Some of the most stunning places on this Earth can be found in the Schengen Area.
The Schengen area has everything to offer its tourists, including vast history, delicious food, distinctive architecture, bustling cities, dreamy castles, and cultural diversity.
Europe offers a wide variety of wonderful places to visit to, eat at, buy at, and stay, from opulent beaches and limestone cliffs to a blend of historical styles like art nouveau, medieval, and baroque.
The choices are endless, which makes deciding the attractions to explore big challenge.
A Schengen visa is a short term stay visa that enables other countries citizens to visit any country in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days for legitimate reasons, such as holiday, visiting family or friends, and for business purposes. You will need a visa to enter Europe from the UK if you are a citizen of a nation that has not yet negotiated a visa-liberalization agreement with Schengen member states.
The Tourist Schengen Visa is the most often used visa for traveling to Europe. This is due to the fact that it allows the holder of the visa to enter & travel freely inside, and then exit the Schengen Area from any of the Schengen member nations. The Schengen Area, which today includes the majority of European nations, has no border controls and offers visa-free travel.
Even though the UK is not a part of the Schengen Area, British nationals can travel visa-free for up to 90 days throughout Europe. All British Overseas Territories Citizens, British Protected Persons, and British Subjects are now also eligible for visa-free travel to the Schengen Area for up to 90 days.
The following list includes the 27 Countries that make up the Schengen Area:
Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The Schengen Area covers nearly all of mainland Europe with the exclusion of Ireland, but soon to be Schengen member states Romania, Bulgaria, and Cyprus. Countries like Iceland, Switzerland, Norway, and Lichtenstein are also a part of the Schengen Area while not being members of the EU.
While traveling from the UK to a European country, not every foreign national living or temporarily residing there will be required to Apply for Schengen Visa. Likewise, not all UK citizens are qualified to apply for a Schengen visa while residing in the country.
For instance, a citizen of the United States residing in the United Kingdom can often visit the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period without getting a Schengen visa contrarily an Indian national residing in the UK is unable to enter the Schengen region without a Schengen visa. This is due to the fact that they are not citizens of a nation with whom the EU has a visa liberalization agreement.
Then again, a Schengen Visa from UK will be necessary for any US citizen who has previously been refused admission to the Schengen Area. However, they won’t be allowed to apply from the UK unless they have a residence permit there that will still be in effect when they return from the Schengen Area and be valid for at least three months. They would have to apply for a Schengen visa from the USA if they are not residents of the UK or do not have a permit that will remain in effect for three months.
Any foreign nationals residing in the UK who are eligible to Apply Schengen visa from UK must apply at the relevant Schengen embassy or consulate. The Schengen states are all represented by embassies and consulates in the UK. Depending on your objective and intended duration of stay, there are certain requirements that can help you determine what agency in the UK you should apply with.
Let’s understand with an example, if you are only travelling to one Schengen nation, you must submit an application to the embassy or consulate of the country you are visiting. However, if you are travelling to more than one Schengen area, you should submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the nation where you intend to spend the most of your time, or your primary destination. If you want to spend an equivalent amount of time in more than one Schengen country, you must submit your application to the embassy or consulate of the Schengen nation you will be physically entering first.
Depending on your nationality and the purpose of your trip, you must first decide what kind of visa you need (Visitors visa or Business Schengen Visa). Once you’ve determined your Schengen visa requirement, you must then decide your trip itinerary, calculate the number of days you’ll be in the Schengen Area, and submit your application.
You must schedule an in-person Schengen Visa Appointment at the embassy or consulate of your preferred destination in order to apply and obtain a visa. You will need to download a visa application form, pay the applicable visa fee, provide reasons for travelling to the Schengen Area and furnish other relevant information as requested.
When you go in for your interview, the consular officer will need your completed application form and supporting documents. Your application must be filed at least 15 days before the commencement of your intended trip, but it cannot be lodged more than six months in advance.
You must submit a number of supporting documents when applying for a Schengen visa from the UK. This includes a valid passport, a valid UK residency permit, a passport-size photograph in the required format, a cover letter outlining the reason of your visit, evidence of your travel plans to and from the Schengen Area, evidence of current travel insurance, evidence of your ability to pay for lodging, and proof of your whereabouts are all required as part of this documentation. You must also provide proof of your work, self-employment, retirement, or educational activities in the UK.
Let’s understand the documentation requirement with a comprehensive list to make it easier:
Schengen country visa is quite easy to apply for. Simply follow the listed below steps:
Follow the below mentioned visa documentation guidelines while submitting your documents for Schengen visa Application.
If you wish to get your Visitor Schengen Visa or any other visa type without the hassle of doing all the arduous paperwork by yourself and make your trip memorable one, you are at the right place. The team of specialists will walk you through every step of your application if you find visa process annoying or simply cannot afford to take up weeks or even months to figure out what documents to submit.
Q. How long is Schengen visa valid for?
Ans. You will be given a single-entry, double-entry, or multiple-entry visa depending on the purpose and frequency of your travels. The number of days you specify on your visa application form as the number of days you wish to spend in the Schengen Area will determine the validity of any single-entry visa; however, the Schengen embassy or consulate granting the visa will decide how long it will be valid for.
Q. Should my initial travel be to a Schengen country that issued me the visa?
Ans. The country that issued your Schengen visa does not necessarily have to be your first point of entry into the Schengen Area. However, your primary destination or the country where you want to stay the longest must be the one where your visa was issued.
Q. Can I travel to multiple countries on a Schengen visa?
Ans. Yes,the Schengen visa is typically valid for all of the Schengen member states, according to the Schengen visa rules.
Q. What all are the benefits of Schengen Visa?
Ans. For some non-Europeans, a Schengen visa is a legal requirement for entry into any of the 27 Schengen member nations. Once obtained, this visa enables the holder to pass over the borders of the other member states without having to submit to an identification check.
Q. What is the shortest and fastest visa processing time for Schengen area?
Ans. Less than 72 hours is the shortest processing period for a Schengen visa and the longest processing period is more than 15 days.
Website link:https://www.schengenvisahelp.co.uk/contact/