Urgent Schengen Visa Procedure

Did you know, 2017 was the strongest year for international tourism to Europe? Approximately 51 million more people visited Europe that year than in 2016, says an article by Skift Global Forum. The major reason for this massive surge is the smooth visa application procedure to visit 27 different nations, all with a single Schengen visa.

Traveling to Schengen Countries

The Schengen visa application procedure begins with filling up the Uniform Schengen Visa Application Form. This visa takes a minimum of 10-15 working days to be processed. A lot of it also depends on the consulate you are applying at. Countries like Lithuania process applications much faster, within 4-5 working days, as compared to France or Spain, since it received significantly fewer applications. So, if you need your visa processed quickly, choose the nation where you will enter the Schengen Area from and apply for a visa accordingly. There is no rush processing option for this visa.

However, the good news is that, business visas are usually issued faster than tourist visas.

How to Get Your Schengen Visa Fast 

There are some regions that do not have embassies of their own. They are represented via the embassies of other countries. For instance, Iceland does not have many consulates of its own. Therefore, if you are planning to apply for a Schengen visa from Iceland, you will need to apply at the representative consulate. 

The advantage is that applying to these countries could save you time. Apart from that, make sure you carry all the mandatory documents and fill the application form clearly and accurately to avoid any unnecessary delays.

Documents Needed for Urgent Schengen Visa Application

The mandatory documents required for a Schengen visa include: 

1. Filled Application Form: Make sure you fill the correct application form, since the forms for long stays and short stays are different. Filling it up with accurate and complete information is important. Incorrect data might result in visa denial. 
2. Photographs: 2 identical photos in passport format are required. The photos should be of high quality and not older than six months.
3. A Valid Passport: Your passport should be issued within the last 10 years and have validity of at least 3 months beyond you intended period of stay in the Schengen Area. Other than this, the passport must have two blank pages for the visa stamp. 
4. Travel Itinerary: This must include all that you are planning to do in the Schengen zone, along with details of how you are reaching the zone. Supporting documents like round trip tickets or documents of a booked organized tour, etc., are required. 
5. Travel Insurance: This must ensure that you have cover of €30,000 within the entire Schengen Area. A confirmation coverage letter should be submitted with the application. 
6. A Cover Letter: A cover letter, mentioning all details of your visit, including purpose, duration of stay and so on, is needed. 
7. Proof of Financial Means: You will need to prove that you have financial capacity of at least €120 per day through your stay in the area. 
8. Accommodation Proof: You need to submit proofs of hotel bookings or anywhere else you will be staying in the area.

Completing the visa application form with the correct data and furnishing the consulate with all the necessary documents can help prevent delays in visa processing.