4 Easy Tips to Get a Schengen Visa (Philippines)

There a lot of horror stories you hear from your friends about the nightmare of getting Schengen visas. In other words, it’s really not that easy. But ever since I started travelling, I have been approved of several Schengen visas with different countries, and thankfully, not once have I been denied. I thought of suggesting these simple tips that will help you get through the application.

First things first, here are the Schengen countries and Embassies/Consulate in the Philippines:

Austria ( Embassy) ( Also represents Lithuania)

Belgium ( Embassy) ( Also represents Hungary, Luxembourg & Slovenia)

Czech (Embassy)

Denmark (no embassy or consulate)

Estonia (Consulate)

Finland ( Embassy) ( Also represents Estonia)

France (Embassy)

Germany (Embassy)

Greece (Embassy)

Hungary (Embassy)

Iceland (Consulate)

Italy (Embassy)

Latvia (Consulate)

Lithuania (Consulate)

Luxembourg (no embassy or consulate)

Malta (Consulate)

Netherlands (Embassy) (Also represents Latvia and Poland)

Norway (Embassy) (also represents Denmark and Iceland)

Poland (Consulate)

Portugal (no embassy or consulate)

Slovak Republic (Consulate)

Slovenia (Consulate)

Spain (Embassy)

Sweden (Consulate)

Switzerland (Embassy) (also represents Sweden)

1.     The number one rule: Apply to the Schengen country where are you going to stay the longest, not on the first European destination you enter. For example: You’re going on a France and Italy combination tour. (5 days in France and 6 days in Italy) You must apply at the Italian embassy, not the French embassy.  A lot of people do not know this and commit this mistake, hence, their application for visa gets denied.

2.     Planning: You must plan your trip and itinerary 5 months ahead. Not everyone knows this either, but one of the requirements of the Schengen embassies is to have a confirmed booking of the hotels and flights. It will take at least a month to get the confirmation. Usually, the processing of visas takes 15 working days (3 weeks) and the maximum is around 60 days (2 months). Also sometimes, during interviews, the consulate will ask for extra requirements. In case this happens, it’s good that you have enough time to attend to it.

3.     I suggest joining a Group tour. I believe this is the best way to get a Schengen visa for your trip. A good travel agency will be able to provide a very good itinerary, the confirmation of hotels, travel insurance, and a certification from the counterpart countries.

www.tourorganizers.com

4.     Financial Stability. This might be the hardest, but to tell you the truth this is what they are careful to look into. But if you plan, save right, and get all your documents and certification prepared and in order, there’s really no problem at all. (By the way here is a very good blog to manage your finances. A must read - http://debtfreelifephilippines.blogspot.com/)

  

Well, these are only my tips and suggestions. I can’t guarantee 100% that you will get a Schengen visa, but I’m sure this will help give you a good possibility.  J

If you have any more questions, please email me at davidj.ordonez@gmail.com or call me at 5248867. Il be happy to assist you.

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