File Schengen visa 2017
Questions about Schengen visas regularly pop up on Thailandblog. This Schengen visa file deals with the most important points of attention and questions. Good and timely preparation is very important for a successful visa application.
(File update: September 2017)
Below is the introduction of the dossier; in the complete dossier, the subject matter is discussed in more detail and a multitude of questions are answered. This file was written by Rob V. and tries to be a handy summary of all the things you need to take into account when applying for a Schengen visa. The file is mainly intended for readers living in Europe or Thailand who want to have a Thai (partner) come over to the Netherlands or Belgium for a holiday.
The Schengen visa
If a Thai wants to come to the Netherlands or Belgium for a holiday of up to 90 days, a Schengen visa is required for most situations. Only Thai people who hold a valid residence permit from one of the Schengen member states or those who hold a 'residence card for family members of a citizen of the Union' from one of the EU countries do not need a visa to enter the Schengen member states. visits.
The Schengen area is a cooperation of 26 European member states that have a common border and visa policy. The Member States are therefore bound by the same visa rules, which are laid down in the common Visa Code, EU Regulation 810/2009/EC. This enables travelers to move within the entire Schengen area without mutual border controls, visa holders only need one visa - the Schengen visa - to cross the external border of the Schengen area.
Officially, this visa is called a short-stay visa (VKV), or visa 'type C', but it is also popularly referred to as a 'tourist visa'. A residence permit is required for long stays (longer than 90 days), which is a different procedure that this file does not discuss.
The main requirements
The most important requirements at a glance, of course it can differ per individual and application what exactly is needed. In general, the traveler (is also the visa applicant) shows that he:
- Is in possession of a valid travel document (passport).
– The travel document must be valid for 3 months longer than the end of the visa period, and may not be older than 10 years. - Can afford the trip financially: has sufficient means of support.
– For the Netherlands, the requirement is 34 euros per day per traveler.
– For Belgium, 95 euros per day if he/she stays in a hotel or 45 euros per day if the traveler is accommodated with a private individual.
– If the traveler does not have sufficient means, a guarantor (the inviting party) must stand surety. The income of this person, the sponsor, is then looked at. - Has papers related to the place of residence, such as a hotel reservation or proof of residence (accommodation) with a private individual.
- For the Netherlands, an original form 'proof of guarantee and/or private accommodation' must be completed for this purpose. This form must be legalized at the municipality.
- For Belgium, an invitation letter and an original guarantee statement legalized by the municipality.
- Have medical travel insurance for the entire Schengen area with a cover of at least 30.000 euros. Request this from an insurer who will refund the money (minus administration costs) in the event of a visa rejection.
- Has an option or reservation on an airline ticket. Do not book (pay) the ticket until the visa has been granted! A return (reservation) is immediately one officially recognized piece of evidence that makes the traveler's return more plausible.
- Makes it plausible that he/she will return to Thailand in time. It is a combination of evidence. For example, previous visas for (Western) countries, a job, possession of real estate and other matters that demonstrate a strong social or economic bond with Thailand, such as care for minor children.
- Has not been reported to the European authorities and does not pose a threat to public order or national security.
- Two recent passport size photos that meet the requirement.
- A completed and signed application form for a Schengen visa.
- A copy of all submitted documents. Tip: also scan everything so that the applicant and sponsor have a copy of all submitted documents (for example to show at the border).
Where should I apply for a visa?
Only the foreign traveller/guest can apply for a visa, this is called a 'foreigner'. The possible inviter is called the 'referent'. Only the foreigner can submit a visa application.
An application must be submitted in person by the foreign national to the member state of the country of destination: the Dutch or Belgian embassy or possibly via an external service provider designated by this embassy (VFS Global).
If someone wants to visit several Member States, the application must be submitted to the embassy of the country that can be regarded as the main residence, ie the country where one wants to stay the longest or which is the primary purpose of the trip. If there is no clear main purpose, a visa must be applied for at the embassy of the country of first entry.
When can a visa application be submitted?
A visa application can be submitted at the earliest 3 months and no later than 15 calendar days (due to the normal maximum decision period) before the start of the intended travel date. It is therefore advisable to submit the application well in advance, preferably at least one month before the intended departure date.
The sooner you apply the better: it can take up to 2 weeks before you can submit an application and once the application has been taken it can take up to 60 calendar days in exceptional cases before you get the passport back. Then you are two and a half months further!
How do you submit an application for the Netherlands?
You must make an appointment for a short-stay visa. The appointment will have to be given within 2 weeks of the request by the applicant. There are two ways to make an appointment to submit an application:
- 1) At the optional external service provider VFS Global, they operate a 'Visa Application Center' (VAC) in the Trendy Building in Bangkok. For an appointment at VFS, you can make an appointment on the VFS website via a digital appointment calendar. You then visit VFS on the agreed date and time and submit the application. This will cost the applicant a service fee of THB 996 on top of the visa fee. VFS forwards the request to RSO back office in Kuala Lumpur. After a decision by the RSO, you can collect the passport from VFS or have it returned by courier (EMS) for a fee.
– Website: http://www.vfsglobal.com/netherlands/thailand
– Call center (English and Thai): 0066 2 118 7003. - 2) By making an appointment via the NetherlandsAndYou website and selecting the option '3. Make an appointment via our online appointment system to apply at the embassy in Bangkok'. You will then see a digital appointment calendar and can then submit the application to the embassy on the agreed date and time. In that case, no service fee will be charged. After the application has been processed by the RSO back office in Kuala Lumpur, the passport can be collected from the embassy (without an appointment) or returned by courier (EMS) for a fee.
– https://www.netherlandsandyou.nl/travel-and-residence/visas-for-the-netherlands/applying-for-a-short-stay-schengen-visa/thailand#anker-how-can-i-make -an-appointment
The application must therefore be submitted to the embassy or to VFS on the agreed date and time. Only the foreign national may report to the counter/counter, the sponsor cannot be present.
How do you submit an application for Belgium?
You must make an appointment for a short-stay visa. The appointment will have to be given by the embassy within 2 weeks of the request by the applicant. There are two ways to make an appointment to submit an application:
- 1) At the optional external service provider VFS Global, they operate a 'Visa Application Center' (VAC) in the Trendy Building in Bangkok. For an appointment at VFS, you can make an appointment on the VFS website via a digital appointment calendar. You then visit VFS on the agreed date and time and submit the application. This costs the applicant a service fee of 815 THB on top of the visa fee. VFS forwards the application to the embassy in Bangkok. After a decision by the RSO, you can collect the passport from VFS or have it returned by courier (EMS) for a fee.
– Website: http://www.vfsglobal.com/belgium/thailand
– Call center (English and Thai): 0066 2 118 7002 - 2) By sending an e-mail to the consular service of the embassy: [email protected]
If you hand in a sufficiently stamped envelope with this second option or pay the postage at the counter, the passport can be sent to your home by registered post (by EMS) after it has been processed. Otherwise, the applicant will be notified by the embassy and the visa can be collected from the embassy without an appointment.
The application must therefore be submitted to the embassy or to VFS on the agreed date and time. Only the foreign national may report to the counter/counter, the sponsor cannot be present.
What is the procedure at the embassy, is there an interview?
Only the foreign national enters, after all it is the applicant who will submit and explain a request. The embassy or the Visa Application Center (VAC) is also not interested in interfering or even aggressive referees, so they are not allowed access.
You submit the application at the counter. The Thai desk clerk will then go through the documents with you as the applicant and take biometric data (fingerprints, passport photos). Some questions will also be asked. The nature and scope of the questions will depend, among other things, on the purpose of travel, travel history and the quality and completeness of the documents submitted. They are not interested in your life story or private matters, they will only want to determine what the purpose of your trip is and whether everything is okay. Questions may be asked about (the relationship with) the sponsor. This is first and foremost to substantiate the purpose of the trip, but also to detect possible human trafficking, for example. If the applicant has prepared well, you do not have to worry about the intake.
On the basis of the documents and the short questions asked by the desk clerk, he or she can make a few notes for the benefit of a good assessment. The application will be declared admissible and then forwarded to the back office. The (Thai) employee at the counter of the embassy or the VAC does not assess the application, the assessment and granting or rejection of a visa is done by Dutch/Belgian employees (civil servants) who work in the back office. If these officials still have questions during the procedure, the foreign national may in some cases be summoned for a separate interview at the embassy.
Also know that the counter staff only have an advisory role. They check whether the application is admissible on the basis of a checklist. They may indicate that something is missing or too many pieces. However, the foreign national can insist that the application be submitted as presented. The desk clerk can also make mistakes (for example, advise to remove something that later proves to be crucial in the assessment by the practitioner).
Of course it goes without saying that employees of the embassy or VFS behave politely and correctly. If the foreign national has had a bad experience at the embassy/VFS desk, feel free to submit a complaint to the embassy. A complaint has no influence on the assessment and if the complaint is justified, the embassy can improve its service.
How long does the processing take?
In a normal situation, the statutory decision period for an accepted application is a maximum of 15 calendar days, but in practice - outside the peak season - the processing time is approximately one week.
In individual cases, if further investigation is required by the central authorities (IND/DVZ), the decision period can be extended to a maximum of 30 calendar days. In exceptional cases, if additional documents must be provided by the applicant, the deadline is 60 calendar days at the latest.
Also don't forget the phase for this: time that is needed between requesting an appointment and submitting the appointment at the embassy. The embassy must offer an opportunity for an appointment within 2 weeks, but if you want to come later, that is of course also possible.
If both obtaining an appointment and the processing time of the visa require the maximum time of 2 weeks and 15 days respectively, you are therefore 29 days further. If you have the passport sent to you, the shipping time will also be added for sending the registered mail.
Therefore, always submit the visa application well in time. Preferably at least a month in advance, but the sooner the better. If everything goes wrong, the entire visa process can even take several months!
In the event of an emergency (such as the death of a loved one), please contact the embassy or the IND/DVZ. These determine in which cases someone will receive an urgent visa. Since Dutch visa applications are physically handled by the Regional Support Center (RSO) in Malaysia, the processing time takes at least two working days.
Annex: Schengen Visa Dossier
Click here to open the attachment. There are many more questions and answers in this dossier.
Finally, the author has made every effort to include the most recent information as accurately as possible. The file can be seen as a service to the readers and may nevertheless contain errors or outdated information. Therefore, always consult official sources such as the website of the embassy for up-to-date information.
About this blogger
-
Regular visitor to Thailand since 2008. Works in the accounting department of a Dutch wholesaler.
In his spare time he likes to go cycling, walking or reading a book. Mainly non-fiction, especially the history, politics, economy and society of the Netherlands, Thailand and countries in the region. Likes to listen to heavy metal and other noise
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For more questions and answers, see the extensive dossier: https://www.thailandblog.nl/schengenvisum-dossier-sept-2017/
Solid piece of work, Rob! As far as I'm concerned, you graduated summa cum laude!
Also my appreciation and thanks for a great piece of work. Great class!
Thanks, but I'm not satisfied yet. For example, I agree that:
– The personal contributions to the lawyer in the event of an objection have not been defined more precisely. But one pays 140 euros, another 150. So I can't get around a margin, although I prefer to be precise.
– It is a matter of deliberation between a few statements (for example, processing time and explanation about multiple entries on a multiple entry visa), repeating them a few times throughout the file and not repeating them too often. If I mention something once that I have seen from readers' questions that people have read about it, then I mention it with a related question but repeat too much and the file becomes too long and people start skipping parts ('you already wrote this, next question' ).
– I would like to write more about Belgium. Sometimes I go into detail about the Dutch state of affairs (theory/practice) but not for our Flemish readers. At the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I did not receive as extensive an answer to everything as the Dutch employees did. I also don't hang around much on Flemish sites and circles with practical experiences that I could have taken with me otherwise. So if Belgian readers have suggestions that I could have elaborated on or what works out differently in practice than the theory, I would like to hear about it so that I can also be of even more complete service to Flemish people.
– Leave out things that are not yet relevant. As of 2019, the RSO Asia will close in Kuala Lumpur and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will process the visa applications in The Hague. But that's not relevant yet, so I'll leave out those kinds of (less) fun facts.
I give myself a maximum of 8. But if the file is of service in 95-99% of the cases, then I am satisfied with that. It never gets perfect.
So keep sending questions and feedback to the editors, so I can take that into account for the future.
Rob, Nice work again!!!!
Thank you Rob for this once again clear explanation!!!
mvg Michael
Nice piece of work, thanks for that, but I do have a question;
The whole piece is about having a partner come over, but in my case my partner has been getting a multi-entry visa for 10 years without any problems, but now a cousin of my girlfriend wants to go on holiday to the Netherlands, the lady is 30 years old , (doesn't look too bad, to put it mildly) but currently has no job, no home, no income, is she eligible, do you think for a visa, if I'm the sponsor? Her parents pay for everything for her, he is a retired professional soldier, with a nice house, car, etc.
You will therefore only be the sponsor and guarantor for the accommodation. The woman in question can give her own financial guarantee through bank statements (with some realistic history) regarding her daily spending budget.
If you doubt that, you can also guarantee yourself with your income. Logically, because there is no official family relationship between you and your wife, you can say that the social circumstances in the risk profile have a less positive sum.
But if you indicate, with your stable Dutch income & accommodation, in the guarantee statement “Family visit: niece of my girlfriend [Name of girlfriend] visit” you are concise and clear enough and supportive enough in terms of social/economic risk profile.
I myself never fill in more than “family visit” in the guarantee statement.
On the 'Schengen application form' you enter '34. Personal details of the family member who is an EU, EEA or CH citizen' your girlfriend's name. I always enter my wife's name, date of birth, nationality and travel document number there. And she is not an EU citizen.
AND, it doesn't cost the world to apply for a CRR. Never shot, always miss.
PS
And don't forget question 33 of the Schengen application form! Just tick everything except “Other (specify)” under: “by a guarantor, please specify”.
I can't imagine them turning down the application. I suspect that the risk profile will soon be such that they will know where to find you if the niece goes illegal. So your reliability will be weighted in the risk profile.
Success!
Prevention is better than cure Rob. That guarantee is something that is never really done with. I was told by the IND officials not to start with that. Legally it is not as it should be. There will be no penalty for the guarantor if the lady in question still takes the stroll in the three months and turns out to be “untraceable”. The mea maxima culpa (I can't help it) story is then often proclaimed by the guarantor. I myself have experienced it several times during investigations. Often working in Europe, possibly in prostitution, because we know all about the land borders and she will only return when enough is earned or the friendship (if applicable) causes problems or homesickness. So better make a good estimate in advance and rule it out because that is not the end of the world for this lady and for the Netherlands.
I am not from Brabant dear Jacques. 🙂
However, in practice, the guarantee does not amount to much. Costs are rarely recovered from the sponsor. This only concerns costs that arise directly from the extra costs incurred by the Dutch state, such as paying for the flight ticket upon deportation. And there is a maximum on the amount to be recovered, so even if the bill increases, you would not end up broke. I also don't know of any criminal prosecution if the foreign national takes off. It will of course be a different story if the referent itself is criminally involved (human trafficking, exploitation) but as a former VP you will know all about that and you have written something about it on this blog. Not that a guarantee is completely worthless, if everything goes wrong you have to pull out your wallet, but you don't have to be really deeply impressed as a guarantor. The decision-making official will not really be that either.
The handler will still check whether the foreign national remains within the risk margins. The referent is not very interesting unless the paperwork or question/answer makes it seem as if there is something fishy about the case (lies, illegal or criminal) or something else strange. You can then be as wealthy, reliable and sincere as a sponsor… the important thing is whether the decision-maker trusts the foreign national sufficiently. The lady and not Han will therefore have to convince that she is honest and sincere about the purpose of the trip, planning and (reasons for) timely return to her country.
@Brabander: question 34 is really only relevant for applications based on EU Directive 2004/38 regarding free movement for non-EU family members of an EU/EEA national. More flexible rules apply to them and they may skip the questions with an *. This does not include a Thai who comes to the Netherlands with a Dutch or Thai sponsor. An accompanying letter of 1 page remains the best to clarify the how what and why of foreign national(s) and sponsor(s).
Dear Lung Han,
Good question, yes you can. I should have put that in there too! Stupid of me. Now the file is worth a 7.
Who can guarantee or provide accommodation or both?
Actually 'everyone', even Frans Bauer. As long as this is sincere and the sponsor can meet the requirements. A brief explanation in an accompanying letter why you offer guarantor and/or accommodation is wise. If you write that you and your love want to give her shelter and/or guarantee (plus the proof) that's fine.
The fact that her father is somewhat wealthy is of little use to her, it is about her social and economic bond such as job / estate / house etc.
And honestly I've been a lonely thirtysomething for 2 years so if you don't want to… 555
Don't undermine your own file Rob.
It doesn't deserve that.....
Errors can and is human but it hurts me how you react now.....
It is then not even an error as I write incorrectly… just an extra situation statement.
As a Fleming… I think your work is great… but I think you already know that
I'll add a wink next time. 😉 Of course I don't lose sleep over it, it's a nice and good file but it can always be better.
Ronny thanks for your compliment below. I mean that 100% without jokes or jokes. 🙂
It is simply a very good and above all useful file Rob, which deserves his appreciation.
I wish a politician could say that his/her file is also 95 percent correct 😉
Your call that a Belgian would do such a thing, I'm afraid will not get any effect.
They know, think, they know it all until the question comes…
Great Rob. Your work deserves all the respect as far as I'm concerned.
Maybe just a little tip. If the guarantee is completed in Thailand, it must first be legalized at the embassy because from the Netherlands this paper is only valid for 3 months after stamping. Papers in Thai must also be translated into English.
Another excellent explanation Rob.
That's right, both points are in the PDF file:
https://www.thailandblog.nl/wp-content/uploads/Schengenvisum-dossier-sept-2017.pdf
The explanation above is only a selection of questions and answers.
We have used the Schengen file several times (more than 10 years of relationship) to apply for a visa for my wife. Especially to check whether we had all the necessary forms. With the last application, to our surprise, she received a visa for 4,5 years (up to 3 months before the expiry date of her passport). With all applications we have always been treated correctly and correctly by the embassy and VFS Global in Bangkok. With this I want to indicate that the negative experiences, in my opinion, usually occur because the requested data is either incomplete or insufficient, despite the fact that sufficient information is available. I write this message because I think that too often negative things are done about the treatment, while the positive experiences are often not shared in my opinion.