicate the expiration date of the passport.
• Item 16:
  Issued By -we indicate who a passport is issued. Here you need to specify four digits that are in your passport opposite Issued by.
• Paragraph 17:
  Applicants Home Address and E-Mail Address -specify your home address, as well as an email address (E-mail Address is not necessary). It is worth saying that the address does not need to be translated, write it with transliteration. For example, PR. Peremogy, 12, KV. 35. Next is the TELEPHONE Number (s) graph - here you specify your home and / or mobile phone number.
• Item 18:
  Residence in A Country Other Than The Country Of Current Nationality - Put in this paragraph a tick opposite NO, if you do not have double citizenship.
• Paragraph 19:
  Current Occupation -choose your profession at the moment. For example, doctor, driver, journalist. Private entrepreneurs put self employed, students - student, as officially unemployed - a dash.
• Item 20:
  Employer and employer's address and telephone number. For students name and address of educational establishment -specify the name of the employer of the company, as well as her phone number and address. Students are required to specify the name of the institution, phone number and address of dean's office, and put the unemployed back dash.
  
• Item 21:
  Main purpose of the journey -here you must specify a reason for the trip. Tick \u200b\u200bTourism .
• Item 22:
  Member state (s) of destination -here indicate all countries of the Schengen zone, the territory of which will remain in the course of his journey.
• Item 23:
  Member state of first entry -enter the country through which you will enter the Schengen area.
• Item 24:
  Number of entries requested -specify the number of crossings of the Schengen zone. Single entry - it's a one-time visa, Two entry - is a double-entry and Multiple entries - this reusable visas. Of course, multivisa much more convenient, however, to get it, you need to have arguments - invitations, tickets and more.
• Item 25:
  Duration of intended stay or transit -count and record the total number of days in the Schengen area. It is said that the day of entry and departure day is considered separately.
• Item 26:
  Schengen visa issued during the past three years -here enter all Schengen visas received by you during the past three years. At their presence put a cross in front of Yes and write the date of the visa and the country. For example:
  Spain, from 12-04-2009 to 12-05-2009
  Portugal, from 11-06-2010 to 11-08-2010
  If there was not, put a cross in front of No.
• Paragraph 27:
  Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa -then you must specify whether you have taken previously fingerprinted in obtaining a Schengen visa. If not, put the No.
• Paragraph 28:
  Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable -this item is filled with those persons who need a transit visa. He is not relevant for this case, therefore, put a dash.
• Item 29:
  Intended date of arrival in the Schengen area -specify the scheduled date of entry into the territory of the Schengen zone.
• Paragraph 30:
  Intended date of departure from the Schengen area - Specify the planned date of departure from the territory of the Schengen zone.
  
• Item 31:
  Surname and first name of the inviting person in the Member State. If not applicable, name of hotels or temporary accommodations in the Member State - Specify the name and the name of the person inviting you. As the tourist visa, make hotel here (rented apartments, hostels).
  A bit later in this section there is a column Address and e-mail person / hotel / temporary accommodation, enter here should contact the hotel / hotels, email, address. Next to enter the phone number of the hotel and fax numbers in the appropriate box Telephone and telefax.
• Item 32:
  Name and address of inviting company \\ organisation -enter the name of the company that invites the applicant. This item has nothing to do with a tourist visa, so all graphs put dashes.
• Paragraph 33:
  Cost of traveling and living during the applicant's stay is covered - how you intend to cover the costs of the journey. You can choose from the following options: by the applicant himself - independent costs, by a sponsor - sponsor of the costs are covered. Most often, the first item is selected for a tourist visa. Then put crosses in front of some of these points:
  traveller's cheques - tick if you purchased traveler's checks (but do not forget to submit a package of documents copies of checks);
  cash (cash) - be sure to check the box here, as the cash should be you in any way;
  credit card - check the box if you have a credit card, which will pay abroad;
  pre-paid transport - tick if the package of documents you have filed repurchased railway / airline tickets;
  pre-paid accommodation - tick if you have already paid your hotel (even in part) and you have a confirmation of this.
  
• Paragraph 34:
  Personal data of the family member who is an EU, EEA or CH citizen -this item to a tourist visa is not relevant, so we put a dash.
• Paragraph 35:
  Famila relationship with an EU, EEA or CH citizen -this item to a tourist visa is not relevant, so we put a dash.
• Item 36:
  Place and date -specify the city in which was full profile, and filling date. For example Kiev 23-04-2017.
  
• Item 37:
  Signature -subscribe. For the child must sign a parent or guardian.